Octavia's Point of View
I do not know how long I have been sitting here net to the stream trying to calm my mind. I lean forward for another sip of water.
The water slides down my throat like ice, clearing the burn from my lungs, but not from my heart. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and stare at the fractured reflection rippling across the stream. My own eyes haunted, furious, broken stare back at me, and I do not even recognize the girl looking up.
Rafael’s voice. Kai’s confession. The rejection I thought would free me but has not. They are all tangled together inside me like thorns I cannot rip out.
I drag in a breath, shaky and uneven, then push myself to my feet. The silence of the forest wraps around me, heavy and expectant, like it is waiting for me to decide what comes
