Fourteen Again

A harsh, mechanical blare shattered the silence, driving a spike of pain through my throbbing skull. The twin brass bells of an antique alarm clock rattled across the polished cherry wood of my nightstand, filling the bedroom with an intolerable clatter. I sat bolt upright, chest heaving for air, my fingers snapping up to claw frantically at my throat.

There was no gaping wound. No warm arterial