I Canceled The Banquet And Let Their Plan Burn Chapter 09
By late August, I officially moved into Eldridge University ahead of the general freshman class.
The Student Affairs office had coordinated my early housing logistics perfectly, and they even secured a part-time student work-study position for me at the campus library, paying thirty-five dollars an hour. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was more than enough to cover my day-to-day living
expenses.
On the morning of the convocation ceremony, I stood on the massive, pristine campus quad,
looking up at the historic stone architecture and the endless blue sky. A profound sense of
surrealism washed over me.
Exactly a year ago, I was hunched over a desk buried under Lyra’s makeup clutter, solving calculus problems in the dark.
Six months ago, I was being screamed at by my own brother, accused of being a ‘vicious, calculated
monster.’
And just a month ago, I was sleeping on a cramped top bunk in a room that wasn’t mine, with a forged ticket shoved under my pillow.
But now, I was standing at Eldridge. I owed absolutely nothing to anyone.
During my first week of classes, I received an unexpected call from my maternal aunt.
“Nadia, I wanted to let you know what’s happening back home,” her voice was dropped to a low, hushed whisper. “Your parents and Cole… everything has completely imploded over there.”
“What happened?”
“After Lyra’s public exposure online, she couldn’t show her face at school anymore; the entire student body was tearing her to pieces. Your mom tried to arrange a transfer to a private academy out of town, but Lyra threw a massive fit, dropped out entirely, and insisted she was going to become a full-time influencer. Cole lost his temper, called her an ungrateful brat, and they had a screaming match. Lyra threw it right back in his face, saying he was the idiot who wrongfully accused you, so he had zero right to judge her. Your mom is caught in the middle, crying
constantly.”
My aunt sighed heavily over the line.
“Your dad just sits in the living room groaning, wondering how the house turned into a wasteland
overnight. Your mom calls me sobbing, saying how much she misses you, asking if you’ve reached out to me at all.”
I leaned back against my dorm bed, staring up at the clean white ceiling of my room.
“Valerie,” I said quietly, “please pass along a message to them for me.”
I paused, feeling completely detached from the ghosts of my past.
“Tell them I’ve already found my real family.”
After hanging up, I scrolled through my phone, found a photo I had taken in front of the iconic Eldridge University gates, and posted it to my feed with a simple caption:
[A beautiful new beginning.]
Beneath the caption was the photo of the Ivy League gates and a snapshot of my official student orientation packet.
Two minutes later, a notification popped up. It was a comment that brought a sudden swell of emotion that brought tears to my eyes.
It was from Aunt Lillian: [Congratulations, my sweet girl. Come home this weekend for dinner, Uncle Jude is making your favorite smoked ribs.]
I stared at the words ‘my sweet girl’ for a long, beautiful moment.
Then, I typed out a single word in reply:
[Okay.]
Outside my window, the massive oak and maple trees lining the Eldridge quad were just beginning to turn a brilliant, fiery gold.
Autumn was arriving. And it was, without a doubt, the most beautiful autumn I had ever seen in my eighteen years of life.
