AUTHORS POV

Clarissa yelled, yanking away and scrambling off the bed. She didn’t wait to see him fall. She raced for the door.

The room spun with the echoes of his attempt to scream in agony and the distant shouts of guards. She burst into the hallway with the knife still in her fist, leaving a thin trail of blood in her wake.

Tessa’s room was the first she reached. She banged on the door.

“Tracy! It’s me! Clarissa! Open up!”

The door cracked. Tessa’s wide eyes met hers, confusion and fear overtaking sleepiness.

“Run!” Clarissa whispered, voice urgent. “He’s dead. He’s dead—guards may come anytime soon.”

Tessa’s mind snapped...