25

I forced my eyes open, the horrid smell of smoke rushing into my nostrils as a tear rolled down my cheeks. "No," I whispered repeatedly, shivering in fear as I looked around the room. I raised my fingers to my face and began to count them, taking deep breaths as I forced myself to calm down.

I was in the Maldives in a warm, nice room with a soft bed and surrounded by blue water and clear skies. "Nothing is burning," I called out to myself twice, trying to think of other things even as the smell of burning flesh thickened.

I opened my phone and nearly dialled Cole, but I stoppped myself at the last second. He was in a video meeting at the lobby downstairs, and he would most likely ignore my call. I checked the time on the wall clock: Ten am. Kath would still be at work, and I was not close enough to Crystal or Beth to share this problem with either of them.

Seeing no other option, I grabbed a journal from my bag, ready to write down a stream of thoughts, when my hand touched something