RAVENNA
The next morning drifted in quietly, like the hush after a lullaby. Sunlight spilled through the curtains in golden streaks, stretching across the wooden floor like warm arms. I sat on the couch, with my legs curled underneath me, and a cup of coffee cupped gently in my palms. The steam rose in soft spirals, warming the underside of my chin. On the other end of the couch, Riven lay on her belly, humming to herself as she carefully filled the petals of a butterfly with blue and yellow in her coloring book.
I watched her for a moment, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration and her little feet swinging back and forth in the air. Peaceful moments like these were rare and I held onto them like fragile glass. Elias had stepped out earlier to work on a carpentry project not
