[WARNING! Unedited! Don't buy!]
The academy did not feel the same anymore.
Selene noticed it the moment she stepped through the gates the next morning. The air was heavier, charged with something unseen. Students laughed, argued, complained about classes—but beneath it all, there was a subtle hum, like the world itself was holding its breath.
She adjusted the bloodstone necklace at her throat.
It pulsed faintly.
I'm not imagining this, she thought.
Yuki walked beside her, unusually quiet. "You disappeared again last night."
Selene winced. "I know."
"You didn't answer your phone."
"I was… studying."
Roger snorted. "At midnight?"
"Advanced studying," Selene shot back.
Neither of them looked convinced.
"You feel different," Yuki said softly. "Ever since the lake."
Selene froze.
"Different how?"
Yuki hesitated. "Like you're standing at the edge of something."
Roger frowned. "That's not ominous at all."
Selene forced a laugh. "You're both overthinking."
