BRIAR'S POV
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It was surprising to find clean towels that smelled of lavender and by the time bathed and was sliding into bed, the cold sheets felt refreshing, as if this life could promise something new, something brighter and better. Nuzzling into the soft pillow beneath my bed, a silence fell over me, the kind that strokes my skin with contentment, and for once in my entire life, it doesn't feel wrong as I pull the blanket tighter over my shoulder and close my eyes to fall asleep.
Perhaps it was the blissful thinking of having a new start, or the guilt still gnawing at my chest, but I jolsted awake at a sudden sound, a bang of some sorts, but as I glance around in the darkness and the comfort of my own little home that's engulfed in silence, so much silence that I fear I'm hearing
