Elsie’s POV

I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a band around my ribs and was pulling, pulling, pulling until it hurt. My eyes darted around the room, searching for anything that could anchor me. But there was nothing. Just the shadows on the walls, growing longer and darker, closing in on me.

“Elsie?” Madriod’s voice broke through the haze, soft and careful, like he was trying not to spook me. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

But I couldn’t talk. My throat felt like it was glued shut, and my mind... God, my mind was a mess. Thoughts raced too fast for me to catch them,...