//CLARA//
Surfacing from sleep felt like trying to swim through a vat of warm honey. I was floating, disconnected from my own limbs, drifting in a fog of silk and the faint, lingering scent of sandalwood.
Something warm pressed against my forehead, it was soft and lingering. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids were too heavy. Just as I started to lean into the touch, it vanished.
The warmth pulled away too soon. A soft whimper clawed at my throat as the heat retreated, followed by the muffled rhythm of footsteps moving away. A door clicked shut.
Then darkness took me again.
When I finally jolted awake, the sunlight hitting the floral wallpaper of my bedroom felt like a personal attack.
Ow.
A massive, thudding hangover blasted through my skull, pulsing behind my eyes with every heartbeat. I groaned, burying my face in the pillow, but as I moved, my body registered a different kind of pain.
