EricI woke up with a start, jerking upright in bed as the shrill beeping of my alarm finally pierced through my deep sleep. Cursing under my breath, I slammed my hand down on the nightstand, silencing the alarm with a groan.Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I squinted at the numbers glowing in the dim light. 7:45am. I was already fifteen minutes behind schedule.
RowenaI made my way across the grassy quad toward the central building, quickening my pace as the first bell began to chime overhead. Thankfully, I had thought to pick up a spare pair of contacts before leaving the house—my vision was still a bit blurry without my usual glasses, but it would have to do for now.“Rowena!”
RowenaThat day passed by in a blur. Everywhere I went, it felt as though a thousand eyes were trained on me—judging, scrutinizing my every move for any hint of guilt or truth. I knew that no one could tell yet that those were my glasses taped to the bulletin board, but the weight of it all still felt like it might crush me.I kept my head down, avoiding conversation and eye contact wherever possible. Dr. Reynolds’ battered face had quickly become the center of attention, and
RowenaI woke with a start, my heart pounding as the remnants of a nightmare slipped through the cracks of my consciousness. For a few disoriented moments, I simply laid there—staring blankly at the muted sunlight filtering in through my curtains as my mind caught up with reality.It was only when I reached out blindly, my hand finding nothing but empty space and rumpled sheets beside me, that
RowenaThe crisp evening air hit me like a slap in the face as we burst out of the cafeteria—the chaos inside still ringing in my ears even as we put distance between us and the furious mob of angry students.My lungs burned, my heart thundered in my chest, but I couldn’t even feel it. Not after what had just happened.
RowenaI watched in horror as Eric began to fall.“Eric!” His name tore itself from my throat as a ragged scream, my fingers digging gouges into the side of the car. He couldn’t fall here, not like this. I wouldn’t let it happen.Despite Emma’s protests, I shot to my feet, prepared to lea
EricI woke up with a start, my entire body tensing as my eyes snapped open. For a disoriented moment, all I could process was the dim light filtering in through the curtains—and burning my eyes.Sitting upright, I winced as a sharp twinge of pain worked its way through my shoulder—the events of the previous night rushing back. Those damn feral warriors.
RowenaI hurried down the hallway at camp, keeping my head down in the wake of everything that had happened with Heather and Dr. Reynolds—but apparently, it seemed that I didn’t need to.One apologetic glance turned into another, followed by the occasional sympathetic murmur, and soon, I was realizing that my classmates actually…