Caspian
"Eat more beef," Mrs. Thompson said, her voice gentle, as she placed a generous portion of beef onto my plate of rice.
I nodded, forcing a weak smile onto my face. The aroma of savory beef and steaming rice wafted up from the plate, but my stomach remained stubbornly uncooperative. I wasn't hungry, but I had no choice. Ava sat beside me, her eyes fixed on her own plate as she methodically pushed the food around with her fork.
I wondered how Ava could still be eating after having lunch at my place just hours ago. Her appetite seemed unaffected by the earlier meal, or perhaps she was just trying to distract herself from the awkwardness that hung in the air like a challenge.
Across from us, Mrs. Thompson and Marcel ate quietly, the only sound the clinking of utensils against plate
