Alis stared at her in disbelief. "Emotional?" The word came out strangled, almost a laugh.
Her gaze snapped back to Uvrienne, searching desperately for something—anything—in that empty face. "It's me, Uvrienne. Your sister. Say something! Look at me!"
But the maid didn't move. Didn't even flick her eyes toward her.
Alis' breath hitched, panic creeping into her voice. "Don't just stand there like that! I know it's you—I can see the mark—" Her words broke off, swallowed by the icy weight of Uvrienne's silence.
She took a step back, as though from something unholy. "Gods… what did she do to you?"
Alis' breaths came faster, ragged, each one scraping her throat raw. The edges of her vision pinched inward, shadows smearing across Uvrienne's vacant eyes, Celeste's serene smile. It was like staring into a picture that had been hung just slightly crooked—her stomach pitched, her skin prickled.
"You…" The word rasped out, trembling, before she swallowed hard, heat clawing up her chest.
