Eleanor's POV
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt like the floor had vanished under my feet.
"I've already sent word to your parents," Mrs. Vera continued, her voice firm but not unkind. "I know you won't tell me why you chose to hide. That's your business. But this ends now."
Mira's face was pale, her usual composure shattered into a mosaic of dread and resignation. Roxy's fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white, her jaw a rigid line. I could only stand there, frozen, watching the foundation of my world crack.
Mrs. Vera simply looked at them for another long moment, then turned and walked away, her heels tapping a decisive rhythm on the floor. Elder Harold, who had been lingering near the corner, gave Mira and Roxy a deeply apologetic look before silently following her.
The moment they were out of earshot, the tension snapped.
