SCARLETT ROSE
I feel my body tremble violently, as if an electric current is coursing through every nerve.
A suffocating heat rises up my spine, mixed with an unbearable pressure in my mind.
I tighten my fingers around Maya’s necklace, feeling the cold metal against my bloody palm.
The cut on my hand pulses painfully, but the blood seems insignificant compared to what is happening inside me.
“Ahh…”, I moan, my eyes rolling back as my head falls backward.
Evelyn’s words continue to echo through the cave, each syllable like a knife cutting something invisible, yet real inside me.
“Kieran…”, I whisper, my voice weak and trembling.
On the other side of the altar, I see Kieran watching helplessly, desperation growing on his face with every passing second.
He can no longer see my eyes —
