Chapter I
I never thought I’d say this, but sunsets are overrated. Sure, the sky’s all pink and orange and beautiful, but it’s hard to enjoy it when your legs are dangling off the edge of a wall and your mind is stuck replaying nightmares you can’t shake.
Rowen leaned next to me, flipping a rock back and forth like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Ben, stretched out on the grass, yawned loudly enough to scare the birds. “Man, it feels good to relax for once,” he said, grinning like we weren’t in the middle of a calm-before-the-storm moment.
“Yeah,” I murmured. Itshouldhave felt good. The breeze was perfect, the air smelled like fresh-cut grass, and the crickets were warming up their nightly orchestra. But my stomach wouldn’t stop twisting like it was auditioning for a gymnastics team.
Ben, ever the optimist, pointed up at me. “Your birthday’s coming up, right? February 18th?”
I groaned. “Can we not? I told you—I don’t celebrate.”
Rowen raised an eyebrow. “Not even cake? Or something small?”
“Nope. I’ve got my reasons,” I said, my tone firm enough to end the conversation.
We sat there in silence for a while, just listening to the world breathe around us. It wasn’t awkward—more like a rare moment where none of us had to talk.
“Speaking of new things,” Rowen eventually broke the silence, her smirk just as sharp as ever, “Word is, the newbies from last year are supposed to join our class. Think they’ll survive the chaos?”
I snorted. “Barely.”
“This year is going to be something”, Ben whispered, confused yet laughing. “Yeah deffentlly will” Rowen said. “Hey Ben, how’s Sam doing?” I asked him, “You know? after he got fired and Jacob took over his position”. “He’s doing alright... he’s lucky he didn’t go to jail”, Ben replied. “Come on, we should head back to the dorms, it’s almost dark”, Rowen reminded us.
