AUTHOR’S POV
Lala stood frozen for a long moment, the door half-open at her side, Akari’s small body warm and soft against her shoulder. Her mind swirled with everything she had just witnessed: Wanda’s wild eyes, her trembling voice, the terror that had jolted through her chest, and again she wondered what had happened.
After several breaths that provided her with no answers, she shifted Akari higher on her hip and fumbled for her phone. She scrolled to Iva’s name, pressed call, and the phone rang, but after a while, it became clear Iva wouldn’t pick up.
The phone went to voicemail, and Lala dialed again. It was the same, and she sighed before biting her lip and staring down the hallway. Maybe Iva wasn’t done with their mother yet.
She checked the time on her screen, and it had been
