BELLE

Elijah carried me with ease, never showing a single sign of fatigue.

The tranquility of the forest surrounding us in addition to the comfortable silence between Elijah and me, made for a soothing environment. All that could be heard was the faint chirping of some birds nearby and Elijah’s rough steps in the snow. “So where would you like to go?” Elijah asked me about a mile into our hike.

I set my chin down on his shoulder and sighed deeply. I didn’t want to make any decisions. I wanted to go to sleep. And then never wake up.

It was like my head was filled with murky water,...