#Chapter 115: Preparations

Ava I turned slowly to see Chris watching me, that familiar grin of his tugging at his lips. Sighing, I felt my shoulders slump a bit beneath his gaze. “No,” I admitted. “I don’t. And… I’m sorry for freaking out like that.” To my surprise, Chris simply shrugged. “It’s alright; I can’t blame you. It’s a stressful situation.” I swallowed and stared down at my feet. “Well… You handled it exceptionally. Thank you for doing that for us.” “You should know by now to trust me, Ava,” Chris said softly. The floorboards creaked, and I jerked my head up to see that he had taken a step forward. “Please never forget it.” … The days following the meeting with the Elders were some of the most difficult I had experienced in quite some time. Chris and I could hardly look at each other, let alone speak. It was as if an invisible wall had been put up between us, so thick we could hardly hear each other’s voices through it. We were polite, of course; we were