"She is good," Luke couldn't help but mutter. His voice came out a bit louder than necessary, pitched high enough for all of his friends to hear on purpose. "She is really, really good."
"Shut up!" Elena glared at him, though it was a fake, performative annoyance. She knew exactly why he was doing it.
If silent glances and subtle gestures weren't enough to wake Cissel from her stupor, then perhaps words laced with heavy hints like these could do the trick. But as the seconds ticked by, it became clear that nothing was working against the wall Cissel had built.
Cissel had already turned the page on John, at least for now. In the future, when she would eventually return to her senses and the fog of manipulation lifted, she would likely recall this specific moment and blame herself heavily for not listening to her friends.
