Elaris's POV
The first thing I heard that morning wasn't the sound of nurses walking through the hallway or the gentle beeping of medical equipment.
It was my daughter.
A tiny, impatient cry rose from the bassinet beside my bed, soft at first before growing steadily louder, as though she had decided the entire maternity ward needed to know she was awake.
My eyes fluttered open almost immediately.
For a second, I simply lay there, listening.
Then I smiled.
"Good morning to you too."
The words escaped before I even realized I was speaking.
Sunlight streamed through the large hospital window, filling the room with a warm golden glow. July had settled comfortably over East Hollow, and the clear summer morning painted the sky a brilliant shade of blue.
The digital clock beside my bed
