If I’d believed for even a second that what happened at the New Moon Ball would be the worst of it, I was a fool.
There were no whispers when I walked into the auditorium. No pointing. No laughter. Just… silence. Every pair of eyes followed me while I searched for a place to sit, and I immediately regretted leaving my dorm early. I’d been too nervous to sleep or wait for the others, so I thought arriving ahead of time might spare me the awkward stares and murmurs. Instead, it left me alone, exposed, surrounded by people who looked like they’d rather choke than share the same air as me.
I spotted an empty bench near the back of the room and headed toward it. Even before I sat down, the nearest students rose in unison, gathering their things and hurrying away. Each of them glared at me as
