“Please sit,” came the voice—measured, calm, deliberate. Carol’s knees nearly buckled at the sound. She guided Diane into a chair and lowered herself slowly. The voice alone carried memory: corridors filled with whispers, laughter that wasn’t laughter at all, and the unmistakable cadence of a girl she once knew.
The principal looked up. Her gaze swept across Diane, then fixed on Carol. Recognition ignited instantly, unspoken but searing. Carol’s pulse thundered. She kept her face neutral, but the weight of those eyes pressed harder with every second. Her past was alive again, seated across from her.