The silence in Little Whiskers Daycare was heavy, but it was no longer terrified. It was the kind of silence that comes after a fever breaks.
Lady Ellia lay on the sofa, covered in a soft quilt that Luna had brought from the nap room. Her face was pale, scrubbed clean of the butter and grime, and she looked startlingly small. Without the screaming shadows and the violet eyes, she wasn't a monster. She was just a little girl who had been carrying something far too heavy for far too long.
We sat in a vigil around her.
Arjun and Vali were sitting on the floor, their chins resting on the edge of the sofa, watching her chest rise and fall.
Orion was holding his clipboard, checking her vitals every thirty seconds. "She is breathing," he whispered.
Clover was holding Ellia's hand, gently stroking her knuckles.
Jasper and Silas sat further back, looking solemn.
Finn and Jax were leaning against the wall, their usual playful fox grins replaced by grim expressions.
