Mara's PovThe sun decided it was the right day to punish me. It was a physical weight on my shoulders, pressing down with a dry heat that made the pavement shimmer. I sat on the edge of the curb, in front of the house, my shadow shrinking as the hours ticked by. This was the third day. The neighbors had stopped staring; now, I was just part of the landscape, a girl in a long coat who refused to give up.My skin felt tight, and my throat was like sandpaper, but I didn't budge. I couldn't. This house—this silent, peeling house—held the only bridge back to the truth. Just as I was beginning to feel lightheaded, the heavy thud of a bolt sliding back echoed through the quiet street. I scrambled to my feet, my joints stiff and aching. The door creaked open just a few inches, and Claudia’s weary face appeared in the gap. She looked at me, then at the empty street, her brow furrowed in a mix of irritation and pity."You really don't give up, do you?" she sighed, her voice thin.I stepped fo
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