My eyes fluttered open, heavy and reluctant. The first thing I saw was Selene's face, inches from mine. Usually, her features were a study in cool indifference, a porcelain mask of calm.
But now? Every line of her face was pulled taut, not with panic, but with a raw, undeniable guilt. It was etched so profoundly, a dark shadow beneath her eyes, a tremor in her usually steady jaw.
A demand for answers clawed at my throat, but the sound that escaped was a harsh whisper, raspy and barely my own. "You... used that?"
She didn't speak. Her gaze, wide and luminous, bore into me, holding an unspeakable burden, a secret too heavy to share. It lingered, a silent weight, before her eyes flickered away, avoiding my question.
"It's not important. Get some rest first." Her voice was a low murmur, dismissive. Not an answer, but a deliberate wall, a refusal to be truthful.
