The dining hall of Arclight Academy was a polished labyrinth of clattering plates and hushed voices. Sunlight streamed through stained glass, painting the tables in hues of gold, blue, and crimson—colors of the four Houses. Lunch should have been a moment of ease after the morning's gauntlet, but every step from the entrance to the food line felt like walking beneath a thousand scrutinizing eyes.
Cassandra stalked ahead, still the picture of command, barely glancing back to see if I followed. As she navigated the hall, students parted in deference, a ripple in the calm. She claimed a table by the windows, gesturing for me to sit. Her posture was so rigid it looked like it might snap.
I set my tray down, trying to seem inconspicuous. Cassandra met my gaze, her tone low and direct. "You know why I brought you here?"
"You don't talk much unless you have to," I replied, half-smiling. "That's usually a sign something important's coming."
Her eyebrows inched upward, just slightly. "You're more perceptive than people think. Listen, Riven—have you noticed anything unusual since you arrived?"
"No," I lied. "Not really."
She studied me for a moment, unreadable. Then she took a slow breath. "If that changes, tell me first. Not them. Me."
Them. I glanced across the hall. Mireille was conversing with a professor at the teacher's table, her focus absolute. Seraphina lounged between groups, animatedly talking with a trio of potionists. Elane sat alone, always scribbling, glancing my way so quickly it almost seemed accidental. Liora drifted beyond the fringes, her plate untouched, staring absentmindedly at frosted glass.
Each seemed occupied, yet I felt their attention—tight, subtle threads gnawing at the back of my mind.
Cassandra placed a hand over mine, briefly anchoring my spinning thoughts. "Don't trust faces. Trust what you know."
I meant to respond, but a sharp voice cut through the clamor.
"Riven, there you are!" Seraphina's appearance was like a flash of spring—vivid and irrepressible. She slid into the seat opposite me, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Are you feeling well? No strange aftereffects from the stamina elixir you drank earlier?"
I blinked. "I—I didn't drink anything. Did I?"
Her smile was pure trouble. "You will, if you want to endure tomorrow's alchemy practical. Unless you want to faint in front of, oh, the entire first-year cohort?"
Cassandra shot her a glare, subtle as a brick. "He'll be fine. He doesn't need... supplements right now."
Seraphina pouted, but it quickly turned to laughter. "As you wish! But Riven, you really should take up my offer sometime. You'd be surprised how well I can read what people need."
Elane hovered nearby, clutching her books so tight her knuckles blanched. She slid into the last open spot, gazing at me as though waiting for permission. "You... um, forgot your pencil in class. I brought it."
She offered it across the table, her fingers trembling ever so slightly.
"Thanks, Elane." The smallest smile from her was like catching sunlight in a storm.
Liora arrived without a word, her presence almost ethereal. She placed a wrapped cylinder—what looked suspiciously like a runic charm—by my tray and settled in, gaze never quite focusing.
In that moment, surrounded by the academy's five deadliest, brightest, and most unpredictable young women, I realized escape was not going to happen. My plan to be invisible had failed in record time.
Each heroine watched me, their attention as sharp and unfathomable as destiny itself.
The lunch bell rang again—sharper, more insistent—signalling the end of the break. Plates cleared, students flowed toward their next obligations. Cassandra drew close, voice softer than before. "Remember what I said. Be careful."
I gathered my things, the weight of unseen eyes following me every step.
Somewhere, beneath this choreographed everyday, a web was tightening. I was at its center, whether I wanted the spotlight or not.
And the people who mattered most had heard every single thought I'd tried desperately to keep to myself.
[End of Chapter 4]