Caleb’s P.O.V

Later that night, the three of us — Aurora, Caroline, and I — were huddled around the dining table, books sprawled out and pens scratching against paper as we worked on our homework. The weekly class tests loomed over us, and the tension in the air made the silence heavier than usual. Aurora rubbed her eyes for the third time in the past minute, and I noticed how her shoulders slumped with exhaustion.

"I'm tired," she finally said, breaking the quiet with a ...