Mark’s POV

Rissa had barely said a word since morning.

We had been moving through the forest for hours, the rhythm of our steps the only sound between us. Her shoulders were tense beneath her jacket, and she kept touching her wrist where the ribbon used to be. She did not notice she was doing it, but I did. Every time her fingers brushed that empty spot, her pace faltered for half a second, as her mind went somewhere else.

Josh walked a few steps behind us, slower, leaning on a broken ...