lowed Isabella a

building, the streets outside were shi

ung to the sleev

d the stai

at had nothing to do

ersity had drained someth

ed with images she cou

ella'

vo

of staring at someone wh

, it fel

nt, silence greete

er, dropped her bag beside the co

sound of rain hit

tment wa

, she had liked

elt

iv

by the noise of

e silence only made

switched on the kettle before c

she caught sight of herself in the

ond, she saw Mi

was unsettling e

it afterward f

same

ame m

had mirrored each other

n confusion slipped through Mirabel

st the counter and cl

h me?" she murmure

softly, breaking h

ed tea mec

ward as though the warmth might calm the

just as she settl

on the screen, some of the tens

e answer

through warm, thoug

iversity students were supposed to survive

f, Isabella sm

citement died a

at

ave no

aughed

familiar sound sett

ays been like

things fel

's emotions became

ara had somehow known how to ma

e campus?"

admitted, glancing t

st twice before fin

ected

end to have mor

exactly how directiona

genuine laugh

y as the memories o

d the shift

happ

tened Isabella's expression,

even sure wh

ituation sounded absur

t the university,"

gir

aited p

into her tea b

s exactly

upt that Isabella instinctively chec

la

th

ly, Isabella sa

el

onse came thr

faint breathing o

n bre

g crept slowly i

kson," Isabella continued,

half of Texas or something.

ence de

tracted

ughtful

that fe

lla said again

you t

es

er final

had changed in

lly carried so effortle

sounded

had interrupted her in t

ows slowly pu

you o

m fi

e too quickly to

actly like you?" Clar

bella exha

alked out of the car this morning, I tho

of the line, Cl

rder against Is

thunder rolled fain

itted after a moment, trying to laugh li

appreciated meeting

o quietly that most people

ella

ike her," Isabella contin

I wanted to ask h

losed h

onvinced herself tha

ri

ucha

ding distance between Isabella and

ne would protect h

done all of it

side her penthouse apartment and placed a

nding the room, lightning fla

ss for only a second be

la's voice soun

tarting to

it harder than

illingly toward the

idden beneath a folder of documents she

ls wrapped in

ical

ent necklaces resting

ed away im

o

ot think ab

thing else?" Cla

owned at th

everybody at the university notice

ightened again

Isabella added, trying to sound casual des

in

unpleasantly thr

es dangerously clo

ok

ala

yi

consumed

rself to brea

arefully," Clar

e made Isabella sit

o stay away

ara's voice caught he

ha

t close to

hy

promis

t the rain slidin

are not ma

what I a

voiding what y

pped into Isabe

ame, then you start acting nervous and tell me to s

emained

qu

ered her voi

w something

n lingered

nce more toward the ph

ned slightly, darkened b

night more clearly

ded no matter how deep

la

ment, she almost tol

fea

u later," Clara

linked in

ha

mething I ne

ra,

line dis

he phone from her ear and

the apartment no lo

ing wa

mall

ary stres

people tried des

ouch for several seconds before

found herself searching

hotographs app

on ev

ine c

y par

erv

on seemed to ex

ed one article

ent she noticed a photograph spre

d Mirabella standing face-to-face outs

neath it were a

sisted the ima

xplanations from

near the top mad

their ne

h caught

rescent pendant resting against her coll

e the exact s

ame s

ilver cres

crept down Is

cklace for as long a

her it had belon

la knew almost nothing

ained fixed

ences e

t like

fa

vo

ching n

hattered the silence so unexpectedly t

ed violently a

king cam

r thi

ibe

ed toward

ten a

d have been

la stood and walk

her stomach as she leane

she saw was th

e shifted slightly ben

a

k c

l clinging to

rom the c

oy

to step away or unlock the door, his

t be alone ton

froze on

oyd spo

r this

today, it means somebody else