The Prey

For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt… light. My period had finally ended, freeing me from the pain, and I had just gotten off the phone with my mother. I still couldn’t believe I’d talked to her after so long. She sounded happy—happier than I’d heard her in years.

It felt strange when she mentioned that she knew I was on an educational trip and that phones weren’t allowed. I had never said such a thing. Judas must’ve decided on my behalf. Again. And then she mentioned that her financial condition had stabilized, that Mikhail was enrolled in some private school, and that her...