Rue’s POV

I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be invited somewhere without calculation. Ever since the mutation apocalypse, I had rarely heard of parties.

When Vicky called and insisted I attend her small gathering at the mountain lodge, I nearly declined out of instinct.

“Just come,” she had said lightly. “Let’s enjoy life for once.”

The idea felt foreign, but I went.

The lodge sat near the base of the northern range. Patches of snow still clung stubbornly to shaded ...