What the Night kept

Things That

ng, the sky was

ike a distant lullaby. The halls smelled of damp stone and tea leaves. Classes resume

to that normalc

tion the whispe

Nora about the ca

strange message that had f

f it ha

at she tol

ght playing tricks. Just the ech

e thoughts during fe

ead down in metaphysics. She even volunteered to clean the library

anted

d y

nce felt

-

y, she found a torn page tucked between volumes. It wasn't du

e w

ior

trembled as she folded the paper and shoved it

wou

a caught up with her

've been ac

ced a laugh. "

you didn't even flinch when Sister Elwen dropped her

inked. "She d

dings. It shattered. Like, exp

I must've b

haven't been focused on

cusation in her

't know what to do with. The kind

ispered, almost too

't sleep

. But because she was

across the distant horizon. The storm never reached the cliffs it just hovered

ske

tention but

new something her mi

down, the page wa

n beneath a

ga

-

ing, her satch

slipped something i

it slowly in

ow there was another page behind it. Older.

was

school. Not

orest. Labe

le of V

ow how she kne

she

Tucked it beneath t

walke

-

urned a bruised gold, Serap

self it was f

r p

rs. Not because she hoped the

re dark. The air was still. The ruby-glass wi

g was ordi

too or

pew, her hands fold

d," she whispered

nce didn'

the rafters, a single spi

e, swirling symbol as the l

na didn'

t y

-