SARAPHINA’S POV

I pulled my blanket over my head and tried to disappear into my pillow. The room felt smaller than usual, like the walls were pressing in on me from all sides. My roommates had been gone for hours; something about pledging activities that I wasn't invited to. Not that I wanted to go anyway. The last thing I needed was more whispers and pointed stares.

The silence was almost peaceful. Almost. But then the air in the room shifted, grew colder, and I felt that familiar prickle ...