Isla’s POV
The rain hammered the academy windows like it wanted to break in and drown everything inside. Gray light bled through the glass, turning the classroom into a cold, washed-out photograph. I sat at my usual desk near the back, chin propped on my hand, staring at the water racing down the pane in fast, angry rivers. The world outside looked blurred and unreachable, like someone had smeared the glass with their thumb and then walked away.
Lina slid into the seat beside me, hoodie still damp from the dash between buildings. She dropped her bag with a wet thud and leaned close, voice low.
“I know everything,” she whispered, eyes huge. “The hearing. The Vances losing. You’re Blackwood now. Like… officially Blackwood.”
I nodded slowly, eyes still on the rain.
“Yeah.”
She studied m
