#Chapter 187: Let the Snow Fall

ELENA The first thing I felt was cold. Not the kind of cold that settled into your bones. Not the chill of snow or wind. It was sterile, dry, antiseptic. The kind of cold that came from machines humming, filtered air, fluorescent lights. A hospital. I blinked slowly, and the world came into focus in jagged pieces. Pale ceiling. Distant beep. IV in my hand. My body felt heavy, like I’d been drugged, like I’d been asleep for days. Groggy didn’t even begin to cover it. I turned my head with effort. Caroline was there. Sitting in a corner chair with her feet tucked under her, a glossy magazine open across her lap. Her hair was pulled back, dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t reading. Just staring. I let out a low, rasping sound. Her head snapped up. “Elena?” The magazine dropped to the floor. She was at my side in an instant. “You’re awake.” I opened my mouth to speak but only a wheeze came out. She grabbed a cup of water from the tray and held the straw to my lips.