Easter~
My body felt like it wasn't mine—weightless, suspended in something thick and unseen. My breath caught halfway up my throat and never made it back down.
Ahead of us, the party house looked like a memory caught in a dream—streamers glinting like tinsel, music thumping through the walls with bass heavy enough to shake bone. The air was stained with the syrupy tang of cheap soda, mingling with the plastic sweetness of hairspray. It was a night I had tried to bury so deep, even my nightmares gave it space.
I glanced down at Rose, terrified she might witness what was about to unravel—but she was fast asleep. Nestled like a porcelain doll against Jacob's chest, her breathing soft and slow, her little hand curled near his collar. His arm held her with the kind of quiet protection that made my heart ache. Whether she'd slipped into sleep on her own or Jacob had used one of his strange, ancient gifts—I didn't know. Either way, she was safe in a way I never was that night.
