Chapter Eight: Almost Normal
For the first time since her arrival, Athena's morning passed quietly.
No whispers, no stares that lingered too long — just the soft rhythm of pens scratching against notebooks and the faint hum of air conditioning in the lecture hall.
Clara sat beside her, as always — cheerful, kind, and a little too talkative for Athena's usual patience, yet somehow… comforting.
"So," Clara said as they walked out of class, "I still can't believe I'm friends with the Athena Brown."
Athena rolled her eyes, smiling faintly. "You say that like I'm a celebrity."
"You kind of are. People talk about you, you know."
"I've noticed."
Clara giggled. "They're just intimidated. You're… different. You carry yourself like you belong somewhere higher."
Athena shrugged, adjusting her bag. "I was just raised that way, I guess."
They made their way through the courtyard, the afternoon sun warming their faces. Students laughed and ran past them, a blur of carefree energy. For a fleeting second, Athena wished she could be like that — ordinary, unnoticed, free from the weight of her family name and the strange thoughts that haunted her since last night.
But Damon's face refused to leave her mind.
She could still hear his voice, feel the sharp pull in her chest when he looked at her. It made no sense — she had seen him dozens of times growing up, yet this was different. Too different.
"Earth to Athena?" Clara waved a hand in front of her. "You spaced out again."
"Sorry," Athena said quickly. "Didn't sleep much."
"Still thinking about homework?"
"Something like that."
Clara studied her for a moment but didn't press further. "Come on, let's grab something to eat before our next class. There's a café near the library — they make the best caramel lattes."
The café was small and warm, filled with the smell of coffee and cinnamon. Athena watched the steam curl up from her cup, her thoughts drifting as Clara talked about weekend plans. For a little while, she almost forgot — almost convinced herself that she could just be a normal seventeen-year-old girl at a normal school.
But then her phone buzzed.
She picked it up, expecting a message from her father or Clara's group chat. Instead, it was from an unknown number.
> Unknown: It's been a long time, Athena.
Her hand froze midair, her heart suddenly pounding. She didn't recognize the number, but she didn't need to. The words alone were enough to make her breath hitch.
She stared at the screen for a moment before turning it face down on the table.
"Everything okay?" Clara asked gently.
Athena forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… spam."
But inside, unease coiled like a secret.
That night, back in her dorm, she lay awake staring at her phone on the nightstand. The message remained unread, unanswered — but her mind kept circling around it.
Because she knew one thing for certain:
whoever had sent that message didn't mean it casually.
And though she tried to convince herself otherwise, a quiet part of her already knew exactly who it was.