I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling of cracked rock and jagged stone, a far cry from the lavish ornate marble and polished designer wood I'd been accustomed to all my life.
I lay there on a bed of packed earth for a few moments, breathing slow and steady to let the weight of consciousness settle back into my limbs.
That was when a voice reached me.
A voice I had always found so infuriatingly calm, even in bleak moments like this. A deep and bassy voice that always carried a husky note… and hearing it never failed to soothe me, no matter how much I pretended otherwise.
"Are you going to get up?"
I turned my head toward the sound.
Leaning against the wall to my right stood Juliana, her shoulder-length white hair worn back in a French pull-through braid instead of a simple lob.
Her arms were loosely crossed and her posture was relaxed to the point of indifference, looking as unbothered as ever.
I pushed myself upright with a tired sigh.
