Daria's POV

 

I was afraid. I did not want to show it. I have always learned to be very brave, even when my chest is tight and my hands are shaking. Silas taught me that fear is allowed, but it should never be the first thing people see.

 

The door kept opening on its own, slow, like it was deciding whether I deserved to see what was behind it. Smoke rolled out in thick waves, and within seconds it was too much. I was choking. My throat closed around it, hot and bitter, like breathing in ash from a fire that had never actually burned wood.

 

I could still hear...