ent

. Her bare feet slapped against the cold, rough g

nning. She could feel the weight of the kni

nd she couldn't let them ca

shouted from behind her, full o

do anymore. The tears blurred her vision, but she didn't stop

dn't do it!" she screamed,

y crowd closing in. They were relentless, s

ives, sticks, stones-raised an

o pay for somethi

her. "Jillian, come back! Pay for what you've done!

nted to scream back at them, to explain that

he wasn't just running from them. She was running from everyth

in desperation. "I swear I didn'

tory. All they saw was a cursed woman, someone who had to

pain in her body. She didn't know where she was going anymore. She didn'

saw it. The

a beat. There was nowhere left to go. The peo

aw the people closing in, their faces full of hatre

ne man yelled, a cruel grin

he cliff, trembling. She could hear them coming close

. The blade sliced through her skin, blood pouring from her palms, but she didn't dr

me, and she dodged it just in time. But one man m

he lunged at her, his kn

eemed to tilt. She tried to keep her balance, but the edge of the cliff was too cl

dy plummeting downward, he

e with a sickening crack,

river below. The cold water hit her like a shock, pulling

around her was dark and heavy, a

staring down at the river where Jillian had fallen. The

e full of rage. "She's gone!

is fists, his eyes burning with fury. "No. We're not leaving unt

"If she's still alive, I'll find her. I'll make her pay for everything s

poke up, his voice full of doubt. "But Simon... What if she's de

d her, and I'll make her regret every single thing she's done. She's not getting aw

d lost one of their own to Jillian's so-called curse, and they weren't

d. A loud crack of thunder split the air, and rain

"We'll come back after the stor

stration was evident. They didn't want to wait. They wa

r. Simon stayed behind for a moment, staring out at the river, his mi

yet done fo

uld stop him from getting the

wore