Nova stepped onto campus with her hoodie pulled low and her backpack slung tight.
Same sidewalks. Same buildings. But everything felt louder. Like the whole place had shifted while she was gone for just two days.
She kept her head down.
People whispered anyway.
"She's new, right?"
"She's in psychology and that tech elective."
"She never talks to anyone."
"But she's so—"
Nova passed a group near the stairs. Their voices dropped the second she walked by.
She felt them staring at her back, their curiosity crawling up her spine like cold fingers.She hadn't done anything. Hadn't posted. Hadn't shared.But someone had noticed her, and now she couldn't make them un-notice.
She slid into her first class quietly.
Troy waved her over immediately, flashing a bright smile. "Look who survived the weekend!"
Zane kicked out a chair for her. "Thought you vanished."
"I almost did," Nova muttered, sitting.
Jules turned in her seat. "You good? You look like you just escaped something on fire."
Nova raised an eyebrow. "Close enough."
They laughed — not mockingly, but with warmth. Like she belonged there.
But even with her friends around her, she could feel it:
Eyes. On. Her.
In the hallway. In the cafeteria. In the library.
Something had changed.
Later that day, she overheard it.
"Wait, isn't she related to the Vales?"
The words slammed into her chest like a punch. She stopped walking.
Two students were standing by the lockers, whispering low — but not low enough.
"She lives with them. I heard it from someone in business admin."
"I thought the Vales didn't have a sister."
"They don't."
Nova backed away before they could see her.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.They weren't supposed to know.She'd kept quiet. She'd followed their rules.But now the truth was slipping through the cracks.
That night, Nova didn't talk during dinner.
Max made a dumb joke. Ethan passed the salt. Darian said nothing, as usual.
Ryder barely looked at her.
She almost preferred it that way.
But she knew—somehow—they'd heard the whispers too.
And soon, the quiet wouldn't be enough to protect her.