Hannah POV:
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. It hung differently now—looser, like it was swallowing me whole. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under my eyes had faded slightly, but there was still something ghostly about my face. Something hollow. I barely recognized her. And I hated that.
My gaze shifted to the toilet. The flashbacks hit hard—me on the floor, retching five times a morning like clockwork, not from sickness but from anxiety chewing through my insides. At least that had eased. Maybe I really was getting better. I wanted to believe that.
In my room, I tugged on a pair of worn blue jeans. I stood in front of the closet, staring blankly at the clothes hanging there like they belonged to a stranger. Crop tops, printed tees, floral blouses—who was that girl? I wasn't her anymore. I picked at the hangers without meaning to, caught in the fog. When I finally blinked back into focus, twenty—maybe thirty—minutes had passed. I'd disassociated again.
With a breath, I grabbed the plainest thing I could find—a baggy gray long-sleeve shirt—and slipped it on. I shoved my feet into my boots and stepped outside.
The sunlight slapped me in the face like it had a grudge. I winced, shielding my eyes with one hand as I fumbled to lock the door. The irony hit me: this was the first time I'd stepped outside during the day in months, and it felt like being exposed under a spotlight.
I kept my head down, weaving through town like a fugitive, avoiding eye contact with anyone who might whisper. I thought I could make it up the path to the mountain without incident—but of course, Harvey was there. Coffee cup in hand. Worry in his mustache.
"Hannah, you're out and about," he said, half-concerned, half-clinical. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I'm out and about," I replied, tossing a laugh at the end like confetti to make it sound normal.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "How have you been sleeping?"
And there it was—he was evaluating me, right on cue. Doctor Mode.
"Great," I said flatly and kept walking.
"Do you want me to walk with you? What are you heading to the mountains for?"
"To see my friends."
He perked up. "Oh, that's good! That's progress."
I didn't respond. I hoped he'd stop following me. Nothing says "doing great" like being stalked by the town doctor on your walk like you're a loose science experiment.
"Alright, well... take it easy," he said, finally slowing his pace.
"That's the only way to take it," I mumbled, though even I didn't know what I meant.
By the time I reached Robin's place, my legs felt shaky. The closer I got, the heavier the air felt. I wasn't ready to face everyone. But maybe if they saw me, if I was physically present, the gossip would stop. Maybe they'd start thinking I was fine.
I opened the front door.
"Hey—oh! Hannah!" Robin's voice cracked. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"Hey." I smiled, quick and brittle. "Are they downstairs?"
"Y-yes! Yeah, they're down there. Make yourself at home," she said, but I felt her eyes following me all the way down the stairs like a camera on a motion sensor.
I paused outside Sebastian's door. I could already hear Sam and Abigail inside, their voices bouncing around like nothing had changed. I took a breath and pushed it open.
"There she is!" Sam grinned, entirely too enthusiastic for what I actually was right now.
My eyes met Sebastian's. He gave me a soft nod, a silent you're okay. I clung to that.
"Hey, guys," I said, like I hadn't dropped off the face of the planet for almost a year.
Abigail looked at me like I was an exhibit in a museum. I forced myself to look directly at her. "Hey, Abigail."
She stepped toward me, hesitant, like I might vanish. "Hey, Hannah... how are you?"
I swallowed hard as she moved to hug me. My nerves flared. I could feel Sebastian and Sam watching me like I was some fragile artifact.
"I've never been better," I said, pasting on a smile.
Sam snorted. "I thought maybe you decided to move into the Skull Cavern full-time."
Sebastian and Abigail both shot him a look, but I laughed—really laughed. For the first time in a while, it didn't feel forced. That surprised even me.
"Sometimes I go there just to see if I can still hear the screaming," I said too casually.
The room fell silent. My joke dropped like a brick.
I looked down at my hands, biting my lip. Abigail and Sam started talking again, but their voices blurred, like background noise on a busted TV. I realized I'd tuned them out. Again.
Sebastian caught my gaze and mouthed It's okay.
I exhaled. A mental release. But I still felt like I didn't belong.
"So," Abigail tried, clearly pushing through the tension. "Any big plans now that you're back among the living?"
"Not really," I said with a shrug. "Just trying not to get locked in solitary confinement again."
Sam chuckled. "You and my dad would get along great."
Sebastian let out a long sigh. That made me smile, at least a little.
"I'm glad you're back, Hannah," Abigail said. "My mom still hasn't told Pierre about my real dad, but he knows something's up, and it's been so awkward. But she's practically letting me do whatever I want out of fear I'll spill the beans."
She kept talking, but I found myself watching the leaves fall outside the window. Every time they fluttered down, I had to glance—had to check. Just in case it wasn't a leaf.
"I'm glad things are going well," I said, though I realized a beat too late that I hadn't actually heard half of what she said. She glanced at Sebastian with a look that made my skin crawl—concern. That kind of concern.
"I'm sorry," I blurted. "I was listening, I just got distracted."
Sam chimed in. "I thought you weren't allowed to leave the house at night? Because of your sacred wizard circle or whatever."
"I'm not living in fear of that witch anymore." Abigail said sharply.
That caught my attention.
"You don't have to," I added. "I handled it."
Sebastian's posture shifted. "What do you mean?"
"I went back. To the lair. This summer."
"You went back?" Abigail asked, eyes wide. "What about the... that huge guardian thing? How did you—?"
"I cut his head off," I said matter-of-factly.
Sam's eyebrows shot up. Sebastian looked at me like I'd started speaking in Dwarvish.
"Hannah, you can't just casually say stuff like 'oh, I cut the goblin's head off,'" Sam said.
"Why not? That's what I did," I replied.
Sam laughed, like I'd told a joke. "You amaze me."
Abigail and Sebastian weren't laughing. They just stared.
"What?" I asked, defensive. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sebastian shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just... listening."
Abigail didn't speak. Her face said enough. It screamed.
I stood. "The talisman was found. The witch is banned. You're welcome."
"Hannah—wait," Sebastian said, rising to follow.
But I was already halfway up the stairs. I didn't know what just happened. I just knew I didn't want to be there anymore.
If I wanted to be stared at like a freak, I'd go visit Haley
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