~Ciela
After they left, the house felt too big. Ivelle and I sat on opposite ends of the room — her on the floor, polishing one of Denzel’s rods; me, perched on the couch, staring at the tied-up monsters lined along the wall. Their chests rose and fell like badly timed instruments.
I cleared my throat. “So… how long have you known Laurent?”
She looked up, one brow arched, like I’d asked her to solve a riddle. “Long enough to know what he’s like.”
I almost smiled. “That wasn’t really an answer.”
“Good. Keeps things interesting.”
There was something sharp about her, something easy and hard all at once. I tried again. “You’re not scared? Of them?” I nodded at the bound monsters.
“Scared?” She shrugged. “You get used to the sight of dangerous things after the first few weeks.”
“So you
