The next morning, it wasn't just whispers.
It was silence.
Silence that was louder than any laughter.
When Lina walked down the hallway, heads turned. Conversations broke off, voices lowered.
That was worse than mockery.
Silence meant she was now a story – one people whispered about, but never spoke of aloud.
Jana stood with Mia in front of the assembly hall, phone in hand.
On the screen flickered a frozen image from the video: Lina, in the ring, kneeling beside Alaric, blood on his skin.
Jana held up the phone as if presenting a trophy.
"Mermaid in the ring," she murmured. Not loudly, but loud enough.
Mia giggled shrilly, making a face.
Lina breathed shallowly.
She pressed her books tighter against her chest, simply kept walking without looking.
But she felt the stares on her back like pinpricks.
Every movement, every step felt watched.
It wasn't just shame burning within her.
Fear.
Cold, glassy, deep in her stomach.
---
