Evaline:
The Academy gates loomed in front of us, their towering iron bars now softly lit by the golden haze of the setting sun.
Oscar brought the car to a gentle stop, parking beneath the shadow of the old sycamore trees that were lining the outer wall. The silence in the area was almost uncanny. No students, no staff, no movement, just the quiet rustling of leaves and the distant call of an evening bird.
It was Tuesday, and we all know how weekdays worked here. No one was allowed to leave campus, not without express permission. Most students would be in the dorms, study halls, or grabbing early dinner in the dining hall by now. The path ahead, stretching from the gates to the administrative building, was completely empty.
I exhaled quietly and turned to Oscar, unclipping my seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride," I said. "And for… everything else. For taking care of me."
