IZABELLA
The words hit me like a slap.
I staggered back, my mind spinning.
Nicole reached out and rested a comforting hand on my back.
I could barely process what he was saying.
Why? Why would they want me?
“Iza?” Violet whispered.
The words the guard spoke echoed in my head, louder than the explosions that had rocked the venue.
But rather, you.
I kept replaying those words over and over, trying to make sense of them.
The whole situation felt like a nightmare, and I kept hoping I’d wake up from it.
But the sharp, acrid scent of smoke that hung in the air at the venue and the destruction around me back there reminded me it was all real.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
From the television, the scene outside was far worse than I had imagined. Through smoke an
