Cam sat down again, shaking her head. "They always do that. Show up like they own the floor, drop some petty lines, then vanish."
Seraphina lowered herself into her chair, trying not to let her expression slip. Her hands were clenched under the table.
"Viessa," she muttered.
Cam raised a brow. "Top-tier brat. Thinks she's untouchable. Don't let her mess with your head."
Seraphina didn't respond. Her gaze drifted to the glowing rank board across the dining hall.
Still there. Number eleven. Her name pulsing in soft white light.
Too fast. Too visible.
"Why did he speak to me?" she asked under her breath, more to herself than Cam.
Cam shrugged. "Maybe you caught his eye. Maybe he's bored. Or maybe he saw something in you. Doesn't really matter, does it?"
Seraphina turned to her slowly. "You don't think… they'll say something."
Cam didn't flinch. "That you slept your way up?"
Seraphina looked down.
Cam scoffed. "They're already saying it. They say that about anyone who moves fast. If you were quiet, they'd still make things up. You can't win with them, so don't bother trying."
At a nearby table, someone whispered her name again.
Cam caught it too. "Ignore them," she said, stabbing a piece of fruit. "You're here. You're ranked. That's all they care about."
Seraphina barely touched her food. Her appetite was gone. Her skin buzzed like her power didn't know how to sit still.
"I didn't ask for this," she said quietly.
Cam leaned in, her voice dropping. "Then you better figure out what to do with it. Fast. Because they're already planning your downfall."
Silence stretched.
A bell rang once, sharp and cold.
"First class," Cam said, standing. "You coming?"
Seraphina hesitated. "I don't even remember what's first."
Cam checked her tab. "Angelic Control & Adaptation. You'll like it. They won't try to kill you—at least not physically."
Seraphina stood slowly, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"I still feel like I don't belong."
Cam gave her a look. "No one does at first. Just pretend you do until you forget you're pretending."
They stepped into the corridor. Students flooded around them in streams of chatter, wings brushing shoulders, light flickering beneath skin.
Seraphina kept her head down.
Cam split off at the first hallway. "My class is down this way. You got this. And if someone tries anything stupid—snap their wings."
Seraphina managed a weak smile. "I'll try."
She followed the signs toward Room B-8. The door was already open. A soft glow poured from inside.
Angelic Control & Adaptation.
The seats were already half full. No cliques, no power displays—just quiet students, some glowing faintly, some trying hard not to.
She slid into a seat near the back.
A girl sat two chairs away. Curly brown hair, eyes like storm clouds. She glanced at Seraphina once, nodded slightly, and turned away.
Not exactly warm. But not cold, either.
Seraphina exhaled and sat still, waiting for something to feel normal.
---