By the time I woke up, several hours had already slipped away into the quiet darkness of the night.
At first, everything felt distant and heavy, as though my body didn't quite belong to me yet.... like I was floating somewhere just beneath the surface of consciousness, wrapped in thick layers of exhaustion and lingering pain. My limbs felt leaden, my thoughts slow and fragmented. Then, gradually, I became aware of something warm and steady wrapped around my hand.
Someone was holding it.
Gently.
Possessively.
Their thumb brushing faint, absentminded circles against the back of my skin, as if the motion had become automatic, something they didn't even realize they were doing.
I frowned slightly, confusion cutting through the fog, and forced my eyes open.
The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't on the academy field anymore.
I was lying on a bed.
