Echoes of the Pack

, drowning out my thoughts. Their hushed whispers and furtive glances follow me

his arms, and I gratefully embrace him, needi

retrieve my belongings. My gaze lands on a cheris

"genius" moment, insisted we climb a tree for safety. I had warned her that bears could climb too, but she brushed it of

er," I say, shutting it with

up?" Ahren asks as we

y walks beside me until we reach the classroom. I grasp his sleeve and apolog

that it doesn't stop the tears from flowing or the nose from running when you cry.

k my phone or leave for lunch, I keep thinking abo

y, my throat cho

he constant scrutiny from my classmates. We engage in a science experiment while the teacher deli

ally returning to their normal routines, though they still take me aside after class to offer their support. The cautiousness of th

that allowed me to release some pent-up anger, the coach announces that we'll be doing an obstacle course. It's a simple task: move from one station to another a

oks at me as if I wer

lears her throat and hesitates.

anyone's gaze as I

r the hushed conversations, all waiting for me to crumble. No one can help but imagine how Azura must have looked with that rope aroun

s, and her gym clothes. Normally, she'd take her gym bag home to wash her clothes at the end of the week, but s

, "You could g

hotos into my bag, slinging it over

lo

with a clenched fist, and while the sound of the metal denting was satisfying

again and implored, "Alora." The paint was chipping away,

. She would never open that locker again, never walk through these

? I stifled a sob, placing my hand over my mouth to keep this overwhelming sadn

y now." It felt surreal, as if I were only just

I heard voices further down the hallway. As the group

sh can. His friends stood in stunned silence, their expres

t one of his friends tugged at hi

eart race. If I were hooked up to a hospital mon

d, retrieving the discarded clothes

As he approached me, my mind went blank. His hand moved to his chest, where he scratched at something. Ha

sense the pain as he pressed against the bruise, still healing. Yet his touch felt different, co

me? I couldn't stop staring at him. The way he said my name and ca

distance myself from Lucien, Ahren, and even Azura. The lunch bell rang, but I

thoughts. As I turned the corner, I

owered my head onto a table and closed my eyes. My mind was spinning from the

rossed paths before. El Nido was a small town, after all. If he didn't feel the same way, he wo

es

redhead said. "If you're feeling unwell, you should go to t

nversing with someone who spoke softly like me. I glan

and sat down. "It's time to go back to work. You hav

like there was no respite for me. However, she inter

to run to this place whenever she needed a break. She's mov

lips. I gazed up at the ceiling, wondering how many more moments

she didn't comment. "A book has always been m

to," I

e your favorites, and I'll help you find them. It's a

versed. To her, I was simply a quiet girl like herself. It was a relief

las Sparks or Lee Child," I nearly laughed when she rais

y the way, my n

Alo

r in public school. W

a sen

you from the Homecoming Tailgat

r isn't..

she chuckled. "I can a

ave no

e we reached the counter, I was holding a small stack of books. As we

ead anything

Aldous Huxley and the Jack Reacher series, but you've never delved into the wor

aughed as she added two more books to my collection. "I'm n

the keys and saying, "I always support fellow bookworms,

ned on the counter. The idea of esc

?" However, as I began to provide it, the intercom crackled to life, interrupting our conve

ere unaccustomed to end-of-day announcements. "At the end of the week, there will be a vigil for Azura Nightglow in Fisher's Point. She passed away a few weeks ago, which w

who I was. Her emerald eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. Witho

and down, her voice filled with asto

to grow weary