The Weight of Silence

PIPER’S POV

Waking, this time, did not come gently.

It came in fragments, sensation before awareness, warmth before understanding, movement before thought.

I didn't know how long I had stayed on the cold, hard ground. I just knew that my heart was empty and hollow. It felt like I would combust at any second.

The first thing I registered was that I was no longer on the floor. The second was that I