Sofia
At last, exhaustion dragged me into sleep. I hadn’t realized how tightly wound my body had been until the weight of the blankets finally held me still. Yet even in rest, peace didn’t come.
The dream began with shadows. A forest stretched before me, its trees crooked and endless. I ran, breath tearing through my lungs, though I couldn’t see what chased me. Branches clawed at my skin as I stumbled forward, always forward. Behind me, something snarled—a low, guttural sound that raised every hair on my body. I didn’t dare look back.
The ground gave way beneath my feet. I fell, plunging into blackness, the air swallowed by a roar that wasn’t human. Just before I hit bottom, I woke with a gasp.
My heart pounded, sweat clinging to my skin. The room was dark except for the pale silver li
