The first thing I noticed was the softness.
Not the lumpy couch at Sofia’s. Not the thin blanket I had been using. This was real softness, thick mattress, sheets that smelled faintly of clean linen and something familiar I couldn’t quite place. My head throbbed as I blinked awake, the room swimming into focus. Dim lighting. Heavy curtains. This wasn’t Sofia’s apartment.
Panic hit me like ice water. I sat up too fast, the room spinning. My wrists were free, but my heart slammed against my ribs as memories rushed back, the walk home, the hand over my mouth, the sweet chemical smell, the darkness.
I was kidnapped.
I scrambled off the bed, legs shaky, and ran to the door. Locked. Of course it was locked. I pounded on it with both fists, voice raw.
“Hello? Let me out! Someone help me!”
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