Alena

Her plea hangs suspended in the air, a silent echo of the fears that now danced menacingly around the edges of my resolve. The room seems to contract around us; the walls pressing in with the weight of unspoken warnings and the fragile threads of a bond being tested.

My fingers trace the delicate floral pattern on the armrest of my chair, my gaze distant. The soft murmurs of concern from Gabby and Tyla swirl around me like an icy wind, threatening to extinguish the flame of ...