POV - Aratrika.
“Come to the meeting place immediately,” I heard a hushed whisper coming from the living room. Peeking cautiously into the room, I saw Dad’s tense back. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his face — if I could even call it that — was strained with anger. I frowned at his expression. I’d seen Dad pissed before, but this… this was different. There was something in his posture, in the set of his shoulders, that made a shiver run down my spine. An instinctual bad feeling crept into my chest. Secretly, I followed him as he left the house. My heart hammered painfully in my chest, each beat echoing the growing dread tightening around me. When his car finally pulled to a stop at the meeting place, I froze, analyzing the scene.
“This can't be…” I whispered to myself, my voice tremb
