CHAPTER 3: Mason Saw the Hand

Mason had not always been brave.
He was the kind of student who saw too much and said too little, especially when Whitney was involved. Whitney could ruin a lunch table with one smile. She could turn one rumor into a hallway storm before second period.
But he had seen Hana work late after class.
He had seen her stay when everyone else left, cleaning brushes carefully because school supplies were not something she could waste. He had seen her cover the drawing whenever Whitney walked by, not out of shame, but out of instinct.
Now Whitney’s right hand was nearly hidden.
Nearly.
The blue smear caught the light when she shifted her clutching fingers.
Mason stared.
Whitney noticed him noticing.
Her smile tightened.
“What are you looking at?” she asked, but her mouth barely moved around the fear beginning to form there.
Mason did not answer yet.
He looked at Hana’s torn page again.
The same blue.
The same wet shine.