VALORIA WILDEROSE
I shiver. The coldest chill of fear grips me too tightly to breathe or make a sound—tight enough that tears well in my eyes without her even having to do much.
I hold on tightly to my bladder so I don't piss myself.
And then, as if this precious moment couldn't get any worse, a sudden thought strikes me—my murderer could very well be Marcella.
She's always hated me enough to make my life miserable. She's gone to far lengths to put me in trouble before, and every time I thought I knew her limits, she exceeded them without fail.
She's a menace who didn't mind killing animals simply because I petted them or fed them from my plate.
I still remember the kitten. The one I'd found shivering in the garden and nursed back to health in secret. She drowned it in the fountain and made me watch.
"I asked you a question, Valoria." Her tone hardens from impatience, dragging me out of my spiraling thoughts.
