CHAPTER SIX
499 Words
By the third meeting, the structure of their group had settled into something else.
But effortlessness, Becca had learned, was not accidental .
As Evelyn arranged papers and Cyrus scanned the room with casual interests, Becca worked in silence, fingers moving steadily across her tablet. To anyone watching, she looked calm. Detached. perhaps even withdrawn.
She had not always been that way
In her first year at Sullivan High, Becca had laughed too loudly.
she had spoken quickly, interrupting herself with ideas that tumbled out before they were fully formed. she volunteered answers without being asked, debated teachers respectfully but boldly, and once-only once- corrected a visiting professor in front of an entire class.
But being the founders daughter came with a weight she hadn't understood at first.
when she excelled, it was expected.
when She failed , it was noted.
But when prince Cyrus arrived, restraint was no longer sufficient.
When Becca had spoken about the crown prince before his arrival , it felt harmless-like discussing history or rumour. Titles were distant things. They belonged to books. not hallways.
seeing him in person was different
Not because she remembered.
But because distance vanished
And with it, safety
Becca could admit this much to herself:She hadn't withdrawn because she liked him. she had withdrawn because liking him had become suddenly dangerous.
So Becca had learned
She learned to pause before speaking
To let others finish her thoughts
To decline positions she would have been excellent at
Together, they shaped her
"Becca?", Evelyn said, drawing her back to the present, "Does this transition work?"
Becca glanced at the paragraph, "it does if you remove the second clause. it weakens the argument".
Evelyn blinked "you're right".
she deleted it without hesitation.
Cyrus watched Becca carefully.
" You used to talk more ",he said, not accusing- observing.
Becca's fingers stilled for half a second.
" I used to think it mattered ",she replied
As the session continued, Becca slipped into the role she had perfected.
she listened.
she corrected.
she stabilized.
And she remained unnamed.
The instructor passed by again, nodding approvingly, "Excellent coordination".
Evelyn smiled, accustomed to praise.
Becca didn't look up.
The truth was, Becca still felt everything.
The whisper of voices when she walked past.
The subtle recalibration of respect when people realized she wouldn't push back.
The ease with which silence was mistaken for submission.
she wasn't sad in the way people expected.
she was tired.
During a break, Cyrus lingered while Evelyn stepped away.
"You don't seem unhappy", he said quietly. "just.... contained".
Becca considered the word.
"containment keeps things intact", she said . "it also keeps them small".
"And you chose that?"
"I learned it ".she corrected.
Later that evening, Becca walked alone across campus.
she paused where she and Evelyn had once sat in their first year, laughing over nothing in particular, careless with time and attention.
she remembered how it felt to believe that being seen was safe.
That belief had not survived long.
- Writer
