“Ashleigh?” Penelope whispered.
“Hey…” Ashleigh replied, feeling unsure of how to react to Granger’s younger sister. They hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but she always liked her.
Penelope swallowed down her own confusing and conflicting emotions, none of that mattered right now.
“Has anyone else returned?” she asked quickly stepping into the house.
Clara gasped at the sight of her.
Penelope was covered in dirt and leaves. Her gear was torn and she had makeshift bandages on both an arm and a leg. There was bruising around her eye and cheekbone, and there was dried blood on her face, her clothes, and her hands.
“What the hell happened to you?” Ashleigh asked stepping forward to look her over more closely.
Penelope licked her lips and swallowed.
“We were on our way back from assignment, no more than a day’s hike from Winter on the main road. But then we were attacked.”
“By who?” Ashleigh asked. “Where is everyone else?”
