SiennaThe afternoon sun had begun its slow, lazy descent, casting warm slopes of light across the quiet living room of the safe house. I sat cross-legged on the plush armchair directly opposite her, my hands wrapped tightly around a warm mug of tea that had long since gone cold.I looked into my mum's eyes for the umpteenth time since we'd gotten to catch up since morning, my gaze tracing the familiar crinkles at the corners of her lids, the specific shade of hazel that matched my own, and the soft warmth that the syndicate hadn't been able to steal away from her. I found myself staring, trying to commit every single detail of her face to memory. Part of my brain was still convinced that if I blinked too long, if I turned my head for even a second, the illusion would shatter, the safe house would vanish, and I would be back in that filthy motel room, drowning in desperation. I needed to memorize her now, to etch the reality of her survival into my mind, so that no nightmare could
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