Eleanor's POV
The door clicked shut behind me with a soft, final snap. I didn’t look back.
Not once.
I couldn’t afford to carry the weight of their faces with me. Not now. I had to be steel, not softness.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t need to check who it was to know it would be Stella. Her persistence could make the sun rise faster. I ignored it. It buzzed again, louder this time.
I sighed and pulled it out.
"Eleanor, please tell me you didn’t go."
Another message dropped.
"You’re really going to Shadowood? Please say no. Please. This can’t be true."
Then she sent another.
You promised you wouldn’t do anything reckless. You PROMISED.
I turned the phone face-down on the seat beside me.
The screen still lit up repeatedly. "El, answer me."
I didn’t. What could I even sa
