AT THE SAME TIME
MICHAEL'S POINT OF VIEW:
We were gathered in the living room, the soft hum of the heater battling the storm outside. Isabella sat curled beside me, her head resting lightly on my shoulder. Her cheeks were still pale, but better. Healing. Slowly. Elliot, Mara's little boy, was sitting cross legged on the floor with a coloring book, muttering to himself about dragons and shields. Then Emory stood and everything shifted.
"We need to talk." He said.
Everyone fell silent. Xavier straightened, his grandmother Celindra sitting upright beside him. Even Soren set his phone down. Emory exchanged a glance with Mara, and she gave him a quiet nod of encouragement.
"You all know by now." Emory began. "That what we experienced wasn't just a game glitch, or a coma dream. We were taken. And the system still exists. Still functioning."
I tensed, my fingers wrapping protectively around Isabella's hand.
