(Almira’s POV)
The wind was gentle today, the air thick with the scent of pine and sunshine. I took the twins to a nearby playground nestled in the outskirts of the village, where human children often laughed and played. The old swings creaked with each pass, a rhythmic groan that somehow soothed the nerves constantly thrumming under my skin. Asher and Hazel darted ahead, their gleeful squeals piercing the air like music. Hazel raced up the ladder of the slide with fearless abandon, while Asher followed with cautious amusement, always watching, always aware.
For a brief moment, I let myself believe that we were safe—that we were normal. That the horrors of the past six years were buried, and we had earned this sliver of peace.
It had been weeks since I clawed my way out of the nightmare
