Elena
Elena pushed through the front door just as the sun dropped behind the hills. Her body ached from sitting in Harper’s cramped dorm chair for hours, her neck stiff, her back protesting every movement.
The house was empty. Mrs. Parker’s car was gone from the driveway. Dr. Alex’s study door was closed, a thin line of light underneath.
Elena climbed the stairs and went straight for the pill bottle on her nightstand. Her skull felt like someone was taking a hammer to it from the inside. She shook out two pills and dry-swallowed them, gagging slightly as they scraped down her throat.
Then she sat on the edge of her bed and waited.
Twenty minutes. That’s how long it took for the fog to creep in. First the pounding in her head dulled to a manageable throb. Then the sounds bleeding throu
