[Vanessa's POV]
Vanessa awoke with a sharp gasp, the sound torn from her throat before she even realized she was breathing.
Her body jolted upright in bed, slick with sweat under the thin infirmary sheets, and her hands flew instinctively to her chest to stop her heart from hammering its way out of her ribs.
'Anna—!!'
Somehow, she couldn't breathe, as though something invisible had sunk its claws into her lungs and was squeezing, tighter, tighter…
Her lips parted, trying to call out, but her voice caught in her throat.
Only a ragged wheeze came out.
Her vision blurred with tears she hadn't known were falling. Vanessa clawed her fingers at the bedsheets. Her arms trembled violently.
And all she could feel was the echo of the guillotine's blade, the warmth of blood, and the weight of her mother's hair brushing against her fingers…
"—Hey, hey, shhh, you're safe now," a gentle voice murmured, and a hand, firm but careful, settled on her shoulder.
