The next morning, the campus of Lycaon College was bathed in a deceptive, golden sunlight that did absolutely nothing to cool the raging undercurrents of the previous day. The concrete pathways were packed with students rushing toward the main academic block, the heavy, humid air thick with the overlapping chatter of elite cliques, the rustle of textbooks, and the distant, rhythmic thuds from the sports fields.
Bella walked down the main quad, flanked tightly on either side by Molly and Stella. After a long night of sleep, the swelling across her nose had gone down significantly, leaving only a faint, tender shadow that she had carefully tried to hide with her hair. But while her physical wounds were healing, her anxiety was spiking with every step she took.
Stella, however, didn't look
