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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲
...💫...
𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻, 𝑆𝑀𝐴𝐿𝐿𝑉𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐸
𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒
✨ | 𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 | ✨
"𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚,"
The creak of floorboards under her bare feet felt too loud in the silence. Ariella paused halfway down the stairs, the chill of the early morning clinging to her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, tank top clinging to her from sleep and sweat. The faint scent of rain drifted through the house.
She'd woken to the sound of whining—sharp, restless. Athena wasn't in her room. That alone set off an alarm in Ariella's chest.
Another whimper reached her ears as Ariella crept the rest of the way, eyes adjusting to the soft gray light bleeding through the windows. Her gray dog sat rigid by the front door, claws tapping anxiously against the wood, nose pressed to the bottom edge. The moment Ariella reached the last step, Athena turned, eyes catching hers, then flicking back to the door.
"What is it?" she muttered, unlocking the deadbolt.
The second the door opened, Athena bolted.
"Damn it." Ariella slipped outside, barefoot on cold concrete, damp air brushing her legs. Dew clung to the grass, soaking her skin as she jogged down the driveway.
She paused at the end, breath catching.
Nadia stood across the lawn, her back to Ariella, speaking low and fast to Silas.
Ariella instinctively shrank into the shadows beside the porch. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but the way Nadia's hands moved—sharp, cutting through the air. It looked intense, whatever they were saying from where Ariella was standing.
But before she could even entertain the urge to eavesdrop, Athena's growl yanked her attention to the road.
She turned just in time to see her dog trot toward something slumped across the edge of the pavement.
No—someone.
Ariella's stomach dropped. She sprinted forward, heart pounding.
"Athena, back!" she called, skidding to a stop as the shape shifted. A figure groaned and moved.
"Clark?" she breathed.
He blinked up at her, squinting against the breaking dawn.
