Aubrey stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror feeling empty yet about to burst from the anxiety about the impending battle. Her hair was tied back into a tight bun, and she wore a tight black t-shirt with black cargo pants and black combat boots. She spent the previous evening wrapped in Broderick’s arms, and spent the day reassuring Lizzie and Evie that nothing was bothering her. She could tell by the long eye contact her daughters shared with one another that they didn’t believe her. They were both so in tune with the emotions of others and reading even the subtle changes in others’ behaviors. She hugged them extra long before Anna and Karthik took both girls to the underground tunnels that led to the safe room deep within the mountain. As Aubrey stared at her reflection, she fo
