Faye

The sound of shattering glass bursts through my ears. The roar of the fire overwhelms my senses, heat licking my face. I can’t open my eyes against the smoke, and my voice is nothing but a strangled, choking gargle as I try to scream Emelda’s name.

I’m grabbed from behind and dragged across the burning rug on the floor. Someone hauls me upright, throwing me over their shoulder like I’m nothing but a rag doll, a sack of potatoes.

I thrash and scream until my voice gives out entirely, and the smoke overwhelms my body, forcing me back into the haze of the deep, endless dreams I’d been living...