The gymnasium had gone silent except for the low hum of the emergency lights and the muffled breaths of the hundreds of students pressed flat against the polished wooden floor. Armed women in cleaner uniforms stalked between the rows, rifles leveled at anyone who dared to move.
Kyouka knelt beside Selene, wrists forced behind her back, the cold barrel of a gun never too far away. Her eyes widened when she heard the name that had been spoken just moments before.
"A–Astrid…?" Kyouka whispered, her face pale.
Selene's expression hardened. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground, but her lips moved ever so slightly. "Don't say that name so loud. You know it's forbidden in front of Nina."
Kyouka flinched. "I know, but—why? Why is it forbidden? Every time someone mentioned it, Nina looked like she was about to explode. Who is she, really?"
