The water was scalding hot, and she stood under the spray until her skin turned pink, willing herself to be numb.
To not think about anything.
No Hardy. Caroline. No Priscilla. No Matriarch. No Dawin. No... Hades.
Not even her own spiraling thoughts.
Tonight is just water, she chanted in her mind. Just steam and silence. Tomorrow is for thinking.
She stepped out of the bathroom swaddled in a plush, cloud-soft bathrobe, tugging the belt tightly around her waist and vigorously scrubbing her damp hair with a towel. The mirror was fogged, obscuring her reflection, and she was grateful for it. She didn't want to see the face of the girl who was in over her head.
Padding back into the bedroom, she felt a semblance of calm. The ritual of it had helped.
Until she froze mid-step, the towel falling from her hands to the floor with a soft thud.
Someone was sitting on her bed.
