AVA’S POINT OF VIEW.
I don’t remember deciding to walk. I just did. One foot in front of the other, my body moving while my head lagged behind, numb and buzzing. The hallway felt longer than it had any right to be. Every sound scraped at my nerves. Every breath felt too loud. I could feel eyes on me, even when no one was directly looking. Whispers followed anyway. I didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were about. They knew. Or they sensed something was wrong. Packs always did.
I kept my head down. I didn’t trust my face. I didn’t trust my voice. If I opened my mouth, something ugly might come out. Or nothing at all. My chest felt hollow and too tight at the same time, like I’d been scooped out and stitched back wrong. By the time I reached my room, my hands were shaking.
I s
