The way she reacts is subtle. So subtle most people probably wouldn’t catch it, but I do. The way her shoulders tense just slightly. The way her attention sharpens without becoming obvious.
“Out by the woods?” she asks.
I nod. “Close enough that I could see them.”
“And you went outside.”
I huff softly. “Is everyone going to say that like I committed some kind of crime?”
“Not a crime,” she replies evenly. “Just not the smartest move.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m starting to understand that.”
A brief silence settles between us, heavier than the easy conversation around us, before I continue. “They weren’t acting like normal animals,” I say. “They were…circling. Watching.” Mable doesn’t interrupt or dismiss it. She just listens. “And then Liam showed up,” I add, watching her closely now. “A
