Lyra's POV
The journey across campus to Alaric's office felt endless and unnaturally silent. The entire academy seemed shrouded in an uncomfortable hush, as though the school itself was embarrassed by the previous night's chaos. A handful of students wandered aimlessly in the early morning light, clearly making their way back from wherever they had ended up. They moved like the walking dead, hollow-eyed and stumbling. I wondered if I appeared just as broken, swimming in borrowed clothing that didn't belong to me.
The thought made my skin crawl.
