~AMARIS
The echoing vibration of my voice hung in the air like a physical cloud of dust, turning the white walls of the room into a suffocating, soundless vacuum. The frantic yammering and the playful smiles that had filled the room a second ago dissolved instantly.
Ember went entirely still, her body freezing mid-stride as she held a crystalline evening dress against her chest. Her fingers slowly uncoiled from the hanger, letting the fabric slip through her hands and tumble carelessly onto the floor. Her eyes blinked in raw, unadulterated shock, her jaw dropping slightly as she stared at me as if I had just spoken a completely different language.
She took a slow, deliberate step toward me, her breathing turning remarkably thin.
“What?!” Ember said, her voice dropping into a barely aud
