Chapter Sixty-Four

Marcella sat in her usual spot in class, her mind far away and consumed by a whirlwind of worries and concerns as the sound of her professor's voice became a distant hum.

It was a good thing she had read ahead of the class and completed the semester coursework for all her classes she mused as her eyes glazed over while she stared blankly at the PowerPoint presentation as the words written there blurred into an incomprehensible jumble.

Her notebook lay open in front of her, its pages untouched while the pen in her hand remained motionless. She was physically present in the classroom, but her mind had wandered far beyond the confines of the lecture hall.

Images of her Nana, frail and vulnerable in the hospital bed and Esmeralda's radio silence had added another layer of unease to her problems. As Professor Lucas continued to lecture, his words washed over Marcella like distant echoes. She tried to grasp onto the threads of his teachings, to focus her attention on the subject matter at