Nina The thick veil of mist hung heavy in the air, enveloping our makeshift camp in a shroud of eerie stillness. The acrid stench of smoke still clung to our clothes and hair, a lingering reminder of the inferno we had barely escaped with our lives. Two days. We had spent two days traveling, and
“Your foolish quest has cost us dearly,” he began without preamble, his words biting. “The forest, our home—all of it, reduced to ash and ruin because of your reckless actions.” A flicker of sadness flickered inside of me because I knew that Kai was right. But before I could muster a response, the
Enzo The acrid stench of smoke scorched my lungs with every labored breath, the ash-choked air searing my throat as I stumbled blindly through the smoldering ruins of the forest. Ash crunched beneath my boots, embers glowing like crimson eyes in the hazy gloom that had enveloped me. All around m
Nina Despite the refugee camp’s chaos, it was a shockingly lively place with a lot of laughter. Now that so many families had been reunited and we had made our way to an untouched swath of forest, things seemed to be looking up. Over the next couple of days, the camp grew more and more lively. T
Nina Waiting by Enzo’s bedside seemed to feel like an eternity, with each minute ticking past seeming to drag on forever. But, with mine and Jessica’s help, along with his own healing, he was soon starting to show signs of waking up by the time the sun rose. It wasn’t until well after the sun ma
“You can tell me,” I finally choked out. “I just want to know if he…” “He was alive, last I saw him,” he cut me off, giving my hand a firm squeeze. “But… there was so much happening, Nina.” Despite the hope in his words, I could see the true emotion in his eyes: uncertainty. Hot tears began to p
Nina The camp had long since gone quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling through the canopy and the occasional critter rooting around for crumbs. Beside me, Enzo slept soundly, still healing after his ordeal. He had been sleeping on and off all day, and I had hardly left his side. But no
Nina The warmth of the morning sun filtered through the opening of our tent, gently pulling me out of the soundest sleep I had had in… well, I couldn’t even remember how long it had been. Slowly, I turned to see Enzo still sleeping beside me, peaceful as ever. Memories of our night together came
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied