ELLA
The walk from my bedroom to Selene's felt like a death march.
Each step down the hallway seemed to stretch longer than the last as my heart pounded loudly against my ribs.
It was a steady drumbeat of anxiety that I couldn't seem to quiet no matter how many deep breaths I took, but beneath the nervousness, there was something else. Something bigger.
Defiance.
I had been through this dance with Selene more times than I could count. I had been summoned by her on multiple occasions.
I had endured more accusations and punishments than I could even remember. Whatever she had planned for me this morning wouldn't be anything new.
She had already thrown everything she had at me over the years. The slaps, the kicks, the cruel words designed to break me down piece by piece and yet here
