Two days later, Hanna saw her.
The cafeteria buzzed with its usual midday energy, students laughing and talking as they jostled for seats or lined up for lunch. Hanna was sitting at her usual table with Finn, Emily, and Jacob, the comfort of their presence helping her push Elordi’s warning to the back of her mind. For a moment, things felt normal—almost.
Then the atmosphere shifted.
The chatter around her grew quieter, and a ripple of whispers spread through the room. Hanna’s stomach twisted as she followed the line of curious, nervous gazes. And there she was.
Ciara strolled into the cafeteria as though she hadn’t spent the last month plotting in the shadows. Her walk was confident, her shoulders straight, and her eyes glittered with the kind of triumph that sent a chill down Hanna’s spine. The way her head tilted slightly, her lips curved into a smug smile—it was the same look Hanna had seen before, right before Ciara had turned her life upside down.
As Ciara’s eyes scanned the room, they locked onto Hanna with a smirk that made her blood run cold.
“Stay calm,” Finn murmured, his voice steady but firm. His hand found Hanna’s arm under the table, grounding her with his touch.
Hanna nodded faintly, her heart pounding as Ciara began walking toward them. The sound of her heels clicking against the tiled floor felt deafening, cutting through the hum of the cafeteria like a warning bell. Students whispered and turned to watch, their curiosity palpable. Some seemed wary, others intrigued, but all of them knew that wherever Ciara went, chaos followed.
When Ciara reached their table, she stopped, her eyes flicking over each of them before settling on Hanna. “Hanna,” she said sweetly, her voice dripping with false sincerity. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Hanna swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet Ciara’s gaze. Her hands tightened into fists under the table, her nails digging into her palms to keep herself steady. “What do you want, Ciara?” she asked, her voice sharper than she had expected.
Ciara’s smirk widened, and she tilted her head, as though amused by Hanna’s defiance. “What do I want?” she repeated, her tone almost playful. “Oh, nothing much. Just to catch up. After all, I’ve missed so much while I was… away.”
The way she said it, with that lingering pause, made Hanna’s stomach churn. It wasn’t just a statement—it was a threat, veiled in saccharine sweetness. Ciara’s eyes flicked briefly to Finn, then to Emily and Jacob, before returning to Hanna, her smile never wavering.
Finn shifted beside Hanna, his body tense. Slowly, he stood, his imposing presence towering over Ciara. “Leave her alone,” he said, his voice low and firm.
Ciara’s gaze slid to him, and for a moment, her mask slipped. Her expression hardened, the playful glint in her eyes replaced by something colder, sharper. It was fleeting, gone as quickly as it appeared, but Hanna caught it—and it made her stomach drop.
“Oh, don’t worry, Finn,” Ciara said smoothly, her tone syrupy again. “I’m not here to cause trouble.” She glanced at Hanna one last time, her smile sharp enough to cut. “At least, not yet.”
With that, Ciara turned on her heel and walked away, her steps slow and deliberate, as if she wanted everyone to feel the weight of her presence. The whispers in the cafeteria grew louder, students leaning toward one another to speculate about what they had just witnessed.
Hanna’s chest tightened as she watched Ciara disappear through the cafeteria doors. Her body felt frozen, her mind racing with possibilities. The way Ciara had spoken—so calm, so confident—was more unnerving than if she had shouted threats. It was as though Ciara already knew how the next act of her plan would play out.
Finn sat back down beside her, his hand finding hers under the table. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle but laced with concern.
Hanna nodded automatically, though her mind was far from calm. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted after a moment. Her voice sounded distant, like it belonged to someone else. “She’s planning something. I can feel it.”
“She always is,” Jacob muttered, his jaw tight. “But we’ve dealt with her before. We can do it again.”
Emily leaned forward, her eyes sharp. “We need to stay ahead of her this time. Whatever she’s planning, we can’t let her get the upper hand.”
Hanna glanced around the cafeteria, her unease growing as she noticed the way other students were still watching her table, their gazes filled with curiosity or quiet judgment. The feeling of being under a microscope—something she had fought so hard to escape—was back, and it made her skin crawl.
“Whatever she’s up to,” Finn said, squeezing her hand gently, “she’s not going to win. Not this time.”
Hanna turned to him, the warmth of his touch a small comfort amidst the storm brewing inside her. “I just… I don’t want to go through all of this again,” she said quietly, her voice cracking slightly.
Finn’s eyes softened, and he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You won’t,” he said firmly. “Because this time, you’re not alone.”
Hanna nodded, though the weight in her chest didn’t lift. She wanted to believe Finn, to trust in the strength of the people around her. But as she thought about Ciara’s smirk, the cold glint in her eyes, and the way she had said not yet, a chill ran down her spine.
This wasn’t over. It had barely begun.