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Seven days.
That was all it was supposed to take. Seven days of playing host and then handing Karina over. Simple, clinical.
But nothing about Karina was simple, and certainly not clinical.
She'd let herself get distracted, lulled into this false sense of normalcy. For seven days, Karina had chipped away at her walls, weaving herself into places Winter never thought anyone could reach. And now? Now it was time to break that fragile illusion, and she hated it.
The faint sound of shifting sheets pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced toward the bedroom door, where Karina was still sleeping soundly.
Winter closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before forcing herself to move. Her footsteps were quiet as she entered the room, standing at the edge of the bed. Karina's face was half-buried in the pillow, her dark hair spilling messily across the fabric.
Winter hesitated, guilt clawing at her chest. For a fleeting moment, she considered walking away, leaving Karina to sleep peacefully for a little longer. But that wasn't an option. It never was.
"Karina," she called softly, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
Karina groaned, rolling onto her back but refusing to open her eyes. "Too early," she mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head. "Go away."
Winter's lips twitched, but there was no humor behind it. "Get up. Now." She tugged lightly at the blanket, earning a dramatic sigh from beneath it.
"What do you want now?" Karina grumbled, her voice muffled.
Winter didn't answer, instead reaching out to pull the blanket off her entirely. Karina squawked in protest, glaring up at her with bleary eyes. "Evil witch," she declared, pouting.
Ignoring the jab, Winter reached for Karina's hand. "Come on," she said simply, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Karina's excitement grew. "Are we going somewhere?" She paused, tilting her head. "Wait, let me change!" and dashed back inside.
Winter sighed and waited.
Karina returned, several minutes later, putting on her sneakers quickly, and stepped outside, gasping dramatically. "It's beautiful! The sky, the breeze-I'm free!" She spun, laughing.
Winter opened the passenger door of the SUV, gesturing for Karina to get in.
Karina hesitated, tilting her head. "You're acting weird, you know that?"
"Just get in," Winter said, her voice strained.
Shrugging, Karina climbed in, looking around as Winter buckled her seatbelt and started the car. She barely noticed when Winter reached for the cuffs until the cold metal clicked around her wrist.
