The next few days were an unsettling mix of quiet and chaos. I couldn't tell if the calm was a temporary reprieve or the calm before a storm. Every glance from a passing staff member, every hushed conversation between students, felt like a whisper aimed at me—no, at us. The weight of their scrutiny was like a constant pressure in the back of my mind, but there was a small relief in knowing that, for now, Niko’s shadow was just behind mine. I didn’t trust him completely, but I had learned to recognize when someone was offering genuine help, and Niko’s brand of loyalty wasn’t something I’d easily find again.
When I passed him in the halls, he gave a slight nod, nothing more, like we were just two strangers in a place that knew too many secrets.
But we both knew the truth.
Kael didn’t know
