Chapter 4 — The Lone Arrival

Emma

The gymnasium glowed like a jewel box, bathed in soft gold and blush tones from the string lights crisscrossing the ceiling. Crepe-paper streamers cascaded from the rafters like frozen fireworks. The upbeat rhythm of a pop song vibrated faintly through the walls, muffled by the heavy double doors in front of me. My heart pounded—not with excitement, but with a sharp, hollow ache that seemed to echo in my chest. My palms were damp, and I gripped my gold clutch as if it were a lifeline, the clasp biting into my skin.