Ari POV
The knocking started softly.
Like always.
Three taps. A pause.
"Ari… wake up, you're going to be late."
I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head, pressing my face deeper into the pillow. The sunlight was already creeping through my curtains, way too bright for this hour.
"Five more minutes…" I mumbled.
The door opened anyway.
"Five minutes turns into thirty with you," my mom said.
I cracked one eye open and squinted at her. She was already dressed—of course she was. Hair neat, clothes perfect, bag on her shoulder. Meanwhile, I looked like I had just survived a natural disaster.
"I'm up," I said, not moving.
"You said that ten minutes ago."
"Okay, but this time I mean it."
She crossed her arms, trying not to smile. "School starts in an hour. You still need to shower, eat, and somehow make yourself look like a student."
"I always look like a student."
"You look like you rolled out of a disaster."
I pushed myself up, fixing my messy hair with my hands. "Wow. That's rude."
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Breakfast is on the table. Don't skip it again."
"I won't," I said quickly.
We both knew that wasn't always true.
For a second, it got quiet. Not awkward—just normal. This is how mornings always are. Same conversation. Same routine.
Same everything.
"Ari," she said again, standing by the door.
"Yeah?"
"Big day today, right?"
I let out a slow breath, suddenly more awake than before. "Yeah."
New school.
New people.
A place I don't belong in.
She gave me that look—the one that always makes me feel like everything will somehow be okay. "You'll be fine. Just be yourself."
I smiled a little. "That's the plan."
After she left, the room felt quieter.
I sat there for a moment, staring at nothing. My room. My life. Everything still the same.
But not for long.
I dragged myself out of bed and stretched, trying to shake off the weird feeling in my chest.
"Okay," I muttered. "Let's do this."
I didn't know what was waiting for me at that academy.
But I had a feeling…
My life was about to change.