~Hazel's POV~
Ariel had drifted off not long after we spoke. She lay curled on my bed, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, she was sleeping peacefully But me? I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even sit still.
I paced the room, the hem of my thin cotton dress twisted between my fingers, knuckles white from how tightly I clutched it. My breath came in shallow bursts, nerves bunching in my stomach until it ached. Now and then, I'd stop and glance at the window, Will she come?
She said she'd come.
But she wasn't here.
The longer I waited, the more it felt like she wouldn't show. My stomach twisted with disappointment, and a low growl escaped it—half hunger, half dread. I couldn't wait anymore. If Aurora didn't come, I'd go alone.
She said it was a two-hour walk. I could do that. If I walked far enough, the witch would sense me. She'd find me. That's what she said in the dream, right?
