The days dragged on like a slow-burning fuse, each moment edging Coral closer to an explosion she wasn’t prepared for. It was Wednesday—three days until Jason and Reed were supposed to return, and the silence between her and Jason had only grown more deafening.
Since her birthday, he had sent her exactly two texts. Not I miss you, not I love you, just—hi.
That was it.
Each time, she had responded immediately, hoping for something more, but there was never a reply. The absence of effort, the sheer neglect, twisted inside her, settling like a weight in her chest.
She had other things to focus on—her Luna duties, her schoolwork—but everything felt mechanical. Worse, the nausea hadn’t let up. Food wouldn’t stay down, and strange, unfamiliar aches had begun pulsing through her body at rando
