Hazel's Point of View
The trees blur past the window as we follow the winding road back towards Blackwater. I rest my head against the glass, watching the world streak by in shades of green and gold, trying to settle the twisting in my stomach. There’s a quiet between Drake and me, not uncomfortable, just full. The kind of quiet that says we’re both bracing for what comes next.
Then I see it.
“Drake,” I say, sitting up straight, pointing ahead.
A column of black smoke snakes into the sky from somewhere just beyond the trees. Thick. Ominous. My heart drops into my stomach even before the shrill, piercing tone of Drake’s phone slices through the air. He pulls it from his pocket, eyes narrowing as he reads the screen.
“Another attack,” he mutters, voice low and tight.
Before I can respo
