Evaline:
It was strange, really, how easily the academy slipped back into its rhythm. Morning bells rang. Students rushed between buildings. Professors scribbled across enchanted blackboards while their students—myself included—desperately tried to keep up. From the outside, it all looked so normal again.
But I wasn't sure I'd ever feel normal again.
Not after that kiss.
Not after that book.
Not after Draven.
I wasn't ready to talk about any of it, so I didn't. I played my part. Sat with my friends during meals, laughed when I was supposed to, nodded along when someone spoke to me, and even asked questions in class. And yet... under the surface, I could feel something brewing. Something restless. Tugging at me like a tide I couldn't resist.
By Wednesday, I found myself halfway through an alchemy class with Professor Gray—an intimidating old werewolf with silver hair and the patience of a rattlesnake—when I realized I had no idea what he was talking about.
