Kayla I paced the length of the hospital waiting room, my nerves frayed to the breaking point. Every few steps, I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, watching the hands move with excruciating slowness. Twelve hours. Emma had been in surgery for twelve hours now. Jade sat huddled in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her normally bright eyes were red and swollen from crying, dark circles indicating she hadn’t slept at all. None of us had. Across from her, Marcus looked like a ghost of himself. His normally confident posture was gone, replaced by the defeated slump of his shoulders as he held his head in his hands. I’d never seen him like this before. Nicholas stood beside him with a hand on his shoulder and a solemn face. And

