Kira's POV
I drop to my knees beside my mother as screams erupt throughout the hall. My ears are ringing from the gunshot. My hands shake as I press them against the growing bloodstain on her chest.
"Mom? Mom!" I scream, my voice cracking.
Her eyes flutter open. "Kira..." she whispers, her voice barely audible over the chaos.
"It's okay, you're going to be okay," I say, frantically searching for something to stop the bleeding. My birthday dress is ruined as I tear a strip from the bottom and press it against her wound.
The crowd around us is a blur of movement and noise. People shoving each other, tripping over chairs, knocking over tables in their rush to escape. Through my tears, I notice dark figures moving against the flow of the panicking crowd. One seems to be looking directly a
