Chloe woke up in a daze of bright lights. She jerked awake to see strange people near her. Where was she? It took her a moment to remember. Her heart sank. She had just dreamt she was a home helping her father sort flowers. Instead it was the same hospital room.

Ugh. The floor was so cold. She couldn’t sleep like this. She checked the time on her watch. It wasn’t even two in the morning, yet everything was the same as it was before, if only slightly quieter. Though she tossed and turned, she stayed wide awake staring at the walls.

The next morning didn’t come soon enough. Chloe, groggy as she was, forced herself off the floor to get some breakfast. She saw the same family as before and hung around them, though they didn’t recognize her. There were other kids in her ward and one of the nurses left a small radio that switched from the news to music. While these provided her with a distraction, she still could not shake the heavy feeling in her chest and fought to keep the lump in her throat down.

After a few days she grew restless and started to wander the halls. Occasionally she ended up in places where she wasn’t allowed and staff would tell her “Sorry, you can’t be here.” It was almost a relief when the doctor came to check on her, even if only for a moment. After a brief examination he told her that besides a few cuts and bruises she was fine. After that the medical staff never so much as looked at her.

A week passed, then two weeks. Chloe lost count. It was at this time that loneliness began to set in. Wasn’t her uncle supposed to come? Chloe really liked her uncle, and if anyone would take care of her, it would be he. She hadn’t seen him at the hospital yet. Maybe he had come and she had missed him, Chloe worried. She went to the front desk to see a new receptionist, this time an older man with dark circles under his eyes. It took a while for her to catch his attention. She asked him if her uncle had come. She told him his name and after persistent begging she finally convinced the receptionist to check. To her dismay he came back after a while saying that nobody of that name had come by.

The weather turned rough after a month. Some people, including the family she met, left to find another place to stay. Others remained. Either way, Chloe was barely noticed any more and passed her time between infrequent meals of beans and vegetables wandering the halls and taking walks outside, despite the weather. The initial shock and sadness gave way to a constant dullness of the soul. She always clutched her one possession, the watch, as if it meant everything.

Each day she went a little bit farther from the hospital. One day she couldn’t help but notice that some of the buildings that had been damaged during the skirmish were being rebuilt. She wandered up to one that had a new window installed and was shocked at the reflection staring back. Her normally pale skin was dark with old plaster while her white hair was sticky form grime and rain. She had on the same old pajamas she wore the day of the skirmish. All along her face, hands, and feet were dried blood from scars. She was a bedraggled mess, and looked like she had come out of a dumpster.

Chloe continued to stare until the cold rain began to intensify. She figured she must get back to the hospital soon and started to slosh through the puddles forming around her feet. The rain was pouring much harder now and the wind gusted form the dark clouds through the trees. Normally she liked rain storms as she felt safe and secure in her house, but now she felt so vulnerable.

Halfway back she slipped on the wet pavement and fell face down in a puddle. She wiped the cold water away from her eyes to find to her shock that she had let go of her watch (which she had been carrying in her hand). It was slowly floating down a stream into the gutter.

She ran after it, grabbing it just in time before it disappeared forever. But this required her to stoop down on her hands and knees, soaking her to the bone in freezing water. That’s when it hit her. All the sadness and pain from before came back with a vengeance. She had nobody. If she went missing, who would come looking for her? It would probably be a relief for their supplies.

She got up to go back to the hospital, but something stopped her. Then a disturbing thought occurred to her. There was nothing for her there. All she could do was wait, but nothing would happen. Nobody would come for her. She was stuck there.

She took out her watch to look at it one last time. The gold painting was as shiny and beautiful as ever. Unfortunately, it was waterlogged and the hands weren’t moving. She looked at the note. The ink on the note was blotted out but was still legible. To Chloe: To help you keep time for school. Use it well.

She stayed there in the rain, her tears welling up and hitting her like a hammer. She cried as she never cried before, loudly and visibly. She didn’t know how long she was there. By the time she couldn’t cry any more, the rain calmed down to only a light drizzle.

She stood up, shivering, and looked in the direction of the hospital. Then, she looked in the opposite direction and started walking. But fear of the unknown stopped her. She turned back and took a few steps toward the hospital.

No, she thought. She couldn’t go back there. There was nothing for her there.

She clasped the watch in her hand, turned around, and started down the road. It wasn’t more than a few blocks away that she reached unfamiliar territory. Her heart pounded. What am I doing? she thought. I don’t know where to go. Where will I get food?

What if I die?

All these thoughts and more circled through Chloe’s mind, but she pushed on. She didn’t know where she was going or what she would find, but she had to keep going. She continued trodding down the street in the rain until she reached the outskirts of town.

One thing was certain now. Truly, now she was on her own.