And then she was gone.
Chapter 29
Elira
I will not cry. I will not cry.
The words echoed in my skull like a drumbeat, steady and hollow, as I made my way down the hall.
My footsteps quickened. The walls of Shade Tower felt narrower than usual. Like they knew I was about to betray something sacred.
Ahead, I caught a glimpse of Leo slipping into Phoenix’s office. I froze—then ducked into the shadows, pressing my back against the wall.
“Have you seen Elle?” Leo asked, his voice carrying.
“Not since this morning,” Phoenix replied. “Why? You lost her?”
Leo shrugged, but I saw it. The worry behind his easy smile. The edge in his posture.
My face burned with guilt.
They deserve better than me.
But they wouldn’t understand. None of them would.
This wasn’t about loyalty or trust or what they thought was right.
This was about Finn.
And if I didn’t help him now, I’d never forgive myself.
Even if it cost me them.
I turned away and ran.
**
The second floor was quiet when I reached it. I barely hesitated before knocking on Maddie’s door.
She opened it after a moment, her hair rumpled, eyes bleary with sleep.
“Elira?” she blinked. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry it’s late,” I said quickly, pushing inside before she could object. “But I need your help.”
She stared at me for a second. Then something in my face must have shifted, because her tired expression hardened into something focused. She stepped aside and closed the door behind us.
The second-year dorms were nicer—larger, neater. Her bed was tucked against the far wall, and her dresser was cluttered with books and little potted plants that reached toward the moonlight spilling through the curtains.
She didn’t speak. She just waited.
And I exhaled.
“I need to leave the Tower,” I said. “Tonight.”
“What? Why?” She asked.
“Don’t ask me that. I don’t want to give any details, in case…”
