As I laid in Erik’s bed in the middle of the night, I had never felt more utterly alone. In the city, I was used to the noise. Whether it was the gentle lull of my heater or the bright street lights outside, I always knew that there was something else going on outside of my life. I didn’t know how much comfort it brought me until I found myself staring at the wooden ceiling.
Though there were sounds in the forest, owls hooting and the tree branches bumping against the open windows, it wasn’t noise. It merged into the background of my mind, playing like a lullaby somewhere.
It terrified me how loudly I could hear my own thoughts, brazen and unapologetic. The events of the day replayed in my mind, from Erik accepting to be a part of the protests to Suzie barging into the office and decla
