The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful, comforting kind that wraps around you like a warm blanket, but the heavy, suffocating quiet that hints something is wrong.
Morning light filtered through the cracks in the cabin walls, casting soft beams over the uneven wooden floor. I sat up slowly, blinking away the remnants of sleep, and surveyed the room.
Samuel was still sleeping, his breathing slow and steady. Belle lay on her side, her arm draped over a pillow, her dark curls scattered across her face. Jade was perched in the far corner, his back against the wall, his head tilted downward as though he had dozed off while sitting.
But Noelle’s bedroll was empty.
So was Fred’s.
A small knot of unease tightened in my chest. I glanced around the cabin again, hoping to ca
