Elsie's Pov

Elsie woke up the next morning with a start, the echo of her own screams still ringing in her ears. Her room was bathed in the soft, early morning light, but it did little to soothe her frayed nerves. She sat up slowly, her body aching with exhaustion. She had barely slept all night, the nightmare replaying over and over every time she closed her eyes.

She rubbed her temples, trying to stave off the pounding headache that had settled behind her eyes. Her reflection in the mirror across the room looked foreign to her, dark circles under her eyes, her hair disheveled, her skin pale and drawn....