The Man Who Let Me Go

Elena knocked on the door. She kept peering behind her, unable to ignore the irrational fear that Orlando would show up behind her and whisk her away again. The fear wasn't irrational; he had done it before, so what was stopping him this time? The door opened, and Imani's head popped out, her eyes widening like saucers as soon as she saw Elena.

"Okay, I want to be pissed and cuss you for abandoning me, but you look really tired and scared, and..." her high-pitched tone decreased with every word she said. "Are those tears?" She asked, with concern etched on her features. "Honey..."

Elena was tongue-tied, feeling the bile rise in her throat. When she ran away from Orlando's house, the first place she thought to go was home, but she knew it would be the first place he would look, so she opted for Imani's house. On her way there, she had crafted a nice explanation of everything that had gone down and what needed to be done, but as soon as she laid eyes on Imani, the look of concern on her