{Elira}
~**^**~
Kaelis moved with measured grace, her every step calculated, deliberate, as though the whole cafeteria was her court and we were mere subjects expected to bow our heads.
Her entourage mirrored her energy, each one scanning the room, drinking in the silent fear they created.
My chest tightened as my gaze, almost against my will, rose to meet theirs one by one.
Nyra's sharp eyes glinted, daring me to falter. Soraya's lips curved in a faint smirk that didn't reach her eyes. Thorne's expression was cold, unreadable, like carved stone. Caleb held a flirt smile.
And then there was Regina.
Her stare lingered longer than the others, sharp and personal, as though she wasn't just another Student Council member doing her part in this performance.
No, hers cut deeper. Something about it was familiar in the worst way, like claws raking over old wounds.
