She shut her eyes again, forcing her voice into a harsh whisper. "I said—get away from me. Right now."
The words felt like acid in her throat, but she knew better.
Knew what people saw when they looked at her.
A monster.
A wretched thing wrapped in human skin.
She covered her eyes with her hand, pulling herself upright, brushing the dust from her clothes with mechanical precision. She did not look back.
She could not look back.
The children were surely trembling. Not because of what just happened. Not because of anything else.
But because of her.
She bit her tongue, forcing down the sting rising in her chest.
And then—she turned to her parents.
Her golden eyes, though hidden now, burned with unspoken fury.
"What are they doing here?" she demanded, her voice sharper than intended. "And where are they? Do they not care about their children?"
She meant Ray.
She meant his brothers.
But before anyone could answer, a voice—smooth, laced with amusement—rose from behind her.
