She handed the bow to the girl. “Burn it. Please.”
“You found it,” the girl said. “My bow.” red hair bow
Elara’s hands shook as she reached for the bow. The knot was impossibly tight. The voice whispered: You’ll go back to being nobody. No one will see you. She handed the bow to the girl
The girl nodded. “It will hurt for a while. The quiet. But you’ll fill it with real things.” red hair bow
That night, she tried to take the bow off. Her fingers slipped. The knot held fast. Panic flickered—then vanished, replaced by a strange calm. You don’t need to take it off, the voice cooed. You’re finally someone people notice.
That’s when things began to shift.
