TWENTY EIGHT

ELENA’s POV

I run to her and wrap my arms around her. We both start to cry. I am holding onto one of the most important persons in my life right now.

My sister, my Freya is here. It feels so surreal, so much so I feel like pinching myself just to make sure that this is not merely a beautiful dream.

I pull back to take a good look at her, my fingers caressing every inch of her face, taking in the structure of her cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, the fullness of her lips….and I let out a pent up exhalation.

She is slightly thinner than the last time I saw her but otherwise, she appears to be fine. With a quivering hand, I brush back the strands of her golden blonde hair and smile through my tears. This is real, this is not a dream so it’s okay to cry. I can cry happy tears, tears of joy are allowed.

Then my gaze trails down the rope burns on her wrists and a frown immediately skirts across my face. Is she hurt? As if r