The next morning, Maya woke up groggily, her body still heavy from the events of the previous day. Instinctively, her hand searched for her phone to silence the alarm, but after a few frustrated pats on the empty nightstand, she remembered, her phone, her connection to the world outside these walls, had been confiscated. She sighed heavily, rolling over to glance at the digital clock on her nightstand.
7:00 AM.
Time to get ready for school.
She dragged herself out of bed, her limbs feeling like lead, and made her way to the en-suite bathroom. Stepping under the shower, the warm water cascaded over her skin, and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to feel something other than the crushing sadness. After she scrubbed her skin clean, the water revived her enough to at least face the
