Kamrynn’s POV
My stomach twisted painfully.
“He’s closing in on me-”
Her voice rose in panic.
“There’s no time.”
Sherelle turned the camera, pointing it at the thick forest behind her.
Nothing was there.
Yet.
But I could hear it.
The snap of twigs.
The deep, steady footsteps.
Someone was coming.
“Please come to Helion Creek!” she begged, her voice breaking. “There’s a cabin where he’s been keeping me hostage.”
A cabin.
My hands were slick with sweat as I gripped the phone.
“Hurry!” she gasped, her fear intensifying. “Before he catches me and shuts me up for good!”
A sharp rustling.
Sherelle spun around again, her panic skyrocketing.
“Calvin is crazy!” she cried. “He’s obsessed! He won’t stop until he gets what he thinks he deserves!”
A strangled sob tore from her throat.
“Come alone, please-”
Her voice broke.
“I can’t let anyone else be dragged into this.”
She sniffled, glancing over her shoulder.
“Enough people have died…”
Then-
A sudden, horrifying scream.
The screen tilted violently, the image blurring as the phone tumbled to the ground.
The view changed, now showing only grass-
Like the phone had been thrown into a bush.
I barely had time to react before I heard it-
“NO! NO! STOP!”
Sherelle’s desperate, terrified cries ripped through the speakers.
“Don’t come closer! LET GO!”
A loud slap.
Sherelle screamed.
Then-
Static.
The screen went black.
The room spun.
The phone slipped from my fingers.
I barely heard the shatter as it hit the ground.
My body crumbled, my knees slamming into the floor as a choked sob escaped me.
“Sherelle…”
She was alive.
But she was suffering.
She was begging me to save her.
And I-
I had no idea what to do.
My breath came in short gasps, panic twisting through me.
I pressed a shaking hand to my chest, forcing myself to breathe.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
No time.
There was no time to cry.
I clenched my fists, wiping my tear-streaked face.
This wasn’t the moment to celebrate the fact that she was alive.
Because she wouldn’t be for much longer-
Not if I didn’t get there in time to save her from Calvin.
My hands were shaking as I scrambled toward the wardrobe, my heart hammering so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest.
Sherelle needed me.
I couldn’t waste another second.
I threw the doors open, shoving aside my neatly folded clothes and reaching for the small satchel tucked in the back.
The fabric was soft, familiar against my fingers as I yanked it free. My movements were rushed, frantic, but I forced myself to focus.
I needed supplies.
I needed protection.
I grabbed a few bills of money, stuffing them inside the satchel. My fingers hesitated before curling around the dagger.
It was light in my grip, the carbon steel handle cool against my palm. The blade had been a gift, meant for protection, but I had never truly considered using it before now.
Today, I would.
Today, I might have to.
“You’re rushing into this,” Aryna muttered, her voice firm in the back of my mind.
I ignored her, sliding the dagger into the satchel before securing it shut.
“Kamrynn, stop and think.”
I bit my lip, my hands clenching around the bag’s strap.
“Watch the video again-analyze it properly. Something isn’t adding up here.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, my breathing coming in uneven gasps.
Aryna was right.
There were too many questions.
Too many loose ends.
Sherelle had been dead-I had seen her body with my own eyes.
And yet, she was alive.
And she was terrified.
Of Calvin.
My head spun, doubt worming its way into my chest.
But then I saw her face again.
I heard her cries, her sobs, the absolute terror in her voice as she begged me to save her.
“No! No! Stop! Don’t come closer. Let go! Calvin, no! Please!”
The slap.
The scream.
The video cutting out.
A shiver ran through me.
I didn’t need to watch it again.
I didn’t need to sit down and think it through.
Sherelle was in danger.
And I was the only one who could save her.
“I can’t just sit here, Aryna.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “I won’t let her die again.”
Aryna was silent.
Then-
A quiet sigh. “You truly believe this is the right choice?”
I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on the satchel.
“I do.”
Aryna exhaled. “Then I’ll support you as best I can. But we need to be careful, Kamrynn. Something about this isn’t right.”
I didn’t respond.
Because I knew that already.
But none of it mattered.
I had failed Sherelle once before.
I had stood by, helpless, as she died a gruesome death.
I had cried over her lifeless body, screamed for her to wake up, begged the Moon Goddess to take me instead.
And when it was all over, I had spent a long time drowning in guilt, believing I deserved Calvin’s punishment for being weak, for not trying harder to protect the only family I had left.
Now, I had been given a second chance.
And I would not fail her again.
My stomach twisted painfully at the thought of Rmonica.
I knew she would never let me go alone.
She would gather warriors, insist on coming with me, put her own safety at risk-
I couldn’t let that happen.
Sherelle had been clear.
“Come alone.”
I grabbed a pen and paper, my fingers shaking as I scribbled a note on the bedside table.
“Went out on a quick errand. Please look after the twins for me.”
It wasn’t perfect.
It wasn’t convincing.
But it would buy me time.
I glanced toward the cradle, my heart aching as I knew I would have to leave my little angels behind but I could rest assured that they were in good hands. I would finish this quickly and come back with my sister.
I turned swiftly, before my resolve could crumble.
Finally, with a deep breath, I slipped out of the room, my steps silent as I made my way through the halls and out of the palace, determined to save my sister.