Stella's POV
It was a bright sunny day, and I stood in the middle of an open field. The flowers were exceptionally beautiful.
The kind I have not seen all through my days in the Nortons' family.
Their petals, a riot of colours, bloomed wide and open, as though waving at me in greeting.
Their fragrance filled the air, wrapping around me in a calmness so gentle it was impossible to ignore.
For a moment, I simply stood there, breathing it in, afraid that if I moved too quickly, the peace would vanish.
Like a little girl finally free from her parents' restrictions, I ran through the field, laughter bubbling out of me, my heart light, my steps careless and full of wonder.
At last, my lifelong dreams were achieved.
Free from burden.
Free from malice.
Free from the pain I had come to live with.
But just as I laid down in the field to bask in the warmth of the sun, a loud howl tore through the vast openness, snapping me out of my little world.
My pulse spiked.
