{IRIS}
I was relieved when we finally returned to the dormitories after class.
At least here, behind stone walls thick with old magic and older rules, we were supposed to be safe.
Supposed to be.
Caroline didn't say much on the walk back. She stayed close to me, her shoulders drawn in, her steps quick and uneven, as though she expected someone to reach out of the shadows and grab her at any moment.
When we entered our room, she didn't even bother changing. She sat on the edge of her bed for a long moment, staring at nothing, before lying down fully clothed and turning her face to the wall.
By eight, she was asleep.
That alone unsettled me more than anything else that had happened that day.
Caroline never slept before ten. Never.
She would usually chatter about classes, complain about professors, or ramble about the strange architecture of the academy until exhaustion finally claimed her.
