Tasha gasped. "Jayden…?" she rasped, her voice trembling with hope... and dread.
Jessica instantly grabbed her hand. "It's okay. I'm sure he's fine," she said, though the uncertainty in her own voice betrayed her.
Tasha nodded quickly, almost desperately. "Yeah. He is. He has to be."
Cassandra remained silent, her gaze locked on the thick plume of smoke twisting up from the center of the arena. Her heart thudded in her chest like a war drum, her breath caught in her throat. She didn't speak. She couldn't. Not until she saw something... anything.
Jacob jerked upright, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went pale. He was tense, barely breathing. Then...
"He's fine. Trust me," Penelope said beside him, her voice strangely calm, eyes unblinking.
Jacob looked at her, but didn't answer. His gaze drifted back toward the arena... where the dense cloud of ash and fire began to thin, piece by piece, like curtains being drawn back to reveal a secret.
