LEAH’S POV
My bag drops from my hand. My chest heaves frantically as a full-blown panic attack tears through me. I press my palms flat against the cold floor, gasping for air that feels like it won't reach my lungs.
Dark spots dance across my eyes, and my heart hammers against my ribs like a trapped animal.
They are going to be here soon. Thousands of them. The Alphas, the Betas, the upperclassmen, the teachers who look the other way... They will see me in the hallways. They will laugh. They will corner me in the labs. They will—
"Stop," I choke out, my voice cracking in the quiet, empty lobby. "Stop it... shut up... stop..."
I curl into a ball right there on the floor, wrapping my arms tight around my head, trying to block out the phantom sounds of hallway crowds, mocking laughter,
