#Chapter 52: Careful

Hannah I awoke with a start to the sound of rustling curtains and soft footsteps across the bedroom floor. Squinting against the morning sunlight, I pushed myself up on my elbows to see my handmaid, Ana, moving around the room. Yawning, I sat up fully and rubbed my eyes. Ana pulled open the curtains to another window, letting even more sunlight stream in. “Good morning, Luna,” she said without turning, her voice sounding more hoarse than usual. “I hope you slept—” Before she could finish, she fell into a fit of coughing. I blinked hard, taken aback by how sick she sounded. “Are you sick, Ana?” I asked, furrowing my brow. She turned towards me then, and I immediately noticed how pale and sickly she looked. “I’m so sorry, Luna,” she said, clearing her throat. “It’s just allergies.” “Allergies?” I threw the covers off of myself and swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing. As I approached, I could see the dark circles under her eyes and the pale look on her fa