“No,” I mumbled, then grabbed the first thing I saw—a yellow sundress—and handed it to her.
She looked from the dress to me, then back at the dress, and then burst out laughing.
“This would look amazing on you,” she said, grinning. “But unless we’re applying to fashion school, I don’t think it fits the dress code.”
That snapped me awake. I laughed too, a real laugh that felt incredibly good.
But then came the knock.
It was Mom.
“Raven,” she said, her voice tight. “You have a call. It sounds... urgent.”
Raven turned toward me slowly, her smile fading.
She opened the door and reached for the phone.
“Hello?” Raven said, her voice soft and cautious.
There was a pause. I watched her expression shift slowly—first confusion, then a wave of dread that clouded her features. Her grip on t
