" Is that really so?"

Vida woke up from a nightmare again. She felt like she'd been having them a lot more since she moved to the city.

Yesterday had felt like a nightmare...

Right, the head injury! That was it. That was why she got the dates messed up. She pulled out her calendar on her phone and checked it.

It was the nineteenth now, right?

The glow was harsh on her face.

September first?

But.... That couldn't be right. She felt sick again. There was no way she had just lost almost half a month of her life. That was impossible. Her phone must've just been messed up.

She jumped out of bed and ran down the hall, feet thudding, to check the calendar in the kitchen.

It was on September. She flipped back to August and every day was checked off.

Her mother was up cooking bacon.

"Vida, dear, you know what I said about being dressed before getting breakfast," she chided gently.

" Mom, what day is it today?" she asked, trying not to sound like her world was crumbling into very sharp and small pieces.

" It's September first. You have your first test in English today, remember?"

She put a hand on Vida's forehead.

" You don't have a fever. Is something wrong?"

Vida brushed her away, still feeling weirdly dizzy.

" I'm sorry, Mom, I think I'm still feeling messed up from the car crash," she apologized.

Her mother's lips pressed together, thin.

" Just go get ready for school, Vida."

"Mhmm."

She plodded back to her room, feeling heavy.

How could she have lost half a month? Over ten days?

When she was getting dressed she couldn't think of anything except the nightmare she had had.