Evaline:
By the time late afternoon rolled around, the mansion had fallen into a strange, quiet rhythm. It wasn't tense like before, nor peaceful either. It was something in between... the kind of calm that followed a storm that had shaken every wall, yet somehow hadn't broken anything.
After everything that had happened earlier - me sneaking out to the old headquarters, Oscar joining me, the way River and Kieran had been waiting for us when we came home, the explosive argument that followed, and then... what happened between River and me in his room - I wasn't sure if I should call this calm a relief or the calm before the next inevitable argument.
None of my mates had returned to work after that.
River had called his secretary to cancel the rest of his schedule for the day. Since Kieran had no classes after lunch, he didn't go back to the Academy. And Oscar, who had already called in for half a day, stayed home too.
