The murmur of the television filled the air, a game show my mother followed with occasional laughter while my father flipped through a magazine, his glasses slipping down his nose. I was curled up on the couch, a blanket over my legs, my body still heavy from the events of the past twenty-four hours. The transformation, the confrontation with Serena, the heat of Caleb against my skin—all swirled in my mind, a whirlwind of emotions that wouldn’t leave me in peace.
I was lost in my thoughts, debating whether I should call him, when the doorbell rang, cutting through the air like a gunshot. I startled, my heart racing.
“I’ll get it,” I said, rising from the couch, my parents barely glancing up. I thought of Caleb, the possibility that he had forgotten something after our morning together—ma
