Gradually, one by one, people started peeling off toward bed. Juan first, because Juan was technically still asleep. Marco carried Malachi's bonsai tree up the stairs for him, because Marco was like that. Jaime delivered individual motivational speeches to each person as they left, which slowed the process significantly.
By midnight, the common room had thinned to background noise and leftover pizza.
I said good night to the last few stragglers.
Climbed the stairs.
Started down the hallway toward my room.
And stopped.
Four doors were open.
Not all the way. Just enough to let light spill across the floor in thin strips.
My door. Natalia's door, which was next to mine. Skylar's door, across the hall. And at the end of the corridor, Cel's door, where I could see the pale blue glow of her reading lamp.
I stood in the middle of the hallway.
