Sora sat, huddled in the little corner of the room. She desperately tried to force her furiously beating heart and breathing patterns into normalcy, but she wasn’t very successful.

Sora grit her teeth together and rested her forehead on her hands.

I will not give in, Sora said to herself.

I will not be helpless!

Easier said than done, with what Sora had been through.

Deep breaths, she reminded herself, filling her lungs with oxygen and dispelling it through her mouth in rushes of air.
Think of something nice, Sora reminded herself, and tried to conjure up an image or a memory of what Noah’s fur felt like.

Even better, a hug from Aysen.

A few tears pricked at Sora’s milky eyes, but she set her jaw more firmly and wiped them away.

Sora stood up quietly.

She was going to get out of here if it was the last thing she’d ever do.