“You were always smarter than him.”
Then she looks directly at me.
And whispers—
“The children, Hannah.”
Ice floods my veins.
Avery’s eyes fill with tears.
“He’s still taking children.”
The world stops.
Everything inside me goes cold.
Because suddenly—
the little flashes make horrible sense.
Rows of beds.
Tiny shoes lined beside walls.
Children crying during storms.
Not past tense.
Present.
Clay sees my face change instantly.
“Hannah?”
I look at Wu.
And for the first time—
I don’t feel confused.
Or frightened.
I feel fury.
Pure.
Burning.
Deadly.
“How many?” I whisper.
Wu says nothing.
That’s answer enough.
Avery’s voice breaks.
