A female voice invaded the scene, it seemed distant but at the same time very close.<\/p>\r\n
MARIA, WAKE UP<\/em><\/p>\r\n That name, it seemed strangely familiar to her. It evoked the feeling of a person who had been her, but who was no longer one. From someone belonging to another time, another place. But then, who was she now? She couldn\u2019t stop wondering. All of her space was filled with a voracious appetite full of questions, curiosity, the need to know. A spark lit in her heart and finally she thought she found the answer\u2026<\/p>\r\n Maria opened her eyes slowly. A sea of lights suddenly dazzled her while on the other hand the shadows continued to hold her. Something wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Calm down dear, don\u2019t strain your eye. You don\u2019t know what it cost me to find you,\u2019 she heard the familiar voice again.<\/p>\r\n The nervousness began to increase. There was something horribly wrong with her, something wasn\u2019t working as it should. Then she became aware of the gauze and bandage covering part of her head and her left eye. Or rather, from the place where she should have her eye. Now she only noticed emptiness and darkness there. And that was how she finally remembered, she remembered everything that had happened and the serious injuries she had received. She burst into tears uncontrollably.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Everything is fine Maria, don\u2019t worry. You\u2019re safe, you\u2019re out of danger,\u2019 she heard the same voice at the same time she noticed someone holding her left hand.<\/p>\r\n Maria tried to regain her composure and focus. Step by step she was getting used to that amalgam of lights and shadows. She began to make out a white ceiling and walls. To the right of her was a window with a curtain, she couldn\u2019t see what was outside, but it was bright. It must have been daytime. She slowly turned her head to the left and finally knew who was with her, it was Ana Fern\u00e1ndez, her Head of Production at the television news channel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u2018Ana, is that you?\u2019 She managed to ask weakly.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Yes, my dear. You don\u2019t know how worried you had me, that you had us all. You can\u2019t imagine what it took us to find you.\u2019 Maria felt like her head was going to explode. Too much information at once. With everything she had been through she was unable to digest everything, much less make decisions about her professional future.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Ana, I thank you very much, but I don\u2019t feel well. I need time to think.\u2019 She watched her leave her room without being able to help but feel a sensation of frivolity that completely repulsed her. She picked up the phone and dialed her parents\u2019 number\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n She hated being stuck in the hospital, but the doctors had told her that she should continue to be observed until the wound in her eye closed completely. Many people had tried to contact her, journalists from all over the world, but Ana Fern\u00e1ndez and the people at the channel had prohibited any access from her. They had even hired private security so that no one would get close to her. She increasingly felt more like a prisoner than a victim of a tragedy.<\/p>\r\n She had convinced security and the nurse to let her go for a walk in the small indoor park in the hospital complex. This was located in the Aljarafe of Seville and the truth is that it featured good facilities.<\/p>\r\n She was sitting on a bench trying to clear her mind when she felt someone sit down to the left of her.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Good morning, Miss Luces,\u2019 she heard a voice with a strong British accent.<\/p>\r\n She turned to see him better with her right eye. He was a dark-skinned man, with dark hair sprinkled with gray. Although his forehead was furrowed by several wrinkles, he had a very fine complexion for his age; he must have been around sixty years old. His gaze was very alert and he had something that hypnotized her from the first moment. She Maria she couldn\u2019t stop looking at him without saying a word.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Are you okay, Miss Luces? I\u2019ve been wanting to talk to you for a few days.\u2019 Maria looked Albert Dougherty up and down again, studying him carefully. She had realized that she had entered into a game that she had not been prepared for but she was very curious about him and what he was telling her.<\/p>\r\n \u2018Go ahead, keep going, what do you want from me?\u2019 Just as he had appeared, Dougherty disappeared, leaving Maria alone and with her mind racing. Immediately one of the channel\u2019s security men appeared to ask her to return to her room. After returning there, she stood with hier arms crossed and endless mixed feelings running through her entire mind.<\/p>\r\n On the one hand she felt indignant to see that everyone wanted to get something from her, to take advantage of her. But on the other hand, she had to admit that her chest had swelled when she heard Dogherty\u2019s offer. In her veins ran, more than ever, that appetite to be a reference in information. She was aware that what happened in Seville was much more complex and profound than what they had been told. The world was going to need, more than ever, a person like her, capable of going further and sharing the truth with everyone. And for this she was going to need means, influence and a lot of freedom.<\/p>\r\n She lay on the bed as her decision began to take shape. A decision that would change everything, but that would honor all those who lost their lives. She closed her right eye and began to glimpse her destiny\u2026<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4963,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0},"volumen":[11],"ficha_tenica":[],"class_list":["post-8604","personaje","type-personaje","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","volumen-volumen-1"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\u2018What happened?\u2019
\u2018You do not remeber anything?\u2019
\u2018I remember seeing the soldiers die, then that thing pointing at me and thinking I was going to die. Then an explosion and that metallic face\u2026\u2019 She half stammered, wandering among the confused memories of it.
\u2018You fell unconscious in front of your cell phone camera. We thought you had died. Everyone thought so actually. You don\u2019t know how famous you have become, girl. We had lost hope of finding you until two days ago we located you in one of the field hospitals. You were unconscious and in very bad condition,\u2019 Ana Fern\u00e1ndez confessed, unable to suppress a grimace when she noticed Mar\u00eda\u2019s reddened bandage.
\u2018But where am I now?\u2019
\u2018In a private hospital, we took you out of there and brought you here. You underwent emergency surgery and until now you have been unconscious. Don\u2019t worry, the doctors have said that you are out of danger and that you will recover soon.\u2019
\u2018And my\u2026?\u2019 Maria began to ask.
\u2018I\u2019m afraid they couldn\u2019t do anything, but don\u2019t despair, we\u2019ll find a way to solve it. You will return to being who you were,\u2019 said Ana Fern\u00e1ndez, trying to comfort her.
\u2018And what about Carlos?\u2019
\u2018We still haven\u2019t managed to find his body.\u2019
\u2018Have there been many victims?\u2019
\u2018Unfortunately yes, there is still no final official figure, but estimates speak of thousands of dead, as well as tens of thousands of injured. It has been a tragedy without comparison in our history Maria. But you should know that you became the main protagonist, your live chronicle was followed by all the television channels and the Internet in the world. In fact, you have been on the cover of all the digital editions as soon as we announced that you were still alive.\u2019
\u2018Really?\u2019 Mar\u00eda couldn\u2019t believe it.
\u2018Even the president of the corporation has called me about you, we have big plans for you Mar\u00eda. As soon as you are recovered, we want you to have a permanent position as a reporter and improve your contract. Think about it, it is the opportunity you have always wanted.\u2019 Ana Fern\u00e1ndez assured with a satisfied smile on her face.<\/p>\r\n
\u2018Sure honey, don\u2019t worry. Take your time to recover, we will wait for you and we will prepare your return. This room is entirely for you, believe me when I tell you that nowadays this is a luxury, but we have gone all out. I have left a new phone on the table for you and I have memorized my number so you can call me for whatever you need.\u2019
\u2018Thank you, I will, although the first thing I want to do is see my parents. Have you been able to talk to them?\u2019
\u2018Yes, you don\u2019t know how worried they were. They have been taking care of you these two days, I took turns while they went home to rest. Call them, they will go crazy to talk to you.\u2019
\u2018I will do it, see you later Ana.\u2019
\u2018Take care Maria, we have some incredible months ahead of us.\u2019<\/p>\r\nTHREE DAYS LATER<\/h2>\r\n
\u2018Who are you? No one is supposed to talk to me.\u2019
\u2018Excuse my manners, sometimes one forgets the most essential thing. My name is Albert, Albert Dougherty.\u2019
\u2018What do you want from me?\u2019
\u2018Simple, talk about your future, our future together.\u2019
\u2018I do not understand what you\u2019re referring to?\u2019
\u2018I have been informed that your channel has offered you a permanent position as a reporter. I imagine that by now you have already imagined that you have become a celebrity, right?\u2019
\u2018They told me something, but how do you know about my offer?\u2019
\u2018Miss Luces, a person in my position must always be informed of everything relevant. What you may not be aware of is that more than a celebrity, you have become an icon. In an image with incredible strenght in society. And someone with your potential, with your strength, deserves much more than being a simple reporter.\u2019<\/p>\r\n
\u2018Very simple, continue being yourself, the one who rose from the ashes of the battle of Seville, and that you can do so having all the tools and resources you need. Let\u2019s say that I represent a very important communication group and we want to make you our champion, our flag with which to inform everyone. I\u2019m not talking to you about being a reporter, I\u2019m opening the doors to much more. To have your own news show and team with complete freedom to carry out your work.\u2019
\u2018I don\u2019t know what to say\u2026\u2019
\u2018Just accept. Unlike others, my goal is to be able to ensure the best information, not just economic benefit. And unlike others, I am not going to spare any expenses. That is why if you accept, I have a helicopter right here waiting to take you to a private plane and fly you to the United States to our private hospital. There I assure you that they will treat your wounds and make you feel what you were before, including being able to recover the vision in your lost eye.\u2019
\u2018My eye? How?\u2019
\u2018I am not an expert on the subject, but there are new techniques to achieve this. If not complete, at least some vision could be restored. Accept and tonight you can fly towards your new future.\u2019
\u2018I have to think about it.\u2019 Mar\u00eda answered, overwhelmed.
\u2018Have this card, call me but don\u2019t think too much. If you demonstrated anything during the disaster in Seville, it is that you are a woman of action. I know you will accept the challenge. Now, if you\u2019ll excuse me, I must let you know that I don\u2019t want anyone to have any knowledge of our meeting. Don\u2019t forget, real opportunities must be caught on the fly. Take care.\u2019
\u2018Thank you Mr. Dougherty. I need to meditate on it.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lamarcadeodin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Maria-Luces-II.jpg\")
<\/p>\r\nMar\u00eda Luces must make a decision about her future, which is not easy<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n