His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Claire’s POV

By the time the third morning rolled around, my stomach had turned into a restless knot again.

I could breathe fine, but every inhale felt shallow. Mom kept glancing at me across the table, trying to act casual while watching every bite I took.

“You’ll do well,” she said, tapping her spoon against her bowl. “You’ve always been good with presentations.”

I pushed my oatmeal around a little. “I know. I’m just… tense.”

“You prepared your part already. Leo sent everything yesterday right? It looked solid.”

I nodded but didn’t answer. My throat felt dry even with the glass of water in front of me. Elijah reached for his mug, glancing at me for just a second, enough for me to notice.

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Your section is clear. You understood it faster than either of us.”

His tone wasn’t loud or forceful. It was steady, and it loosened something in my chest.

Mom smiled at him. “See? Even Elijah said so.”

“Wow,” I muttered. “You both teaming up on me now? That’s unfair.”

Mom laughed. Elijah didn’t laugh, but the corners of his mouth lifted. The small change warmed me a little.

I forced myself to eat a bit more and get up to grab my bag. My hands were colder than I expected, so I rubbed my palms together while waiting for Elijah by the door.

“You ready?” he asked when he finally came out with his bag slung over one shoulder.

“Ready enough.”

He shifted closer and lowered his voice. “You don’t have to push past your limits. If anything feels off, you tell me.”

“Stop being dramatic.”

He raised a brow. “I’m serious.”

His voice carried a firmness I couldn’t brush off, so I nodded. “Okay. If something happens, I’ll say something.”

Satisfied, he opened the door, and we stepped outside.

The clouds hung low above the street. The air smelled damp, but not enough to promise rain. Elijah walked beside me. quiet but aware. His shoulder brushed mine once when we crossed the sidewalk. I didn’t pull away.

School looked familiar again, but not in a comforting way. More in a way that poked at stray memories trapped behind fog. The courtyard was buzzing, students moving in clusters, laughing, carrying their bags, shouting across the walkway.

We didn’t even make it to the doors before Leo appeared, practically skidding to a stop in front of us.

“Oh thank god,” he said, breathing harder than he should have. “I thought you two died. Do you know what time it is? Presentation time. Today. Right now. Very soon.”

His glasses slid down his nose. He pushed them back up with a jittery hand.

“I can tell you’re calm,” I said.

“This is me being calm.”

Elijah snorted under his breath.

Leo pointed at him. “Don’t judge me. You weren’t exactly relaxed yesterday either.”

Elijah ignored that and glanced at me instead. “You good?”

“Yeah.” I lied.

Leo nodded rapidly, as if hyping himself up. “Okay. Okay. We’ve got this. We’re a team. A three-person powerhouse. A—”

“Elijah’s going first,” I reminded him.

“Yes. Right.” Leo cleared his throat. “Our fearless opener.”

Elijah stared at him. “Don’t call me that.”

Leo pretended not to hear him and gestured toward the entrance. “Shall we?”

The classroom hummed with chatter when we stepped inside. Our teacher waved us in. “Good morning. Glad to have you back, Claire.”

“Thank you,” I said.

She nodded and pointed to the front seats she’d arranged. “Your group will present last. But we need everyone ready.”

Leo nearly tripped over his own bag as he rushed forward to sit. Elijah pulled out a chair for me before taking his own seat beside mine. We waited through the other presentations, each one dragging my nerves thinner.

Finally, she called our group.

Elijah went first, steady as always. His voice carried well and he explained his section with clear transitions. Leo followed, shakier but surprisingly focused when he actually got into his material.

Then my name came up.

My hands felt tight around the edge of the paper I was holding. I stood and walked to the front, my pulse already beating faster. I inhaled once and began speaking.

At first, everything felt controlled. I explained the first objective of our topic, then moved on to the breakdown, pointing at the slide behind me. A few classmates scribbled notes. Some watched quietly.

Halfway through, a deeper thud hit inside my chest.

I paused mid-sentence.

It wasn’t painful at first. Just heavy. A strange pressure. My fingers curled slightly against the table beside me. My breath came out thinner.

I cleared my throat and continued, trying to keep my voice even. I made it through another paragraph before the pressure came back stronger. My heart beat faster, then slower, then faster again. A faint tremor ran down my arms.

Someone shifted in their seat. I forced myself to continue. My body leaned slightly on the desk as I spoke the final part of my explanation.

At the edge of my vision, someone moved.

Elijah.

He stood from his seat and walked toward the back of the classroom, positioning himself behind me. He didn’t touch me. He didn’t say anything. But I could feel the weight of his stare.

My pulse kicked again. I tried to swallow through the discomfort.

I pushed through the last portion, feeling each breath grow heavier. I finished the final sentence, barely holding myself upright.

My teacher opened her mouth, probably to tell me to sit, but someone beat her to it.

A hand shot up.

The voice made my teeth clench.

“Um. I have a question.”

I looked up, half annoyed that someone couldn’t wait for me to take a seat before bringing up a question. What kind of question could anyone even want to have now of all times?

I forced myself to take a deep breath, and when I glanced up, my eyes fell on Naomi.

Her expression was blank. Her posture straight. Her eyes unmoving.

I stared at her, irritated heat rising up my neck. My chest tightened again.

Yes?” I managed.

“Well,” she said, “in your second point, you mentioned-”

rest of her words grated through my ears. I answered her question, trying to stay steady. She raised her hand again before I even finished responding.

“Another one,” she said.

Her tone was dry. Too sharp to pretend innocence.

My vision blurred faintly around the edges. The room felt stuffy. My heart thudded faster. Too fast. My fingers trembled against my notes.

“Naomi,” someone muttered in the back.

But she kept talking. “I’m confused about—”

A chair scraped loudly.

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