A forced march in bone-numbing sleet simplifies life.

placid.

demure

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I whisper. “I feel like—like I can’t find an equilibrium.” “You’ve been carrying too much weight for too long. All this time, Laia, you’ve led, you’ve made difficult decisions—and perhaps you weren’t ready to. There’s no shame in that, and I’ll gut anyone who tells me different. You did the best you could. But

surreptitiously.

friezes

“This is what it means to have faith, to believe in something greater than yourself.” A sigh escapes me, and I wipe the tears from my face. This is what it means to believe. I wish it weren’t so hard.

reconnaissance.

askance