lah'

uiet, lined with tall trees whose bare branches stretched toward the winter sky

ashed into each othe

on

t triggered anything. It didn't. No clear memories, no fam

in his words. That should have reassured

ctly had

feel like thi

r open. The room was just as she left it-messy, lived-in, normal

ing wa

ed it yesterday. Her bed was unmade, blankets s

air fe

g her fingers against the lock. It

d it over her head. Maybe she was just paranoid. Maybe la

uzzed on th

essage from Theo. Instead, an unkno

hould forget a

omach

o name, no warning, jus

r vibr

quiet, and no

th pushed pa

felt heavier now, th

was watc

o's

s was locked on the ice, skates cutting sharp lines as he pushed himself harder, fa

, precisio

needed to cl

sound of the puck slamming against the boards barely registered. He should have been thinking abo

li

en last night, right before she threw the first punch. A m

t letting

helmet off. The guys were still running dr

e checked his messages. Nothing f

ted over the scree

You

espo

oiled in

ed for the locker room. He wasn't the kind of guy

he wa

were about t

lah'

over her phone scr

tared back at her, a silent warning

forget... And that mea

eadying breath and did the only th

twice before

is voice was

out steady, but her hands were s

hed between th

did it

Stay quiet." She swallow

gh the receiver, l

eo said, no room for

p him. She wasn't

bed, staring at the words on her s

is message had

kind of girl who scared e