As Willow made her way back to her dorm, she was surprised by how good she felt. Just one protein bar and she could feel her exhaustion fading away quite quickly.
She tapped the pocket where the remaining portion of Nex-9 rested. I have to figure out a way to get this to Hector.
With her brother in the military, she had to be careful, more discreet about how to get it to him.
Even before she reached the door, the sound of laughter carried down the hall. Zira's bright giggles tangled with Korra's deeper, teasing voice.
When Willow pushed the door open, the faint sweetness of lip gloss left uncapped on the desk, the sharp trace of perfume lingering in the air, the mess of clothes scattered across the floor, and the two girls seated together, still laughing over whatever gossip they were sharing.
Before the girls even noticed her standing at the door, Sage who was half-dressed for class like the others was already staring at Willow with a strange intensity.
It was the kind of look that felt like she was trying to figure something out.
That was enough to pull Willow's attention to her. A rush of self-consciousness hit, and her first thought was that Sage was curious since she hadn't returned to the dorm all night.
Then the other two finally registered her presence. Korra and Zira froze mid-laugh, their expressions slipping into wide-eyed shock.
Zira shot to her feet, nearly tripping over a pile of clothes as she rushed forward.
"Oh..." Korra breathed, her eyes raking Willow from head to toe.
"Your clothes!" Zira gasped, pointing as if Willow wasn't already painfully aware of the oversized grey shirt draped on her.
She grabbed at the fabric dramatically, then she stopped short, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Wait! You were with a boy all night, weren't you?"
Willow blinked, heat rising in her cheeks. She felt uncomfortable under their stares.
She snatched the shirt from Zira's hands and brushed past her, but Korra rose to her feet, blocking her path with her arms crossed.
A rueful smirk tugged her lips. "Don't tell me you've started whoring around, Willow."
Willow scoffed. She was offended, extremely offended but she refused to waste her breath. All she knew was that she needed to find the right time to leave Nexus Academy. Being misunderstood over wearing someone else's clothes wasn't worth her energy.
Before Willow could step around Korra, Sage suddenly stood, slipping into her shoes. The movement alone was enough to draw everyone's eyes. Without saying a word, she walked out of the room.
Taking advantage of the shift in attention, Willow walked past Korra, but she wasn't done yet.
"Where do you think you're going? You broke the rules by not returning last night, and now you show up wearing a guy's clothes. Let me guess. It's some Dreg, right?"
Zira burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her palm. "Stop it, Korra."
Willow ignored them both. She grabbed her uniform and shut herself in the bathroom. There she washed her face, dressed, tied back her hair, and stayed until she felt composed enough to leave.
When she finally walked out, the room was empty.
"Finally," she breathed with relief.
She tucked the remaining portion into the hidden compartment of her bag, cleaned her side of the room, and slung her laptop bag over her shoulder.
But as soon as she stepped into the hall, she saw Sage hurrying toward her.
At first, Willow stepped aside, assuming Sage wanted to go back into the room. But Sage stopped right in front of her.
"You skipped breakfast," Sage blurted, glancing down at the wristwatch on her right hand.
Willow blinked, confused. "What?"
Sage looked back at her with a shaky smile, then at the watch again before returning her gaze to Willow. "Is everything alright? Are you… feeling okay?"
"Huh?!" Willow unconsciously stepped back. What was going on? Why was Sage staring at her with those wide, questioning eyes?
And she kept looking at her watch...
Realizing her unease, Sage quickly dropped her arm and let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, Willow. It's just... you didn't come back to the dorm all night. I was worried… maybe someone was being mean to you."
Willow blinked again, still thrown off, before waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, it's fine. I'm fine. I just… ran into some trouble, but it's cleared up now."
Sage nodded slowly, though her expression didn't fully relax. "Well, that's a relief. Anyway, I heard there's some kind of grouping today for all first-years."
As they began walking out together, Willow raised a curious brow. "Oh? Grouping for what?"
"I don't really know," Sage admitted with a shrug, her eyes flicking to her watch again when Willow wasn't looking.
They walked to class together. The lecture hall was larger than any classroom they'd ever been in. It was as large as an auditorium packed with first-years.
Clusters of students chatted among themselves, grouped neatly by grades.
Behind them, Korra and Zira's laughter grated on Willow's ears. Korra kicked the back of her seat and muttered, "Oh! The whore made it."
Zira laughed. "Oh no. Stop it, Korra. You're hurting her feelings."
Willow frowned but ignored them. She could feel Sage's eyes lingering on her, though she didn't respond.
"Silence, students!" A professor walked into the hall, holding a tablet. At once, the noise died down.
He smiled. "Now then. You will all be grouped for a mission. To prepare, I expect you to build useful connections with your team members. This course is the foundation of your passing grade. Fail it, and you will not advance to the next year."
Murmurs rippled through the hall. Willow's lips twitched. She wasn't shaken in the slightest.
"Now…" The professor tapped his tablet, and holographic lists of names and portraits flashed onto the wall before materializing in front of each student.
Willow's eyes widened. Seven members. She was the only one from Grade D. One Dreg, two Enforcers, and four Regulars.
Two names stood out immediately. Ashar Voss, an Enforcer, and Payton Drel, a Regular. She remembered them clearly from classification day.
Her gaze stayed on Ashar's picture, and she scowled. "I'm really going to see this annoying guy again."