Hayden stared at herself in the mirror in the small bathroom of the ranch house. Her bag of clothes sat on the bed, open and waiting, but she’d only retrieved her pajamas. Her hair was limp and semi-dry from the shower she’d taken a short while ago. Small cuts on her face and cheeks marred her usually clear skin.
Red patches stained her cheeks where she’d rubbed herself raw with a washcloth in order to remove the dirt. She shuddered as she remembered the almost frantic way she’d bathed in the shower. Hands shaking, teeth chattering, and eyes blurred with tears. She’d all but fallen apart and was thankful no one had heard her quiet sobs. She felt better now, though. After everything she’d been through…she was alive.
Hayden picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her long hair a few mor
