Delilah's POV
"Fresh air and good company will help," she said, echoing Ryker's words from this morning about training. "Come on. Get changed into something nice. We're leaving in twenty minutes."
She left before I could protest further, closing the door behind her with a soft click that felt like a death sentence.
I stared at my closed door for a long moment, then forced myself to stand and move to my closet. There was no getting out of this. Mom wouldn't let me hide in my room, not when Ryker had made it clear that everyone needed to attend.
I pulled out a simple dress, nothing fancy but nicer than my usual clothes, and changed mechanically. Fixed my hair. Washed the tear stains from my face. Stared at my reflection and tried to find some semblance of strength in the girl looking bac
