LOGINThe crowd continued to applaud as Thea took one final bow before exiting the stage. The moment she was out of sight, Elijah grabbed my hand.“Come on,” he said, already pulling me toward the aisle. “Let’s get backstage before everyone else.”We made our way through the crowd, accepting congratulatio
AgnesEight years had passed by.The concert hall was packed to capacity, not a single empty seat in sight. My spine ached like hell from sitting on the hard wooden chair for the past two hours, and my pregnant belly made it impossible to find a comfortable position. Elijah kept rubbing his neck and
“Mom?” Thea’s voice called. “Everyone’s waiting. Are you ready?”I took one last look in the mirror, adjusted the mask slightly, and turned toward the door.“Ready,” I said, opening it to find my daughter standing there in a midnight blue dress that she had designed herself. Her own mask, shaped lik
AgnesOne year later.I stood in front of my mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at me. Two years. It had been two years since I met Elijah—not counting that foggy night we conceived Thea seven years before that, a night neither of us could fully remember thanks to whatever drugs had b
Initially, I resisted. The thought of sharing my pain with a stranger when I had spent so many years being treated like a madwoman for my trauma scared the hell out of me. But Elijah was persistent, reminding me that we all carried burdens that were too heavy to bear alone.And so, twice a week, we
AgnesThe weeks following the destruction of the Lunaris Stone passed in a blur.Elemental Enterprises, of course, was immediately shut down by the authorities. Every known international law enforcement agency descended on Richard’s territory, working alongside Richard and us to document the crimes
Still, maybe pretending that she was returning was what kept me running.At least, that was until I heard it.The growl.I slowed, coming to a stop around a bend of a narrow path. “Hello? Elijah?” I called out, turning. There was no one; just towering trees and swaying ferns.Frowning, I turned to c
“Mommy, can we have waffles?” she asked by way of greeting.I chuckled, but nodded and began to pull out the ingredients. Waffles sounded good, honestly.As I worked, Thea noticed my faraway expression. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “You look like you’re thinking a lo
AgnesMaria looked like a deer in headlights as she glanced back and forth between me and Gertrude. She clutched her book so tightly to her chest that I thought she might snap the hard cover in half completely.“W-What?” she finally blurted out, an unconvincing little smile touching her lips. She sh
Both Elijah and the officer turned to me.I hesitated, my hands trembling in my lap. For a moment, I couldn’t speak. I’d recounted this story far too many times for comfort, cried too many tears that had gone ignored. I had poured my heart out on more than one occasion, only to be faced with ridicul







