The walk back from the lake felt like waking up from a dream you're not quite ready to let go of. You know the kind - where reality bleeds in slowly, like watercolor seeping into paper, and for a few precious seconds you exist in both worlds at once. The forest path curved ahead of us, dappled sunlight playing tag through the leaves, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking through some kind of threshold. Like every step was taking me further from who I used to be and closer to... whatever I was becoming.
Ash's arm was still linked through mine, his presence an anchor in this new reality I was trying to navigate. The others flanked us like some kind of omega honor guard, and I had to swallow past the sudden thickness in my throat. Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been alone. Now I ha
