TEN
When Natasha first opened her eyes, it took a while to adjust to the dimness of her surroundings.
Her memory of what had happened to her prior to this moment was temporarily screened off in her psyche, in the same way that a childhood torment might be banished for the purpose of self-preservation.
As she blinked and attempted to focus on the unfamiliar environment, her mind was unable to fathom why it was that she was not in her own bed, surrounded by her countless possessions, and embraced by the morning sun, which on bright mornings shone in directly through her bedroom window.
This place was not only dank and poorly lit, but there was a strange sour-sweet odour which was starting to assail her nostrils that reminded her of a combination of bad body odour, urine, and excrement.
