C61 THE FIRST MORNING

Light.

Not warmth, air, or time, but light was the first thing she sensed.

It rushed through her skin like a second heartbeat, going through every scar, every breath, and every part of her that had previously been someone else's. There was no sound in the world around her. Not dead, but waiting.

The sky above her was painted in colors she had never seen before when she opened her eyes