The early morning sun came through the tall windows of the Class Ascendant lecture hall.
The room was loud and chaotic. Today was the first day of preparation for the Academy Festival. The gates wouldn't open to the public until the third day, but the whole campus was already buzzing with excitement.
I sat in my chair in the center row, leaning my chin on my hand. I felt completely drained. My hair was messy, a deep frown on my face, my eyes staring blankly at the desk. My mind kept going back to last night. When I had asked Seris, she didn't just say yes or no right away.
Her calm mask had cracked for a second, her eyes widening as she stammered, "I..."
The pause in her voice almost gave me a heart attack. But then she cleared her throat, looking down at her door handle.
