Meredith Vanth slid from her bed at the sound of the coffeemaker beeping at her, her eyes still refusing to open even after her feet hit the floor. She sat there a moment, her head hung low, shoulders slumped, as she clutched the edge of the bed taking deep breaths in the hopes of jarring her senses to wakefulness. After a couple of moments, she realized the exercise was not going to work, and she forced her eyes open as she stood, forced to face the day whether or not she was ready. The truth was, she was more eager to face these current days than she was those of her previous years. Her life was simple now. A simple job as a waitress at the Fireside Grille. A simple scattering of friends. A simple day-to-day existence. She craved simple. Her past had been too complicated.
She paused in
