The roadblock

Seraphina's Pov 

I couldn't believe the nonsense Principal Astor was spewing. I sat there, gripping the edge of my chair in frustration as she calmly explained why I couldn't leave the school premises. My mind raced with a mix of panic and anger, and it took everything in me to not yell at her outright.

"You're not listening to me," I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep my voice steady even though my emotions threatened to break through. "My stepmother, Gianna, called me this morning, and she said my father is sick—so sick that he might be dying. What this means is that I need to go home now, Principal Astor. This isn't some excuse to skip school; it's an emergency."

Astor leaned back in her chair, looking at me with that same detached expression she always had when pretending to be sympathetic.