ELISA'S POV.
Alice lingered by the door longer than she needed to. She kept glancing back at me with that worried crease in her brow, her hands twisting in front of her.
“You’ll be all right?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” I lied, forcing a small smile. “I’ll be fine, Alice, go get some rest. Don't worry about me.”
She nodded, though her eyes betrayed her. She looked like she still had doubts. Finally slipped out into the hallway. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me in silence.
That silence pressed against me like a weight. I tried to busy myself. I picked up a book, let my eyes run across the words, but they refused to make sense. I set the book down. I smoothed the blanket on my bed and sat, then stood, then sat again. None of it helped.
My mind circled back, again and again, t
