I breathed a sigh of relief as I set foot on the first step of solid concrete after wrestling through the mud for days on end. The entrance of the military compound had a sizable patio but as it filled up with students and teachers, it seemed much smaller than I initially thought. Stark light cast long shadows on exhausted faces and slumped shoulders. Everyone was wet to the bone and desperate to get out of the forest, including me.
In silence, we waited for the Headmistress to alert the guards on duty and wait to be let in.
“What if they turn us away?” someone behind me said, her question sparking a train of whispers and murmurs.
“No way!” a Guardian student gasped.
“I didn’t f*****g walk here for nothing!” an Elf shouted.
A quiet, defeated group morphed into an angry, desperate mob
