Hailey woke with a gasp.
Her body jolted upright, lungs burning as if she'd been dragged up from deep water. Sweat soaked her clothes, clung cold to her skin. Every nerve screamed—bruises blooming under the surface, muscles tight and aching. Her head throbbed worse than the rest, pressure grinding behind her eyes like something trying to claw its way out.
Memory slammed into place all at once.
The bed creaked as she forced herself upright. Her feet hit the floor.
Cold.
Not just cool—wintry. The kind that seeped into bone. Fever-cold.
She blinked hard and dragged a hand through her hair, steadying herself.
"…Hailey…?" a voice came from the other side of the door. Timid. Muffled. "I— I have something important to tell you."
Her eyes snapped toward the sound.
She didn't answer immediately. Her throat felt raw, scraped out.
"Just a minute," she muttered at last. Her voice came out hoarse. Wrong.
She turned toward the bathroom.
