LOGINAvaThe first thing I heard was a low, tired voice, reading words I couldn't quite catch yet. My body felt heavy under the sheets, pinning me to the bed. I could hear the steady rasp of my own breathing. My open eyes blinked dryly in the dim light.I opened my eyes wider. A small, pale room with a c
AvaDad let go of the shackle and sat back, his face relaxing from the concentration. He was quiet for a long moment. Then his eyes met mine."Baby," he said gently, "do you want to know what happened?"Something in his tone made my chest tighten. I had a feeling that this was a truth I wasn't ready
AvaHe stepped out of the blackness, edging closer, until I could finally see him. Unbelievable. He was so young, the age he was when...when he died. His warm brown eyes, both of them, looked at me with a fond smile.I stared, my mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound. My dad. Standing in front
LeviI settled into the chair by her bed and took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over the back of it. "Hey, Ava. It's Levi," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just talked to Sofia. We had some things to say to each other."I sat there, rubbing her hand, trying to find the words Maya and
LeviI sat with my father in his room, a week after Hilda's funeral. Some families had already packed up and left the pack after becoming human. Others had stayed, unsure of where else to go.My father wheezed beside me, the hiss of his oxygen tank an ever-present sound now. He was thinner, frail, h
MayaI zipped Sofia's dress as best I could with my good hand. The collar was tricky. I fiddled clumsily with the small metal fastening. "There, perfect," I said, releasing the dress and stepping back.Sofia blinked hard at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. The dr
SofiaIt wasn’t a slow thing, or a soft thing. There was no warning. Her lips crashed into mine, teeth scraping, tongue urgent and searching. She grabbed my waist and pulled me closer, skin sliding on skin. The water turned every touch into heat, every friction into fire.I froze. For a second, I th
SofiaI stood there, staring at the closed door, feeling the weight of the next six hours settle on my shoulders. She could turn again. Both you and Maya could be in danger.I let my head tip back, stared at the water stain on the ceiling, and let out a breath so long it emptied me out.“I miss Pari
SofiaReed would be here in five minutes, and Ava hadn’t moved in three hours. I knew because I was counting—at first the clock, then the way her back kept the same hunched angle against the desk, the way her legs pressed into the vinyl chair so hard the edge cut lines into her skin. Even her blinks
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







