Yara paused for a moment before stepping into the room. Photos were scattered


    all over the floor like a mini tornado had hit. She was just about to bend down and pick them up when Kitty''s voice cut through the air from the doorway.


    "Yara!"


    Yara jumped at the sudden shout and stood up straight, turning to look at her mom at the door.


    Kitty rushed in, pulled Yara over to the doorway without a word, and stood protectively in front of her, eyes locked on her daughter. "When did you get here?"


    "Just now," Yara replied, her face full of confusion as she nced back at the mess. "Those photos are..."


    Kitty, seeing that Yara hadn''t noticed the photos, let out a small sigh of relief. "It''s nothing important. Did you need something from my room?"


    Yara hesitated, then asked, "Did you and Dad have a fight?"


    Kitty looked away, trying to brush it off. "Kids shouldn''t worry about these things. Go back to your room, okay?"


    "Did Dad leave?" Yara pressed on.


    Even though Kitty was stressed inside, she managed to keep her cool in front of Yara. She nodded, eager to wrap things up, "Your dad and I always get like this after a fight. It''ll blow over in a few days. I''m just really tired and need to rest."


    Yara looked at her mom with concern, wanting to say more, but she held back. "Alright, Mom. Get some rest. Goodnight."


    Kitty nodded, and once Yara was gone, she closed the door, leaned against it for a couple of minutes, and took a deep breath before heading over to the photos sprawled on the floor.


    Sitting down, Kitty felt all the energy drain from her. If she had known what was in that package, she would have never let Rorie see it.


    Rorie''s intolerance for any sort of drama meant it wouldn''t be long before he might bring up divorce.


    With shaky hands, Kitty gathered the photos, a sarcastic smile ying on her lips. If Rorie hadn''t been so hung up on her older sister all these years, none of this would''ve happened.


    If anyone was to me, it was her sister, who still messed with Kitty''s life even after being kicked out of the Cunningham family.


    Kitty clutched the photos tightly, eventually calming her swirling emotions. She turned her attention to the package, picked it up, noticing there was no sender''s info.


    Her face tightened as a note slipped out of the box. She picked it up, her heart sinking.


    The note read: A tit-for-tat surprise, do you like it?


    Putting two and two together, Kitty realized who had sent the photos. It was payback for the ones she''d sent to Mirabe.


    As anger mixed with regret, Kitty looked down at the stack of photos. If she hadn''t


    sent those photos, maybe none of this would''ve happened.


    She stumbled a bit, knowing some thoughts shouldn''t be chased too far, or they''d lead to a pit of regret.


    **


    The next day.


    Mirabe headed to school, strolling into Zane''s office right at nine.


    Linden, Jessie, and a few others were already there, chatting nervously. As


    Mirabe walked in, she caught their anxious vibes and couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Are we really that stressed about visiting the Tech Institute?"