Elijah leads me out of the cafeteria, his strides heavy as if dragging an unseen weight. Behind us, Nate slouches deeper into his chair, sulking down at his smoothie for company.
The buzz of the cafeteria fades as we cross the quieter side of the academy, the faint echoes of our footsteps breaking the stillness. The walls here seem to hold their breath, lined with dusty portraits of long-forgotten graduates whose eyes follow us in an eerie disinterest.
We reach a small alcove near the library, a spot most people forget exists. Elijah stops and turns to face me, his expression serious, almost conflicted.
I tilt my head, raising an eyebrow to mask the uneasy flutter in my chest. “Okay, what’s going on? You’ve been weirdly quiet ever since Nate brought up Sally.”
He runs a hand through hi
