Flashback ( PDFDrive )

I’m in. Now get some sleep—it sounds like you’re going to need it!”
• • •
The monster had been waiting for her.
Lurking in the mental shadows, ready to pounce the second
Sophie’s consciousness was left unguarded—the moment she stepped
from the thick haze of deep sleep and let her mind drift into dreams.
It dragged her down, trapped her in the hidden, chilly abyss where
everything was a darker shade of black and thought had no meaning.
That was where the pain lived. Stretching and straining against the
edges. Feeding off every awful memory.
Sophie tried to scream—tried to fight.
But the monster roared. And the sound . . .
It was Gethen’s voice.
See you soon, he told her.
Over and over and over—each repetition a blade, slicing slow and
deep into her still-healing wounds.
It felt like torture.
It felt like madness.
And then . . .
“Sophie.”
The soft, familiar voice seeped through the shadows, sending
Gethen’s words scattering and the monster scurrying away as Sophie
followed the trail of warmth up, up, up. Back into the searing light.
“It’s okay,” Edaline whispered, swiping sweaty hair off Sophie’s
forehead. “Try not to thrash anymore. It was only a nightmare.”
“A nightmare,” Sophie rasped, latching onto the word.
Nightmares she could handle.