(Orion’s Mansion)

The sky above Orion’s mansion had already darkened into a deep, velvet blue by the time Eliana drove her car silently into the driveway.

She parked her car with a sharp turn, the tires hissing softly on the pavement, and sat there for a moment. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, she inhaled deeply, letting the air fill her lungs, settle her heartbeat, calm the storm inside her chest. A storm no one seemed to understand, a storm she didn’t always understand herself.

Then with a controlled breath, she finally pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Her heels clicked sharply against the ground, every step...