BURNING WITH RAGE

The world around me blurred. My chest felt tight and my throat felt raw from the scream I wanted to unleash. My hands trembled at my sides but I barely noticed. The only thing I could focus on was the two people standing before me, the people I had trusted most. The people who had betrayed me like our friendship meant nothing.

Karmen and Karena.

My stomach twisted. My skin burned as my magic coiled beneath the surface begging to be released. Every heartbeat pounded like a drum in my ears.

"How could you?" My voice cracked. The words felt foreign, as if someone else had spoken them.

Karmen's face was pale. She stepped forward, reaching out like she could somehow undo this. Like she could erase the devastation unraveling inside me. "Marcella, please, let me explain—"