0053.

Niylah's POV

The door of my room shut softly behind me, and I leaned against it for a second, taking a deep breath and attempting to steady myself after all that had just happened. My heart still raced, and I could feel the rush of adrenaline that ebbed away slowly, leaving a mixture of exhaustion and relief.

I felt that now I could almost breathe easy, almost settle into the quiet of my room and think over what had taken place. Then the moment my gaze fell toward the middle of the room, I froze.

There, sitting on the edge of my bed, were Hilda and Ivory.

Smug expressions were all but readable upon their faces; their very sight sent a chill crawling up my spine. I should've known. I should've known they weren't going to let me off that easily.

Hilda's dark eyes locked with mine, her lips curling in a sneer. A little behind her, Ivory mirrored the cruel smile. They didn't even speak at first, just sat like they were waiting for me to make the first move, like somehow they already knew