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.
SofiaBy five o’clock, the sun was already dead and the room felt colder, maybe from the light, maybe just from habit. I’d started prepping early—laid out the clean gloves, made a mental tally of Maya’s supply levels, tossed her old urine bag because it was getting funky and I refused to let the roo
SofiaI listened to the monitors. I listened to the laughter in the hallway, someone’s music playing down the corridor, the dull thud of a party three doors over. Normal college sounds. Normal life happening all around us.I thought about reaching for Ava’s hand, maybe lacing our fingers together li
SofiaI lay on my back, naked under the sheets, eyes locked on the ceiling where the water stains had spread out like continents. I counted them—one, two, three, the shape near the sprinkler looked vaguely like South America—because if I stopped counting I’d have to think about what just happened.A