*Elena*

The brisk spring air brushed against my heated skin like a whisper through chapped lips. The clock ticked silently into the night as I stared thoughtfully out of the open window.

My socked feet were kept from the slight chill, but the simple used T-shirt I wore as a nightdress did little to hide my legs from the wind. It was dark, the sky alight with tiny dots that barely resembled stars. The last lit lamppost stood on the street corner like the shadow of a ...