Maliyla's POV "Maliyla," Gisselle's voice was barely audible. "I'm here," I said, reaching for her hand. As she squeezed my hand tightly, I felt the warmth of her skin against mine. The fear and sadness I saw in Gisselle's eyes were evident. The idea of telling her everything would be fine didn't sit well with me because I knew it wouldn't be that simple. In that moment, I could sense the weight of Gisselle's emotions pressing on her. The fear and sadness radiating from her was palpable, and I knew that mere words of reassurance would not be enough to ease her pain. "Gisselle, w-what happened?" I asked her. A white tinge spread across Gisselle's face as she stared past me. I turned around and saw that Hector, Dr. Neal, and Jonathan had just entered. As I turned back to her, I smiled an

