After lunch, Alina rested her elbows on the staffroom table. Gabriel was absorbed in a thick, ancient-looking book, flipping pages with the elegance of someone who genuinely enjoyed heavy reading. Professor Hobb scribbled notes with deep concentration, and Miss Kelly was sorting papers with the careful precision of a tired librarian.
No one spoke. No one looked up. The entire staff room was wrapped in peaceful silence.
Which meant Alina was completely, dangerously free to think.
Her gaze drifted toward the window where warm sunlight poured through the tall glass panes, scattering soft golden reflections across the tiled floor. She followed the drifting patterns of light, letting her mind wander toward places it definitely shouldn't be wandering.
Slowly, her lips curved.
