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CHAPTER 61
~Valerie's POV~
Warm air brushed across my face, scented with crushed grass and wild earth. My eyes fluttered open slowly, blinking against the brightness of the sun filtering through a thick canopy of leaves above me.
I sat up with a gasp, my palms digging into soft ground—real ground. This wasn't the synthetic terrain of the simulation dome.
This was real. Tangible. I could smell the dew on the grass and feel the faint breeze tickling the hair at my temples.
My heart thudded erratically. This wasn't part of any program.
I looked around quickly, searching for something—anything—that would tell me where I was.
A tall ring of grass circled the edge of the clearing, and beyond that, I could see dense trees, towering and familiar in the air.
A glint of silver flickered just beyond the edge of the clearing, catching the light.
I knew this place.
It wasn't far from the city border. The old evacuation training fields—abandoned for years.
