Olivia
My consciousness flickered back into the physical world, and the first thing I was aware of was the searing pain in my head. It pulsed relentlessly, threatening to overwhelm me, but I couldn’t afford to give in to it. I had to get out of this nightmare.
And then Alvin said those words—those words that reminded me that, despite everything, Alvin had always been my friend. When I saw the look in his eyes, I was transported back to a time when everything felt so much simpler…
“Alvin! It’s dinnertime!”
The sound of Alvin’s grandmother’s voice pierced the air, putting an abrupt end to our playing. Our faces were stained with dirt and sweat from playing outside all day, and no matter how badly the three of us wanted to keep going, we knew that there was no use in arguing; it was
