I woke up telling myself today would be different.
Not better. Just different.
A reset… Hopefully.
That was the word I kept using in my head as I stared at the ceiling. Reset meant I didn’t have to think about the challenge the other day. Or the body. Or the way Mira’s eyes had looked when my name was called instead of hers.
Heh. Truthfully, I replayed the disappointment in her eyes over and over.
Reset meant I got to breathe.
I sat up, swung my legs off the bed, and forced my shoulders back.
Captain.
That word still felt strange. Heavy. Like something I’d borrowed instead of earned.
“You earned it,” I muttered to myself.
The mirror didn’t argue. It didn’t agree either. It just reflected a girl who looked tired but upright. Awake enough. Steady enough.
That would have to do.
…
