Ella
The bindings around my chest felt tighter than usual that morning, but I couldn’t risk loosening them. At the Academy, the truth about me—about who I really was—wouldn’t just cost me a punishment. It would destroy everything.
I tugged on the tie, willing my hands to stop shaking. I’d grown used to the name “Nuel,” the boy they all thought I was. But no amount of pretending could make me forget what I actually was: out of place, unwanted, and constantly in danger of being found out.
The hallways were bustling by the time I stepped out of the dorm. Boys laughing, jostling each other, the usual chaos. I kept my head down, trying to blend into the crowd. The last thing I needed was to catch Ethan’s attention—or worse, Marcus and Leo’s.
“Hey, Nuel!”
Too late.
I stopped mid-
