"No," she said, pressing her back against the tree and closing her eyes, trying to center herself, "is Chechnya. This is happen to me when I am young, before, but what you are doing here with me, the both of you, this is..." She shook her head and her voice dried up.

She felt fine, now, of course. She was unharmed, she was fine, as were they- but the memory of the fear and the dread and the pain from the torture were still fresh. Surreal, but fresh, and she was ashamed to find herself momentarily stopped by it all.