My heart raced in my chest, thundering against my rib cage. No matter how many breathing exercises I tried in the space of one minute, none of them did what I wanted. My breath hitched in my throat, and my palms felt clammy. Beads of sweat streamed down my forehead as I swallowed in fear and disbelief.

When I had rounded up my shift in the kitchen, I wanted nothing more than to run upstairs and bury myself into my mattress. My hands ached and the tip of my fingers burned, like they were being cut off and pricked at the same time.

My bed wasn't the most comfy place...