LILA
Tony Wade turned back to face me, his hand reaching out. Every instinct I had screamed at me to run, to get away from this impossible situation. But I stayed where I was, knowing I had to sell the illusion that whatever he'd just attempted had worked. His fingers tapped my shoulders, and the touch sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.
He turned to address the crowd, his voice carrying a note of smug satisfaction. "So no matter what weird s**t anybody says, especially you, Auntie Beatrice, she won't remember."
Trisha's excited voice cut through the tension. "You can control people? That is so cool! All I got was regeneration."
Tony's lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk. "My gift is compulsion, actually."
The music resumed, filling the room with its rhythmic beats. The part
