ELENA
I wake up with a knot in my stomach. Today is the day. Other than the fact that it is the mating ceremony, it is my last day here. When everyone is distracted by the celebrations, the scenery displays from the newly mated couples, I'll slip out with Halo unnoticed and never look back.
For some reason, my heart doesn't seem to beat to the drum of the plan, the knot swells in my chest making it suddenly difficult to breathe.
I lie in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, trying to understand why the knot is there, why I feel so uneasy. It's not like I haven't organized these ceremonies before. I've done it countless times and they have all been successful.
So why does my chest feel so tight?
Come on, Elena, you can do this. I motivate myself, swinging my feet off the bed,
