Chapter Twenty-four
Thalina
I swirled around in the bed; it felt so relaxing and calm, like a fish that had been confined in a small tank finally being released into the ocean. The coolness was a stark contrast to the soreness that radiated from my legs every few minutes.
My eyes flickered open, one after the other. I’d been awake for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the bed—it felt like a comfort zone I didn’t want to abandon. When was the last time I had slept this well? Maybe before my mother’s death. Everything turned sour after my stepmother and stepsister moved in. I was forced into a smaller room with a bed I could barely fit in, while Ember took my old room. Father never complained. He said I was older and had to sacrifice for my sister.
Well, I had sacrificed near
