Chapter 8 - The Whisper Behind The Wall**

• Alina’s POV
• I pressed my ear against the wall before I realized I was doing it. My fingers shook so badly I kept missing the spot where the sound had slipped through earlier. It was probably stupid to listen. It was definitely stupid. But the silence after Cassandra’s voice cut off was worse. Too thick. Too loud. My heart was pounding like it wanted to warn me of something I could not name.
• The wall felt cool against my cheek. Cool but vibrating with leftover echoes. Almost like it remembered the voices even if they had already moved away.