ELISA’S POV
When I finally closed the door to my room, I thought I would feel relief. There was no Talyra here. There was no Madam Doris either. The halls behind me were quiet, and the heavy wood was supposed to shut out the world and its demands. For once, no one was calling my name, no one was watching me, no one was giving me orders. I should have felt free.
But I didn’t.
Instead, my chest tightened like someone had wrapped invisible ropes around it. My shoulders were tensed. My skin felt with some kind of strange awareness I couldn’t shake, as though something in the air itself whispered that something was wrong.
I moved slowly toward the window, almost without realizing it, until my forehead rested against the cool glass.
I could see the forest from here. Outside looked calm, bu
