Chapter 22

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 while. I silently thanked God for sending someone like her into my life. Just then, I felt a small pinch on my leg, and my hand instinctively slapp