In Your Orbit (1st Book) Completed.

Chapter 21: Shadows of Sacrifice

YEARS AGO...

The evening cast long shadows down the narrow hallway of the Manoban family home. Lisa stood alone in the dimness, watching as her sister, Val, tossed clothes into a worn duffel bag, moving with practiced swiftness and urgency that had become all too familiar. It was the third time that year Val had packed her things, her explanations growing shorter and more evasive each time.

Lisa's chest tightened, frustration simmering beneath her calm exterior. She took a step forward, blocking Val's path.

"Where are you going now?" Lisa's voice came out sharper than she intended, laced with hurt and betrayal. She tried to hold Val's gaze, hoping to see a flicker of the warmth that had once been there—before all these secrets and rushed goodbyes had begun.

Val didn't meet her eyes, instead continuing to pack with a cold efficiency. Her face, once a mirror of Lisa's own, was now a mask, unreadable and distant.

"Lisa, just stay out of it," Val replied, her tone controlled, almost too calm. She kept her gaze low, not giving Lisa even a second's glance.

"Stay out of what?" Lisa shot back, her voice shaking with a blend of anger and desperation. "All the lies? The secrets? You just keep disappearing and coming back whenever it suits you, with bruises and scars that you won't even explain! I don't know who you are anymore."

Val's hands stilled briefly, and she straightened, exhaling slowly as if steeling herself. The words were heavy, and Lisa could see her sister's jaw tighten, but Val's face remained impassive.

"I'm doing what's best for you, Lisa," Val said quietly, her voice almost too soft, as if each word took a part of her.

"What's best for me?" Lisa's voice was rising now, louder than intended, a mixture of confusion and betrayal spilling out unchecked. "You act like you care, but you're barely here! It's like you don't even want to be part of this family anymore. Just admit it—you're selfish!"

Val's posture stiffened, and she turned to face Lisa fully for the first time that night, her green eyes catching the light, flashing with a quick, unreadable intensity. Lisa was taken aback, her words caught in her throat as she stared into those eyes, the same ones she had inherited, but they felt like those of a stranger now.

"Think whatever you want, Lisa," Val said, her voice hollow, the faintest quiver in her tone betraying a sadness she struggled to contain. "It's easier that way."

And then, without another word, Val grabbed her bag and brushed past Lisa, her footsteps echoing down the hallway, growing softer with each step, until they finally faded away.

Lisa stood in stunned silence, the quietness of the empty house settling around her. Her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. The sister she had once idolized, her confidante, her other half, was walking away, leaving nothing behind but unanswered questions and a painful sense of abandonment.

As she watched Val's figure disappear through the front door, Lisa felt something harden inside her.

PRESENT

The crisp morning air buzzed with the sounds of students packing their bags and preparing to board buses. It was the last day of camp, and laughter and chatter filled the parking lot as everyone exchanged farewells. But Lisa's gaze was fixed on a figure moving steadily toward her — a tall, striking woman dressed sharply in a maroon suit, sunglasses covering her eyes and exuding an air of confident detachment. Her face, mature yet undeniably similar to Lisa's, turned heads as she walked. The woman pulled off her sunglasses with an almost calculated slowness, revealing cold green eyes that locked onto Lisa's.