The silence in the room didn’t last long.
At first, Iva tried to sit with it.
To breathe through it.
To ground herself in the small, simple space that was now hers.
But then—
Her stomach growled.
Loud.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
She blinked, startled for a moment before letting out a small, almost embarrassed breath.
“Right…” she murmured, pressing a hand lightly against her stomach. “Food.”
It was such a normal thing.
So ordinary.
And yet—
It felt strangely difficult.
Because stepping outside that room meant facing it all again.
The academy.
The unknown.
The people.
The judgment.
Still—
She couldn’t hide forever.
With a quiet exhale, she pushed herself up from the bed and made her way toward the door, her fingers tightening slightly around the handle before she opened it an
