Aria didn't sleep that night. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling while the note sat hidden under her pillow, burning like a coal against her consciousness. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Mira's words written in that elegant, cold handwriting.
"Choose wisely."
By the time morning light crept through her window, Aria felt hollowed out. Exhausted but wired, her mind spinning in circles. She spent the entire night arguing with herself.
Tell someone. Don't tell anyone. Go to the meeting. Don't go to the meeting. Trust your instincts. Question your instincts.
She got dressed mechanically, her movements automatic. Downstairs, Cassidy took one look at her and frowned.
"You didn't sleep," her mother said. It wasn't a question.
"Couldn't," Aria admitted. That much was true, at least. "Too much on my mind after yesterday."
