Alicia came back.
After two long weeks of silence, of not a single message or clue, Alicia finally came back.
She just walked through the front door of her home in Central Vedelia as if nothing had happened—no fanfare, no warning, just the sound of the latch clicking and her soft footsteps on the marble floor.
Inside the living room, her parents were sitting together on the sofa. Her mother, Leora, looked drained—eyes swollen from too many sleepless nights, a cup of untouched tea cooling on the table. Her father, James, had his arm around her shoulders, doing his best to keep her from breaking down again.
When Alicia stepped inside and saw them like that, she froze mid-step, her lips parting slightly. It was such a strange sight—her parents sitting close, comforting each other. She hadn't seen them like this in years.
