HildaI paced the hallway outside the dorm for what felt like hours. In reality, it was probably twenty minutes, maybe less, but time warped out here—six steps forward, six back, and always the same stain on the wall, the same worn patch in the tile under my heel.I stopped knocking after the first
AvaSofia walked me back to the beds, away from the door, her hand resting on the small of my back like she could physically hold my insides together if she just pressed hard enough.The knocking from the hallway got fainter, more desperate, but I could still feel every echo of it through the cinder
SofiaThe hallway snapped back to silent the instant the RA pivoted and left us behind.Hilda’s face hadn’t changed, but her whole posture did—her arms slack, hands open, eyes shifting from Ava (my back, actually) to me and back again. Her body radiated restraint, like she was holding herself in che
SofiaI looked back at Ava. Her body was locked, head down, hood up, but I caught the brief, desperate eye flick: please don’t make me.I turned back to Jennifer. “Of course.” I kept my voice gentle, giving Ava time. “Ava? Would you mind coming to the door for a moment?”There was a long, brittle pa
SofiaThe knock wasn’t like Reed’s. It had an edge—three, then four, then one more, all of them spaced with the kind of impatience you only got from people who’d spent their lives having keys to every room and never needed to wait for an answer.I looked at Ava. Her hands jerked to her knees; her fa
Ava"Hi, Mom." I made myself say it bright, steady, like a normal person."Ava, baby, I'm so sorry I didn't call after last time," she gushed, instantly. The warmth in her voice set my teeth on edge. "Things have been absolutely crazy back here. I meant to call days ago, but—""Don't worry about it.