Liv awoke slowly, as if her consciousness were rising from the bottom of a dark, freezing lake.
The first thing she felt was warmth thick blankets wrapped around her body, the familiar scent of her chamber, and a dull ache spreading through her limbs, as though she had just run an impossibly long distance. Her eyelids felt heavy as she opened them.
The ceiling she knew so well greeted her.
For a moment, Liv simply stared, making sure this was not another illusion, not a misplaced layer of time. Late afternoon light filtered softly through the curtains gentle, real.
"Jay…?" Her voice was hoarse, barely audible.
A figure stood not far from the bed.
Jay.
He stood upright, but his shoulders were tense, as though his body were holding up something far too heavy. His hair was still slightly damp, his robe wrinkled, his eyes red as if he hadn't blinked in a very long time.
Jay turned sharply at the sound of her voice.
"Liv."
