Aurora’s P.O.V

As soon as the door to Alice’s room shut behind us with a quiet click, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The air felt heavier than usual, as though whatever truth Alice was holding inside had clung to us like static electricity, hitching a ride on our backs as we made our way down the dim hallway.

The others fell into step beside me—Caleb, Caroline, Shane—all of us moving as one unit, like soldiers retreating from a battlefield that hasn't ...