Aveline did not know how long she walked.
She only knew she did not want anyone to see her.
Her feet carried her to one of the quieter gardens behind the Arcanum, where old willow branches curtained the stone benches from wandering eyes. The afternoon breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the distant sounds of students laughing somewhere far away.
It all sounded so... normal… As though the world had not just been turned upside down.
She sank onto the cold stone beneath the willow and slowly drew her knees against her chest.
For a long while, she simply stared at the grass.
Then her shoulders began to shake.
One tear fell.
Then another.
Soon she could no longer stop them.
She buried her face against her knees, wrapped both arms around herself, and sobbed. It was not the quiet tears she had learned to hide over the years. These came from somewhere much deeper.
