It started small. A tremor in her hands. A shake in her knees. But the spiral was fast. Ruthless. Mae’s breath hitched, then broke. Her lungs wouldn’t pull enough air. Her chest constricted so tightly it hurt. Her vision tunneled, and her pulse roared so loudly in her ears she barely heard Lucien’s voice trying to say something.
No. No no no no no. Her fingers clawed at her sleeves, digging into her own skin as if anchoring herself could undo the last hour of her existence. This isn’t real. This isn’t possible. It was supposed to be bad luck. Broken tech. Small things. Her hands shot up to grip her hair, pulling tight.
“No no no, this, this doesn’t happen, this can’t be me.” She staggered backward, eyes wide, frenzied, scanning the others like cornered prey. “Stay back. Don’t, don’t com
