Elara's POV
Professor Reid moved through the classroom with his attendance log the way he always did, methodical, unhurried, calling names and marking responses without looking up from his clipboard. When he got to Ravin's name and the silence that followed it, he marked it down without comment, closed the log, and walked straight out of the classroom without a second glance at the empty seat.
I stared at the front of the classroom and tried to focus on whatever was being taught.
I couldn't.
The thing about waiting for someone when you knew they were out there handling something dangerous was that it didn't get easier with time, it just got quieter.
The first day I had told myself he would be back before classes ended. The second day I told myself by morning. By the third day I had
