If joy had a scent, it would probably smell like spiced wine and burned cake. That is exactly what the Moon Blessed celebration smelled like.
Heidi remembers it now as she folds a shirt into her half-zipped backpack, the memory playing in soft, blurry colors in her mind. It wasn't really a "party," but more like a chaotic release of bottled-up survival energy. Andre had somehow managed to find cheap fruit wine from one of the seniors, and Helena turned the dorm's balcony into a makeshift dance floor. Someone played music off a cracked tablet, Jia nearly broke her ankle trying to waltz, and Heidi… well, Heidi smiled more than she thought she would.
For a while, she'd forgotten about the case, about Sierra's smirk, about the damn video. For a while, she'd been just another survivor celebrating another day not dying.
Now, as night settles over the academy and the party's laughter has long faded into echoes, the weight returns heavier than before.
