The air outside the gym was frigid, but it was nothing compared to the ice settling in my marrow. Lena was a silent shadow beside me, her usual rapid-fire commentary silenced by the sheer weight of the wreckage we’d just witnessed. We didn't stop until we reached the far end of the student parking lot, tucked away behind the row of yellow buses that felt like the only yellow things left in a world turning grey.
I leaned against the cold metal of a bus, my breath coming in ragged, shallow puffs. My brain was a frantic pinball machine, bouncing between Marvin’s manic face on the screen, Zayelle’s terrified eyes, and the chillingly calm mask Jace had worn.
"Cass," Lena said, her voice unusually soft. She reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're shaking. Talk to me."
"He’s his tw
