Chapter 148

• Author’s POV
• When Evelyn first stepped into the classroom that morning, the energy in the room shifted. A hush fell over the children, and eyes that once held curiosity now brimmed with fear and uncertainty. Small hands clutched backpacks tighter, hushed whispers floated through the room, and no one offered her a seat or a smile.
• She felt it instantly—the invisible wall that now separated her from everyone else. The events of the previous day still hung over her like a shadow, and though she'd acted to protect someone, to them she was no longer just Evelyn… she was something different. Something to be feared.