20
An odd noise woke Ridley. By the time her eyes were open and she’d figured out where she was—not at home, and not in the bunker—she wondered if she’d simply dreamed the sound. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself up, listening carefully. The storm was gone, dull light filtered through the cracked window, and whatever she thought she’d heard—a thump? Callie moving around in the room next door?—didn’t repeat itself.
Her mind replayed everything from the night before in a quick rush, and her body filled with a surge of warmth. But the strangeness of the sound she may or may not have dreamed nudged at the back of her mind, and she climbed out of bed to investigate. Her bare feet made no noise against the carpet as she padded to the half-open door, her awareness going to her magic.
