AVALINE
All eyes turned on me. The moment I walked into the Academy, I could feel the tension, the stares from my colleagues. They all looked at me differently, not the same way they used to but I didn't care. I ignored them and headed to the line to stand in for my food.
The lunch lady stared at me, her eye dropping to the diamond ring on my finger. I had worn it today on purpose. Not just to intimidate everyone but to also show I shouldn't be messed with. His ring could keep me safe, his mark was my ticket to survival here. A warning. A reminder that I wasn’t the same girl they used to whisper about in corners. I was marked. Protected. Untouchable.
I moved along the line, my tray in hand, trying to focus on the food in front of me, but I felt it before I saw her.
Miss Calloway. Tha
