DANIEL'S HOUSE
Samantha stirred awake, her head pounding as if someone had taken a hammer to her skull. A groan escaped her lips, and she clutched her temples, trying to steady the dizzying ache.
Every sound seemed amplified; the chirping birds outside were noise to her ears. Her mouth was dry, and her muscles ached as though she’d run a marathon.
She squinted at the sunlight filtering through the curtains, cursing under her breath. “Why on earth is my head banging so hard,” she muttered, sitting up slowly.
The room spun briefly, forcing her to shut her eyes for a moment. When the dizziness subsided, she swung her legs off the bed, wincing at the cold floor beneath her feet.
She was still in the same dress she had worn to the gala, though it was wrinkled and stained with a substanc
