Chapter 17

The history lecture washed over Hilary in waves, dates and names blurring together in a meaningless jumble. Usually, she'd be scribbling notes furiously, her hand cramping as she tried to capture every word. But today, her notebook lay open and empty, her pen abandoned on the desk. She was miles away, lost in a labyrinth of thoughts and anxieties.

The events of the past few days pressed down on her, each one adding a layer of complexity to the already tangled knot in her stomach. Her parents' sudden return, the tension she’d sensed between them, the strange encounter between Aaron and her father that morning – it all left her feeling off-kilter, like the ground beneath her feet had shifted without warning.

“Hilary? Earth to Hilary!”

Ganaesly's cheerful voice broke through Hilary's reverie, pulling her back to the present. She blinked, startled, and looked around the classroom, a sense of disorientation washing over her. Students were bent over their books, the rhythmic scratching of