As Elisa stepped into the courtyard with Mira, the atmosphere changed.
Elisa could feel it in the way people looked at her, ike she'd sprouted fangs and venom overnight. Eyes slid away when she passed, conversations cut off mid-sentence. The worst part wasn't even the whispers.
It was the silence.
She walked beside Mira through the pack square, trying to focus on their conversation, but her ears picked up every shift in tone, every gasp. Like she was radioactive. Like she'd already exploded.
Mira's expression grew more stormy with every passing second. "They're acting like you're contagious," she muttered under her breath. "This is getting ridiculous."
"It's fine," Elisa said tightly. "Just ignore them."
Mira didn't answer. Elisa left her by the seating area outside the food hall to grab some fruit. She could still feel the eyes on her back like pinpricks.
