LAUREN'S POV
I switched on my phone and saw it was already past midnight. The street was quiet except for the distant hum of a generator somewhere in the neighborhood and the occasional bark of a stray dog.
My heart felt heavy, but I forced myself to keep breathing, to stay calm for Elena’s sake.
Would she be able to make it?
I asked myself for what felt like the hundredth time. A few minutes ago, I had been on the brink of panic, wondering where Elena and I were going to sleep tonight. The streets felt colder than I’d ever known them, and every gust of wind seemed to whisper doubts into my ears.
Then I remembered I had an amazing friend, a friend who had always been more like a sister than anything else.
Tessa.
And just like I hoped, she agreed for us to come stay with her for a wh
