Page 136 of Jay Bird

“Ready?”

She closed her eyes briefly, and Central Park flashed through her mind. She saw the darkness, the cold morning air, the sound of footsteps behind her, and then the sudden feel of hands grabbing her.

Willow opened her eyes.

“Ready.”

Matt came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her.

Willow froze. Every thought vanished as her body went rigid, and for a moment, she could no longer feel the padded floor beneath her feet. Instead, she smelled damp pavement and felt an arm crushing her chest. She remembered trying to scream, remembered the helpless panic of something pressing against her face, and suddenly she was no longer in the gym.

Her lungs stopped working.

“Willow.”

Nova’s voice sounded far away.

Matt released her immediately and stepped back.

Willow stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“I knew what he was going to do.”

Nova walked closer but stopped several feet away. “Knowing and experiencing are two different things.”

Willow stared at the floor. “I froze again.”

“You did.”

The answer made her look up. Nova wasn’t pitying her, and she wasn’t disappointed either.

“You froze because your body remembered something terrifying,” Nova continued. “That doesn’t mean you failed. It means we found the place where we still have work to do.”

Willow swallowed hard.

Matt remained several feet behind her, giving her space.

Nova nodded toward the bench. “We’re done for today.”

“No.”

“Willow.”

“I want to do it again.”

Nova’s expression softened. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“I’m not doing it for you.”

Her gaze moved through the glass toward Lily. “I’m doing it for Lily and for me.”

Nova stared at her for a long moment before nodding. “One more.”

Willow returned to the center of the mat, shaking out her arms and rolling her shoulders before turning her back to Matt again. Her heart was still hammering, but this time she focused on the things around her. She listened to the soft hum of the air conditioner overhead, the quiet music playing through the speakers, and Lily’s laughter drifting through the wall. Nova stood several feet away, close enough to remind Willow that she wasn’t alone.