Chapter 36

• Sienna.
• Some mornings feel heavier than others. Not in a gloomy, apocalyptic way, but just in the way your body drags a little, like your soul hit the snooze button too many times. That was me today, wrapped in an old linen robe, staring at the same three chipped mugs in my cupboard and trying to remember why I ever bothered buying peppermint tea in bulk.
• I ended up grabbing the strongest coffee I had, dumping two spoonfuls into a chipped clay cup, and leaning against the counter while it brewed. My eyes wandered to the window, where the forest edge hummed. The sky was slate gray again. Monsoon was teasing, hiding in the clouds like a bratty child who hadn’t decided whether to show up or not.