ELLA

When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. Birds were chirping from the tree branches, rays of sunlight streamed through the gaps the leaves didn’t cover, and I could hear the sound of cars driving past a few miles away.

I sighed and tried to sit up—my body cooperated a lot better than it had the previous night, and that was a good sign.

It meant my healing had begun, and even though I still felt sore in certain places, it was much better than feeling like complete crap yesterday.

I looked around and chuckled when the realization hit me—I had slept in the forest like some hobo....