**IVY POV**
As the rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, I woke the next day to an overwhelming throbbing in my head, more intense than any hangover I had ever experienced. My body felt heavy, as if it had been weighed down overnight, and as I propped myself up against the pillow, a disquieting sensation settled in my gut—a sense that something was undeniably wrong, though I couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Despite my lack of nightmares—thankfully—something about this morning felt all too unsettling. Blinking against the persistent light that flooded the room, I noticed it was well past dawn, an unusual occurrence for me. I usually prided myself on being an early riser.
Glancing down at myself, I was horrified to see that I was covered in dirt, chunks of earth mixed with what appe
