Watching from the Shadows

Elara’s Point of View

I pressed my spine hard against the rough, peeling wallpaper of the back stairwell, holding my breath until my lungs burned. I squeezed my eyes shut, listening intently to the frantic, chaotic shouting echoing from the main floor below. Today, by some absolute miracle, I had successfully managed to stay completely out of everyone’s way. It was a small, fragile sense of trium