Jacob Whitaker lay sprawled across his dorm bed, his hockey stick leaning against the wall within reach, and the faint hum of the ceiling fan above blending with the distant chatter of students in the hallways. For someone who thrived on focus and routine, today felt oddly off. It wasn’t that he lacked energy—he had plenty of that, as usual—but something about the air around Eastbridge High, about the hallways, the classrooms, and even the library, felt... different.
It had begun the day after Professor Kim’s departure had been formally announced. Jacob couldn’t quite place it at first. He had been brushing off the assembly, his mind cycling through typical thoughts about practice schedules, scouts, and homework he could barely be bothered to do. But then, when he passed by the library la
