What IfAs an architect and Director of Cape Fear Academy, Hailee Harris has built more than a school, it's a masterpiece of her design, standing proudly along the Cape Fear River in Leland, North Carolina. With her faithful mini-Aussie, Peanut, always by her side, she's preparing to join her husband, Nick, and their twins in Italy for a much needed, month-long vacation after graduation. But something isn't right. A relentless storm looms over the academy, unceasing thunder, lightning splitting the sky, disrupted internet, and phone service. At first, it's a nuisance. Then, it's a mystery. And finally, it's a trap. As sponsor of What If, the academy's weekly book club dedicated to horror, sci-fi, and thriller stories, Hailee is no stranger to unsettling narratives. But when she, Peanut, and seven students become trapped inside the academy with no chance to escape, fiction begins to blur with reality. The very themes she's spent years discussing, fear, survival, the unknown, become all too real. With each passing moment, Hailee's faith is put to the test. The logic she's built her life upon begins to fracture, forcing her to confront truths she never dared to believe. As the storm rages on and their world narrows to the academy's walls, one question haunts them all: What if the stories are real? A gripping blend of suspense, science fiction, and eerie realism, What If explores the boundaries of perception, survival, and the stories we tell ourselves when faced with the impossible.