Framed and Condemned to Boil

A sudden deluge of freezing water hit my face and chest, ripping me straight out of a shallow sleep. Sucking in a sharp, ragged breath, I blinked through the stinging drops and tried to figure out where I was. No matter how many times they used a bucket of ice water as an alarm clock, my body never got used to the shock. It was completely pointless cruelty, and after the last time it happened, I h