Chapter 55

• The water cascaded over my skin, warm and soothing, as I stood in the shower, letting the steam cloud around me. My mind wandered to my family. My parents, my little sister more of all. She had always been so afraid of everything. I could still picture her face, wide-eyed and trembling whenever something frightened her. It made my chest tighten with worry. I hated the idea of her being out there, vulnerable and scared, with no one to protect her. What if someone took advantage of her?
• I sighed, trying to shake the dark thoughts away. But they lingered. From my family, my thoughts drifted to my old friends. I wondered how they were doing, if they were okay. Were they still alive? Had they escaped the chaos that had engulfed us all? The uncertainty gnawed at me, and for a moment, I considered asking Alaric. Maybe he could find them, maybe he could get my family here, to safety.
• The water continued to pour down over me as I closed my eyes, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, I felt the heat of a presence behind me. My heart skipped a beat, but I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.