The forest was still trembling. Leaves hung in the air like they hadn’t decided whether to fall or flee. Linda leaned against a tree, blood running down her arm, her breathing sharp and uneven. Her clothes were torn, her face scratched, but her eyes were on fire.Izzy was gone.She had vanished into the woods like a ghost, leaving only the wreckage of their fight behind—uprooted branches, torn bark, and the lingering scent of venom and fury.Kara reached her seconds later, barefoot, her heart pounding in her chest. “Linda!”“I’m fine,” Linda gasped, pressing her palm against the bleeding wound on her shoulder.“You’re not—” Kara dropped to her knees beside her, hands trembling as she reached to help. “What happened? Did she—”“She ambushed me.” Linda’s voice was thick with frustration. “But I held her off. Long enough to make her run. She didn’t win.”Kara helped her sit. “She didn’t lose, either.”They sat there for a moment, just breathing. Just being. The moon above them filtered t
Last Updated : 2025-05-31 Read more