"Can I talk to you?" Louise's voice came from behind me.
I turned around to face her, noting the tension in her posture. Her golden-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, but her usual calm, collected expression was shadowed with something else. Worry, maybe? Or frustration. It was hard to tell, and Louise couldn’t easily show her hand.
"Of course," I said, stepping away from the others. I motioned toward a quieter part of the room. "What’s on your mind?"
As soon as we were out of earshot, Louise folded her arms across her chest. Her hazel-green eyes were sharp, but there was a flicker of hesitation in them as if she was weighing her words carefully. She glanced around, ensuring no one else was listening, before finally speaking.
"It’s about Mikaela," she started, her voice low but f
