Kendra’s POV
The sun was warm on my skin as I leaned back into the wooden bench tucked in the corner of the garden. It was one of the rare peaceful moments in this house, the kind where the silence didn’t feel threatening. I tilted my face up, letting the golden rays stroke across my cheeks and down my arms, soaking in the heat as if it could erase everything else. I liked this spot. It made me feel human again. Like myself.
But then I heard it. A sharp, high-pitched sound broke through the still air.
A meow.
My head turned. My body tensed and alert. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the bushes that bordered the garden wall. There it was again, softer this time. Another meow.
“What is that?” I whispered.
I sat up fully now, gaze sweeping across the dense green. A small movement caught my
