VALERIE
I collapsed before I could scream.
The silver mist spilled from my lips like fog mourning the dead. I clawed at my throat, but no sound came. My vision fractured — the world twisting sideways in a kaleidoscope of glass and ash. My heart beat too slow. Then too fast. Jason caught me just before my head hit the floor. “Valerie!” His voice cracked. “Stay with me—Rose! Someone get—” But I was already gone.
Jason cradled her like she might vanish between heartbeats. Her body was trembling, skin damp with sweat, yet cold to the touch. The mark on her palm was glowing a dull crimson, and from the crack that split up her arm, faint strands of silver leaked like threads of moonlight. He looked up, wild-eyed, as Rose burst into the room. “She’s fading,” he said. “I know.” Rose dropped her
