185 Is This A Trap?

(Winona)

My heart is in my throat as we’re led to the private room where Ashlyn is waiting.

Jayden’s hand brushes mine, a silent gesture of reassurance, but it does little to calm the storm of emotions churning inside me. I’m here, but every fiber of my being is telling me this is a mistake.

I can’t shake the feeling that this is some kind of trap. I’ve been lured in but somehow I’m the bait as well.

We enter the room, and there she is. Ashlyn. She’s sitting at a small table, her hands cuffed behind her. There’s a guard posted by the door, his presence a stark reminder of where we are.

Ashlyn looks different—impossibly thinner, paler—and her eyes don’t have that same look.

She reminds me of that teen, three years younger than me, that I first spoke to because she was sitting alone. I must be careful. She is far from that person, no matter what act she’s perfected right now.

“Winona, I didn’t know you were coming,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, surprise,” I answer