Riley and I walked back in silence, the ocarina's sound trailing behind us like a soft goodbye. It floated through the evening air and settled somewhere deep in my chest.
Riley kept glancing at me, her curiosity practically burning holes in my face. "What did you tell her when you ran back?"
"Just thanked her," I said.
"Elena," Riley pressed, not letting it go. "We're still best friends, right? You're hiding something. You figured it out, didn't you? Who is she?"
I stared at the sunset, watching the colors bleed into the horizon until everything turned calm and distant. "It doesn't matter now."
I had ruined Lewis's plan.
But if it meant he stayed alive, I could finally breathe again.
