>>Aelin
Time didn't slow down. It shattered.
Each heartbeat was a thud in my ears. Each breath burned like fire in my lungs. The monster's presence was so suffocating, I could barely tell whether the pressure in my chest came from outside or from within.
My feet refused to move. My hands were shaking. My mind screamed the same useless thought over and over.
You're going to die.
Because I had frozen again. But I was also filled with shame and I knew if I ran I would never get past this. Because if I ran again, I would look at myself how everyone else looks at me.
With Shame.
That filthy, ugly thing I thought I had buried in the dirt of the human kingdom, only for it to rise again like a phantom.
You're just a girl who was beaten down so often, you began to believe you deserved it.
My eyes locked with the monster's.
