Sophia’s POV
The air didn’t change.
But it felt like it did.
Like something invisible had just tightened around all of us.
Emily was still laughing.
My mom was still talking.
Tristian was scrolling through his phone.
Everything looked normal.
But my heart…
My heart wouldn’t slow down.
Because the messages hadn’t stopped.
They had shifted.
From watching…
To warning.
I lowered my gaze back to my phone, pretending to check something meaningless.
But my mind was racing.
“Careful.”
“You’re starting to look too closely.”
That wasn’t random.
That meant…
I had touched something real.
Or…
I was being pushed to think I had.
And that distinction?
It mattered.
More than anything.
I inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
“Stay normal,” I told myself silently.
Because if I changed…
