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They stepped out of Snake's office into the long top – floor hall where the stone held the day's heat like a low, friendly fire. The windows glowed orange. Dust hung in the light, slow and calm. Far below, a bell in some other building counted the hour with a tired voice and then went quiet again, as if even bells like to rest after work.
Master Hale walked them to the stair with her hands folded behind her back. Master Venn walked beside John with his chalk tucked away at last, as if even chalk should sleep before it was asked to draw again.
"One day later… At dawn," Hale said, "you will report to the east steps. Not the west. The west steps lead to the kitchens and trouble. The east steps lead to classrooms and a headache, which is better than trouble."
Venn added, dry as ever, "If you see a door that says No First Years, believe the door. Doors do not lie at this academy. People do."
