The morning sunlight spilled across the table, pale gold through the kitchen window. The smell of toast and fried eggs lingered in the air, something I had cooked to perfection.
Belle sat across from me, poking at her food with the end of her fork like she was deciding whether to eat it or let it die on its own.
Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail, strands escaping in all directions, the picture of someone who could sleep through an earthquake and still somehow look composed afterward.
We ate in an easy, quiet rhythm. The world outside sounded far away; birds, wind, everything felt calm.
Belle took a sip of her tea, then said casually, "You know the entrance exams start in two days, right?"
I looked up. "Do they?"
She gave me a look, a small grin curling at the corner of her mouth. "You forgot, didn't you?"
"I didn't forget," I said, leaning back in my chair. "I just don't see the point."
