20 TWENTY

Celeste could barely hear Karen over the buzzing of her own ears. She only nodded along distractedly, too focused on keeping her calm demeanor as Karen droned on about how she and Will would rush to town to get herbs.

" I remember what Yogi taught me. I can help him but I need those herbs" Karen said slowly.

Celeste was to remain behind with Thomas and look after him. She expected Will to protest, for him to claim she wasn't trustworthy enough. But the boy probably felt like he had said enough.

Which he had.

As Karen and Thomas disappeared from view, Celeste bitterly thought that at least Karen didn't hate her. Or maybe she did and was just good at hiding it.

They're gone now, you can cry, she thought.

But she didn't feel like crying. In fact, she didn't feel anything. Just an empty void in her heart that was sucking her into it. She longed for emotion. For anger, for guilt, for shame.

Instead, she felt empty.