The familiar scent hit me the moment I stepped into the courtyard.
My heart stuttered to a stop, the sudden shift in emotions sending a jolt of pain through my chest. The class monitor, too, faltered, his nose twitching as the odor reached him.
The smell that emanated from the half-opened window was an unpleasant stench mixed with the stench of urine.
Sarah had soiled herself again. She must have opened that window for ventilation.
I glanced at the squad leader, my body turning ice-cold.
"You go ahead." I said, my face stiff. "I can't go to your place today."
He didn't even respond, just turned and fled, clamping a hand over his nose.
Sarah's eyes were fixed on me as I entered the room.
I couldn't decipher the emotion in them, guilt, perhaps, or something else entirely.
Al
