FATED SEATS

CHAPTER 4

ARA'S POV

The days that followed were a blur of anxiety and exhaustion. Sleep became a luxury I could barely afford, and food lost its appeal. Each morning, I dragged myself to school, my body heavy, my mind numb. The vibrant energy of the STEM classroom felt like a personal affront, a constant reminder of my own inadequacy.

The simplest tasks became monumental challenges. Concentrating on lectures felt impossible, and completing assignments felt like climbing a never-ending mountain. My grades, once a source of pride, began to slip, and the fear of disappointing my family intensified.

I withdrew further into myself, isolating myself from my classmates. I just wanted to be left alone, to disappear into the shadows where no one could see me struggle.

My aunt's words replayed in my head: You truly are a disappointment. You’re nothing but a burden… No one will ever care for someone like you. Were they right? Was I destined to fail, to become the disappointment they always believed I would be?

ALAN'S POV

I noticed the change in Ara almost immediately. The spark in her eyes, however dim, had completely vanished, leaving behind a hollow emptiness that worried me deeply. She barely spoke, barely ate, and seemed to shrink further into herself with each passing day.

Her sharp, witty retorts, the brief glimpses of intelligence and humor that had intrigued me from the start, were gone. She was like a wilting flower, slowly losing its color and vitality.

I tried to reach out to her, to offer a kind word or a helping hand, but she always brushed me off, her gaze distant and guarded. It was like she had built a wall around herself, a fortress of solitude that I couldn't penetrate.

My heart ached for her. I knew what it was like to feel lost and alone, to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.