MORE TIME PASSED, AS did more murmured conversation about how our situation could have been better. The longer Lauren didn’t return, the further convinced I grew that she’d never come back. When the steel doors swung open, I didn’t bother to glance up, so resolute in my mind that it wouldn’t be her.
Only once her subtle scent drifted to me did I check.
Red blotches coated the skin of her cheeks, matching the bright rims of eyes still moist from evident tears.
The strong set of her shoulders had gone, along with any ounce of teenage attitude she’d clung onto. Only a broken girl remained as her entire body appeared to shrink in on itself.
Each step toward her cage seemed to take immense effort, as she swayed from side to side, and her feet slapped down with lack of elegance.
Jaw tight,
