Chapter 17 – Talia’s POV
“I think I’m going to die.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
At first, no one reacted the way I expected. They just looked at me, annoyed, like I had said something out of place.
“This is not the time for a joke,” Abena snapped, her foot tapping impatiently against the floor.
I tried to shake my head.
“I’m not...” The rest didn’t come out properly.
Something tightened in my chest, sudden and hard, like an invisible hand had reached inside me and clenched my throat. My lungs dragged in air, but it didn’t feel enough.
“I can’t…” I swallowed, my hands formed balls and pressed into the couch beneath me. “I can’t breathe.”
The next inhale came out rough, “I can’t f*****g breathe.”
That got their attention.
Vermont moved first. I didn’t even see
