They Took Her

Thalia’s POV

I scooped Penelope into my arms and stepped inside, my pulse leaping as I took in the wreckage of my living room. The once quiet, familiar space looked completely alien now, trashed by whatever violence had just swept through it. A heavy dread settled over me, yet I forced myself to stay steady for the little girl shivering against my chest.

Wrapping my arms tighter around her small