“Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” Ophelia said one evening as we sat around the kitchen table. “Perhaps we need to use different channels, reach out to different people.”Her hand was trembling as she stroked Princess’s fluffy little head. The little dog had been particularly quiet and a
Ava“So it’s settled, then? You’re going?”Chris nodded as he shut his laptop, leaning back in his chair. “Just for two days.” He turned to Ophelia, who was leaning against the doorframe. Leonard was resting in the other room, although we all tried to pretend that we couldn’t hear him struggling not
AvaThe morning came far too quickly, the sun barely peeking over the horizon as I stood on the helipad with Chris and Ophelia. The wind from the helicopter’s blades whipped around us, tousling my hair and making my eyes water.Or maybe that was just the tears I was trying to hold back.“It’s only f
And, well… I couldn’t bring myself to force him to wallow.We entered the Packhouse, and I had to suppress a gasp. Even though I had seen the damage before, it was still shocking. The once-beautiful wooden walls were now marred by patches of inky black fungus. In some places, the wood had crumbled e
ChrisThe helicopter ride felt longer than usual, my mind constantly drifting back to Moonstone and Ava. I hated that I was leaving during so much turmoil, hated to say goodbye to Ava, even if only for a few days; but I knew it was necessary.Still, by the time we landed in the city, I was already f
I took a deep breath. This wasn’t part of the plan, but I couldn’t read those notes. ‘Personal matters’ didn’t cut it. Honesty did. That was what we all needed, what we all deserved: the truth.“I’ll be blunt,” I said, pulling my shoulders back and ignoring the terrified looks from my assistants. “M
AvaUnbeknownst to Chris, I wasn’t asleep. In fact, I wasn’t even close.I stood in the doorway, my claws extended and fangs bared at Patrick. My heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through my veins. How did he get in here? What did he want?“Calm down, Ava,” Patrick said, his hands raised in a pla
I felt sick. We had imagined that it would come to this, but hearing it laid out in front of me, seeing the stony truth in Patrick’s face… It was all too much.Without thinking, I crossed over to the sofa and sat, the knife falling slack between my fingers.“What about the blight?” I whispered. “Doe