Pauline's POV
Some time had passed since Windsor vanished from campus grounds, and her absence hung over the Academy like a heavy shroud. The hallways felt hollow without her presence. While I ached for my friend's return, the rest of the student body seemed remarkably unbothered. If anything, the political atmosphere had intensified since she disappeared.
Ever since those initial poll results surfaced, displaying Zion's name trailing just behind Sinclair with an astounding thirty-five percent, the entire Academy transformed into a powder keg. Sinclair' followers had become rabid in their devotion. Campaign posters multiplied overnight, rallies grew deafening, and an oppressive atmosphere suffocated anyone who dared question the status quo.
Yet nobody seemed willing to challenge what was happening before their eyes.
Something sinister was unfolding, and I could feel it in my bones.
