# Chapter 39 - The Awakening Scar
**– VANESSA –**
"You're awake. Good. I was starting to worry."
I opened my eyes slow. Everything hurt. My head felt like someone hit it with rocks. My throat was dry as sand.
A woman sat next to me. Old with gray hair and kind eyes. I didn't know her.
"Where am I?" My voice came out like a whisper.
"Safe. That's all that matters right now." She handed me a cup of water. "Drink this. Slow."
The water was cool and sweet. Best thing I'd tasted in days.
I looked around. We were in a small cabin. Wood walls. One window. A fire burning in the corner.
"Who are you?"
"Call me Mira. I'm a healer." She studied my face. "What's the last thing you remember?"
I thought hard. Images flashed in my mind. Running through the forest. Guards chasing me. Falling down a cliff.
"I was running. From my pack. They threw me out."
"Hmm." Mira nodded. "That explains the injuries. You were pretty beat up when I found you."
"How did you find me?"
