Desiree woke with a jolt, her heart already racing before her eyes fully opened.

The first thing that hit her was the silence. The kind that pressed against her ears, heavy and watchful, as if the walls themselves knew what day it was. The council hearing. The words repeated in her mind like a tolling bell.

Today.

She sat up slowly, one hand instinctively moving to her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. For a moment, she stayed there, staring at the pale light filtering through the ...