Marcie

“Hey, Lily! You gotta listen to me,” Theresa says.

That doesn’t make any sense. She left. And why is my face wet? I cried all my tears out days and days ago. Something harsh and fast echoes around my room. I run my hands through my hair—

And find it’s braided, something I never had enough hair for. Had. Back in high school.

“Come on, Lily, breathe,” Theresa says. “You’re scaring me.”

I crack one of my eyes open. Dark wood railing. Shelves behind me. Book titles in French. Dana’s voice whispers in my ear, coaxing me through a simple grounding exercise.

Inhale. I’m in the library at Ardent....