In the thick silence that hung over the cafeteria, Lyra set down her fork with clinging sound.
She dabbed her lips with a napkin, and spoke in a voice that was calm yet unyielding. "Let me make this clear to all of you," she started, her words cutting through the tension like a knife, "whatever goes down on me next, I expect none of you to get involved."
Zinnia was the first to push back. "How can you expect us to just sit back and watch you get pushed around?"
Lyra didn't budge. "This isn't just about me," she shot back, her tone hard as steel. "It's about your safety, your futures, and keeping me from carrying any more than I already do. If things get out of hand, believe me, I'll ask. But as for now—" she paused, her gaze sharp enough to cut glass, "there's no turning back with the Shedd family. We're beyond that point."
Everyone's expressions shifted, the weight of her words pulling them down like stones.
