Elena POV
“Poppy,” I breathed, my voice tinged with shock, “who did this to you? Is this why you took time off?”
Her eyes turned frantic. “No one did this to me Luna, I tripped one morning and hit my face on the ground.
I was really sick then, but I’ve already taken medication and I’m better now.”
She sounded so earnest that anyone would have believed her, but I knew the tell tale signs of physical abuse first hand.
I also wasn’t blind. The way she’d flinched when I ordered her to come closer was a bigger tell.
Even now as I looked at her, I could see how tightly she held herself together, the fear hidden behind her eyes as if she was begging me to let it slide. To pretend I hadn’t seen anything.
I couldn’t.
“Tell me Poppy,” I said softly, wishing I could give her a hug, “I’ll make
