Nolan:
The house had grown too quiet.
Too still.
When the last elder’s footsteps faded and the heavy doors shut behind them, Natalia excused herself without a word. She carried herself with her chin high, her back straight, but I saw it. The crack beneath the poise. The faint tremor in her hands as she clenched her fist.
Her heart raced against her chest, but she did not say a word.
I waited until everyone was gone before following. Her scent lingered down the corridor, pulling me straight to her room. The door was ajar, and she was inside, methodically placing folded clothes into drawers like she could keep her world together by organizing fabric.
I leaned against the frame. “Are you alright? You have not said a word since they left.”
She didn’t look up. “I’m fine. It was a very lo
