Someone slaps me, so hard I jerk upright, mind still on fire, breath panting smoke into the air. Ash hovers beside me, Rena clinging to my hand, though she looks terrified and ready to run.

I cough out another puff of smoke before gagging on the taste. Ash thumps me between the shoulder blades while I bend in half over my knees, finding myself lying on the floor.

Rena blubbers a moment, trying to speak, but indecipherable as her voice rises to a wail. Ash glares at her, ...