ARIA'S POV

Waking up felt like dragging myself out of a nightmare only to find myself stuck in another.

My body… it ached. Every bone. Every joint. My eyes burned, dry and heavy, and my head pulsed with a dull throb like someone knocking from the inside of my skull. My leg felt like lead, stiff and wrapped tight. Sore didn’t even cover it—my entire being was screaming.

But I couldn’t just lie there. I couldn’t stay helpless. Not again.

I bit down, clenching my ...