NIKOLAI

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I struggled to stand completely still, unable to move my eyes from the woman that was dancing in the courtyard.

It had been the pounding of their footfalls that woke me up at first.

What time was it? I couldn't tell from the pale blue light of the sky as I watched the two women scurry down from the opposite wing of the living quarters to squeal in the open-roofed courtyard between the two blocks.

“Saints,” I heard myself gasp, unable to believe my eyes when I watched Raya and the mysterious girl that had come with her jump around...