s Va

nd had come to terms with it. She sat behind a desk that was almost obsessively tidy and looked at

own, p

took a

ed school crest displaying St. Jude's motto: Veritas et Virtus. Truth and virtue. Elara had look

says that during the chemistry lab this morning, you became aggressive with anoth

tared a

phone, typed, and

udent. Mr. James confirmed that my setup was correct, and

screen, remaining s

ng was quite

typed

like Mr. James to be a

mething." She paused. "St. Jude's has a certain culture. New students sometimes struggle to navigate the existing social dynamics

er statement

g me to avoid

xpression cha

avigate carefully, as

stry equipment. I documented it and kept it. Mr

at Elara for a

riting," she said. It wa

direct any

runa's face, a small adjus

. James," she repea

de the admin block for about fort

d against the wall near the water fountain, arms cross

with a smile. "

alked f

" Chloe fell into step beside her, matching her pace. "

kept w

hloe asked. "No

staircase. Elara

om and looked up. Then sh

. He is not an option that exists for someone like you. If I have to s

ed on the

rned a

fect posture, and the face of someone who had never been told tha

at her for a

deliberately, and showed the screen so Chloe

t that's not your

way. Turned, and wa

said n

worse than anything

e last period when everyone was in class. Elara found it wh

d water over her wrists, and l

cles under her eyes. Hair slightly messy f

lf, low and rough, as s

lse. Just to remember that her voice existed, that it was hers. Th

ed off t

room doo

ing for another round of the performance s

it was

ed at her, glanced at the bathr

," Elara managed to say, her

then leaned around the edge with just his f

e this way and you looked.

't loo

ifferent impact than she expected. "That came out wrong. H

st the sink and

n the doorway, ha

eared you?

nodd

ard him go into her office

dded a

used. "Chloe

ooked a

in the same social circles. She doesn't back down once she s

d out her p

ou tellin

. "Not on purpose. But I initiated

him for a

not your

day one. If I hadn

et and a failed experiment. You created

t her screen, t

y calm way to

ery c

e y

t his

ty

ctional. That's

face that she couldn't

," he

n practicing it. Like it wasn't t

nd I pay what I owe." He paused. "And because Chloe has done this before. To so

tared a

behind him

m behind he

two years of Beatrice and a decade of silence, something shifted

ty

e, she'll onl

d it and l

he repli

n w

think about later, in her dark room, staring

ngs are worth get

ell r

ian stepped fully out of the doorway to let people pass, while Ela

one last

dn't s

words on her scr

the most dangerous

elete

and into the busy corridor, ignori

corridor. He found her the way things find you whe

cular absenc

t to her l

in the b

ed her n

he wrote one question that she immediately cro

eel like I've