Chapter 52: CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
Chapter Fifty Two
The summer trip was all anyone at school could talk about. It felt like the excitement had been building for weeks, and now it was finally real.
Every conversation Aurelia overheard in the hallways circled back to it—what to pack, which bus group people wanted to be in, who they hoped to get paired with.
At home, Aurelia had been more careful about how she brought it up. Sitting at the kitchen table, she cleared her throat before asking her grandmother for permission.
“We’ll be gone for like a month or two,” Aurelia explained, trying to sound casual, though her heart thumped faster than usual. “It’s just a school summer program.
We’ll be going in groups, with teachers and guardians. Everyone’s going.”
Her grandmother, who had been folding a clean dish towel, paused. She set the towel down neatly, smoothing it with her hand before looking at Aurelia.
Her face was calm, but her eyes always seemed to hold a quiet weight.
“That’s not a problem,” Grandma said after a moment. “You are a young adult. You basically know how to take care of yourself. Just do the right things and avoid problems.”
Aurelia smiled a little, relieved. “Yes, Grandma. I’ll always do the right things.”
But Grandma’s expression shifted, more serious now. She leaned forward slightly, her voice softer but firm. “And never take off your amulet. Neither would you tell anyone about it or show it to anybody.”
Aurelia blinked, caught off guard by how sharp her tone became.
She touched the chain around her neck absentmindedly, the weight of the amulet warm against her skin.
“Grandma, why are you so strict about this amulet?” Aurelia asked, a small frown tugging at her forehead.
“I thought it was just one of those normal necklaces parents gift their toddlers. You always said my parents gave it to me, but…”
Her words trailed off. She wanted to say more—about the faint glow, the strange vibrations, the way it sometimes felt alive. She wanted to confess about the teleportations, the unexplainable moments when she vanished and reappeared. But something inside her held her back
. Maybe fear. Maybe doubt. Maybe both.
So she kept quiet.
Grandma’s eyes lingered on her, almost as if she knew Aurelia wasn’t telling the full truth. But she didn’t press. Instead, she reached for her cane and slowly walked her granddaughter toward the door.
“I’ll be calling you by video,” Grandma said, forcing a small smile. “To see the beautiful face of my granddaughter.”
Aurelia hugged her tightly, whispering, “I’ll miss you. Take care of yourself.”
Then she left, dragging her small suitcase behind her, the wheels clattering softly against the sidewalk as she made her way to catch the bus.
\---
Clara’s house was their first meeting point. By the time Aurelia arrived, Clara’s room looked like a storm had passed through it.
Clothes lay scattered everywhere—on the bed, on the floor, even hanging off the back of a chair. Clara stood in the middle, stuffing things into her oversized bag with frantic energy.
“You’re seriously packing that much?” Aurelia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Clara zipped one side of her bag and looked up. “Is a month or two a joke to you?” she shot back, throwing another pair of jeans inside.
Aurelia couldn’t help but laugh. “Still, you’re not moving there forever. You don’t need half your wardrobe.”
“You never know what might happen,” Clara said stubbornly, though there was a playful glint in her eye. “Better to be prepared.”
Aurelia shook her head, but she secretly found Clara’s over-packing kind of reassuring. Clara was always like that—loud, dramatic, but also the type of friend who thought ahead in her own way.
By the time Clara zipped up her huge bag, both girls were laughing. They hauled the luggage downstairs and out the front door, waiting for the bus to pick them up.
\---
At the pickup point, the crowd of students was already buzzing with excitement.
Piper stood off by herself, her arms folded across her chest, headphones hanging loosely around her neck.
She looked like she wanted to disappear into the background, but Aurelia noticed how her eyes kept flicking nervously around, as though searching for someone.
A little further away, Mandy, Chloe, and Liz had grouped together, their laughter loud enough to carry over the noise of the other students.
Mandy had her phone out, scrolling through something, while Chloe adjusted her jacket and tossed her hair like she was preparing for a spotlight.
Liz whispered something, and the three of them burst into another round of giggles.
It was typical—cliques forming, each person slipping into their usual roles.
But then the unexpected happened.
Caelum appeared.
His presence shifted the energy in the space almost instantly.
No one had imagined he’d actually sign up for the summer trip. He wasn’t the type to join in on school events. He always seemed distant, like he was living in a different world altogether.
Yet here he was, walking toward the group with his bag slung over one shoulder, his expression unreadable as ever. Conversations slowed, whispers started spreading.
“I can’t believe he’s here,” Aurelia heard someone behind her mutter.
“This trip just got more interesting,” another voice replied.
Chloe’s eyes lit up the moment she saw him. She nudged Mandy and Liz, lowering her voice but not enough to hide her excitement.
“I could get closer to Caelum,” Chloe whispered quickly. “This is really an opportunity.”.
Mandy, always eager to add fuel to the fire, smirked. “You could sign your name next to his. I’m sure you both could get paired together. Think about it—spending a whole summer beside him? That’s your chance.”
Chloe’s grin widened, a sparkle of determination in her eyes. “Exactly. By the time this trip ends, he’ll know my name.”
Liz giggled and added, “Please don’t embarrass yourself. But honestly? If you pull this off, I’ll be impressed.”
The three of them broke into laughter again, though Chloe’s focus never wavered from Caelum.
Aurelia, standing nearby with Clara, noticed it all. She didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help wondering what it was about Caelum that made people so drawn to him.
He wasn’t the friendliest, nor did he ever try to be. But maybe that was it—his mystery. People liked what they couldn’t easily understand.
Clara leaned closer to Aurelia, whispering, “I swear, Chloe’s about to lose her mind over him.”
Aurelia smiled faintly, shaking her head. “She’ll turn this whole trip into a competition if she keeps it up.”
The buses finally pulled up, e
ngines rumbling, and the crowd of students erupted with cheers.
Teachers began calling out names, organizing everyone into groups. The summer trip that had lived only in whispers and planning was finally beginning.
And none of them—Aurelia, Clara, Piper, Chloe, or even Caelum himself—had any idea how much this trip would change everything.