Noel woke up slowly.
It was like his body had been through something and was reluctant to come back to full awareness.
He felt everything.
He lay still for a moment with his eyes closed and took stock of it. The soreness was all over, deep in his muscles and his joints and everywhere else His throat was dry. His head felt heavy.
He opened his eyes.
The room was familiar now in the way that awful things became familiar when you spent enough days in them. The low ceiling. The sealed window. The chain at his ankle caught the morning light from the lamp that someone had relit at some point.
Cedric was in the chair beside the bed.
He was awake. He had been awake for a while, from the look of him. He was watching Noel quietly, waiting for him to wake up and finally, Noel had opened his eyes.
Noel looked at him.
He tried to open his mouth but nothing came out.
He closed it again.
Cedric leaned forward and put a glass of water in his hand.
