Eleanor's POV
Helplessness washed over me, a cold tide threatening to pull me under. Who could possibly help me? The police were thirty minutes away. I was utterly, terrifyingly alone.
My phone vibrated in my hand, the screen lighting up the dark closet. I didn't look at the caller ID, my mind still clinging to the hope of the 911 dispatcher.
"I can't stay in one place," I whispered frantically into the phone, my voice cracking. "They'll find me. I don't know what to do!"
But the voice that replied was familiar, sharp with concern. "Ellie? What are you saying? What's happening?"
Mira. My breath hitched. For a second, I was too stunned to speak, the sound of my best friend's voice a lifeline I was too scared to grab. "Mira… it's… it's nothing," I managed, forcing a calm I didn't feel. "I'm fine."
"Don't you dare tell me it's nothing!" Mira's voice was fierce, cutting through my lie. "You sound terrified. Who are you running from? Is it Dickson? I swear to god, I'll—"
