Evaline:
The car ride to the Council headquarters was wrapped in complete silence. Not the comfortable kind, not even the awkward kind... just a void silence that seemed to pull at my thoughts like gravity.
River didn't glance at me once after I got in. He sat there, angled just so that his sharp profile caught the glimmer of morning light, scrolling through his tablet like I didn't exist.
I sat upright, one leg crossed over the other, and hands tightly clutching my office bag on my lap like it might anchor me from the whirlwind of tension that hung between us. After a moment, I slowly pulled out my phone and turned the screen brightness down so he couldn't catch even the smallest glow.
I quickly texted Mr. Wood.
Good morning, Mr. Wood.
