{Elira}
~**^**~
The words hung in the air as we passed, brushing against me like faint sparks.
I tried to ignore them, but they clung to my mind, each one tightening the strange mix of pride and fear inside my chest.
Cambria shot a warning glare at a group of whispering students, then she murmured under her breath, "Keep walking."
By the time we reached the dorm building and took the elevator to the third floor, the tension in my chest had eased just enough for me to breathe again.
Tamryn unlocked our door and pushed it open, ushering me gently inside. The familiar scent of our room wrapped around me like comfort as they guided me straight to my bed.
"Easy," Cambria murmured, adjusting the pillows behind me.
I sat down slowly, the mattress dipping beneath my weight, and finally exhaled.
"We will go get you dinner now," Juniper announced.
I nodded and waved at them as I watched them leave.
---
