intrepidity

The uneasy feeling settled in Aurora's stomach the moment she stepped into school.

It wasn't anything obvious—no shoves, no insults, no cruel laughter following her down the hall. Not yet at least. But there was something. A shift in the air. A weight pressing down on her shoulders.

She ignored it.

Or at least, she tried.

She let Jude drag her to their usual lunch table, where Riley was already waiting, arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face.

"I swear, if Mr. Jack expects us to memorize an entire timeline of the Cold War by next week, I'm dropping out," Riley grumbled, stabbing at her salad like it had personally wronged her.

"Don't be dramatic," Jude snorted, stealing a fry from Riley's tray.

"I'm not being dramatic. I'm being realistic. Who needs dates anyway? The Cold War happened, people were paranoid, and then it ended. Boom. Done. And stop stealing my food, stupid."

Aurora let out a soft giggle, shaking her head. "That's not exactly how it works."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. History is stupid."

"You love history."

"I love historical fashion. There's a difference."

Jude rolled her eyes, about to reply, when a sharp voice cut through their conversation.

"Oh, look. The charity case is making friends."

Aurora froze.

Slowly, she turned her head—and there was Anne, standing just a few feet away, her usual posse behind her, all smirking like they were in on some joke that no one else knew.

Aurora swallowed, forcing her fingers to stay still, not letting them tremble.

Jude's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Anne?"

Anne gave a mock gasp, pressing a hand to her chest. "What? Can't I say hi to the new girl?" She tilted her head, gaze flickering over Aurora in a way that made her skin crawl. "I mean, we don't really know much about you, do we? No family photos, no stories about mommy and daddy—"

"Anne," Riley snapped.

Anne just smirked, leaning forward slightly. "You do have a family, don't you, Rory?" Her voice was syrupy sweet, but her eyes were sharp, calculating.

Aurora's stomach twisted.

Jude slammed her fork down. "You're pathetic, you know that?"

Anne didn't even glance at her. She just hummed, letting her fingers trail along the table's surface before finally stepping back. "See you around, Rory."

Aurora didn't say anything.

She couldn't.

That was just the beginning.

At first, it was small things.

Her locker being open when she was sure she'd closed it.
Her books mysteriously missing from her bag, only to turn up in the trash.
Passing whispers of She doesn't belong here, and I bet she's just some foster kid looking for handouts.

She didn't tell anyone.

Not Jude, who had a sharp tongue and a temper that could start a war.
Not Riley, who would have no problem throwing hands in the middle of the hallway.
And definitely not her brothers.