Aria's POV
Convincing Hayes that I needed to research Academy security incidents for a "historical analysis project" was easier than expected. Apparently, academic curiosity about institutional procedures was the kind of thing supervisors approved of.
What he didn't know was that my real education was happening in the spaces between official research.
"The east archives contain incident reports dating back fifty years," Mrs. Corvina explained as she led Hayes and me through a section of the library I'd never seen before. "You'll find documentation of everything from minor property damage to more serious security breaches."
Perfect.
The archives were dusty, poorly lit, and exactly the kind of place where someone could have a private conversation without being overheard. Hayes positione
