The pavilion floor felt bitterly cold as Seren's cheek brushed against its rough surface. She wasn't quite asleep, yet her consciousness wasn't fully awake either. She hovered on the edge between a nightmare and a reality that was even more suffocating. The musty, damp smell from the corner of the room stung her nose, forcing her to take a sharp, shallow breath that stung her lungs.
Seren woke up from an intense thirst that burned her throat. Her heavy eyelids slowly opened, gazing at the sliver of moonlight slipping through the ventilation slit above the locked door.
She tried to move her arm. With the last of her strength, Seren pushed herself up to sit, leaning against the iron bedframe. In the darkness, she looked around. Her memory of last night's events was hazy; there was only the shadow of a crying girl's face and the sound of kicks against a rice bundle.
Then, her gaze caught something glinting on the faded carpet, right beneath the slightly open nightstand drawer.
