~ ZARA ~
A few hours later, I woke up again back in my parent's home. The curtains had been pulled back and there was a fire blazing in the fireplace. Light and heat everywhere. Mom must have wanted me to wake up quickly.
I was relieved. After putting in the leave application and emailing Kendra—having to remember that she didn't know everything that had happened with Ash… or was about to happen with Ash—I had struggled to get back to sleep. It had been only midafternoon here in Kyrosia when I dreamed. I wasn't sure how much actual sleep my body got when I was taking these dreaming trips, but I definitely hadn't felt drowsy.
But eventually, with a quiet dark room and the wind whistling outside, I'd gotten sleepy again. And now I was back.
