Leo let out a deep sigh as they strolled toward the dorms. Ari, as always, was trailing beside him, arms folded like she was being dragged into a punishment.
"Mandated to live with you now," she muttered, raising an eyebrow. "This whole shower joke is dangerously close to becoming a prophecy."
Leo choked on his own spit.
"I— No! Please, the bathroom is sacred ground."
Ari snorted and dropped her bag on the floor as they stepped into the dorm room. "I need my private space. That means no peeking, no sniffing, no creeping. Or I swear, I'll play ping pong with your eyeballs."
She even made the "pong" noise with her mouth while pretending to flick one.
"Noted," Leo said, backing away toward his bed like a cornered raccoon. "Private space, got it. Eyeballs… remain intact."
Eventually, things calmed down. Leo laid in bed, staring up at the dim ceiling. The glow of the moon outside barely lit the room, but inside, his thoughts were much brighter… and messier.
Those ancient whispers.
The twisted smile from the Silent One.
And that scroll — the glowing mark — it was like something inside it pulsed when he got close.
I'll ask Vellum about all of it, he thought, pulling the covers over his head. Tomorrow, in school. Just… try not to get smacked again.
---
But the peace didn't last.
Leo's bladder had other plans.
He groaned, rolled off the bed, and shuffled barefoot toward the bathroom. As he passed Ari's room, he noticed something odd — the light was still on.
His curiosity started doing push-ups.
He stood outside her door for a moment, just staring at the golden strip of light under the frame.
I'm not a pervert, he told himself, scratching his head. This is just… scientific observation. Dorm safety protocol. I'm simply—
Screw it.
He peeked through the small gap in the door.
Ari was sitting cross-legged on the floor, diary in lap, her pen dancing furiously across the page. Her hair was a bit messy, cheeks slightly flushed — but what caught Leo off guard was the look on her face.
She was smiling.
Not a smug smirk or a sarcastic grin.
It was soft. Almost peaceful.
The kind of smile you wore when the world outside didn't matter for a few minutes.
Leo stood there a moment longer, unsure why he suddenly felt warm and confused and like his brain was buffering.
Then his bladder reminded him of his original mission.
Pee. Not poetry, he told himself, slipping away before Ari's "ping pong eyes" prophecy came true.
But as he tiptoed back to his bed, one thought echoed through his mind with chilling clarity:
> She'll probably smile exactly like that… while smashing my eyeballs around if she catches me.