Alicia pov
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The student council office was too quiet.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not the good kind of quiet either—the kind that felt productive and dignified. No, this was the awkward, lonely quiet where even the ticking wall clock sounded judgmental.
Tick.Tick.Tick.
I flipped another page in the report and signed my name at the bottom with a neat stroke.
Alicia Morvain.Student Council President.
It still felt strange sometimes.
I leaned back in my chair and exhaled slowly. My shoulders ached in that dull, familiar way that came from sitting too straight for too long and pretending I wasn't tired.
"Five more documents," I muttered to myself.
Five more and I could finally go home.
My pen hovered over the next page.
And then, without permission, my thoughts drifted.
To him.
Julien.
I frowned slightly and tapped the pen against the desk.
Great. Focus, Alicia.
Didn't work.
My eyes slid to the window instead, where the late afternoon sun spilled across the academy courtyard. Students were walking in small groups, laughing, arguing, waving their phones around like they were swords or microphones.
Normal teenage chaos.
I used to think my little brother would end up like that.
Just another carefree student.
I closed my eyes for a second.
When was the last time he'd looked carefree?
I still remembered the night of the attack too clearly.
I was supposed to be the strong one.
The responsible one.
The one who didn't panic.
But when the alarms went off and mana flared in the estate like a storm breaking through walls—
My legs had frozen.
And then I saw Julien shielding Joshua.
No weapon.No armor.No experience.
Just standing there.
Smiling.
That stupid, ridiculous smile.
I pressed my lips together.
Even now, thinking about it made my chest tighten.
He shouldn't have been the one doing that.
He is sixteen.
He is supposed to be worrying about dumb things like whether his hair looked weird or if people thought he was awkward.
Not whether a vampire's claws would reach his brother first.
I opened my eyes again and stared at the stack of paperwork.
My hands were clenched.
"…Idiot," I whispered.
I didn't know if I meant Julien.
Or myself.
Julien before the incident had been… strange.
Not bad.
Just… different.
He'd always been polite. Too polite. Like he was acting out a role he wasn't fully committed to.
Sometimes he'd look at us like he was memorizing our faces.
Like he was afraid he'd forget them.
I'd asked him once if something was wrong.
He'd smiled awkwardly and said, "Nothing. Just thinking."
He always said that.
Just thinking.
Now I knew better.
He wasn't just thinking.
He was carrying something.
Something heavy.
Something lonely.
I picked up my pen again and tried to focus on the document in front of me.
Didn't work.
Instead, another memory slipped in.
Julien, sitting at the dining table three days after the attack.
Joshua was chattering nonstop, retelling the story for the tenth time with dramatic hand gestures.
"And then Julien went WHOOSH and the water went BOOM and the bad guy went BAM into the wall!"
Julien had nodded along, smiling like it was someone else's story.
Like he hadn't almost died.
I'd watched him carefully that day.
Waiting for cracks.
For fear.
For delayed shock.
But he just ate his soup, asked Joshua if he wanted more bread, and reminded Father to take his medicine.
Too normal.
Unnaturally normal.
That scared me more than if he'd broken down crying.
I rubbed my temples and sighed.
"Why are you like this…?" I murmured.
The office door creaked open slightly.
I jolted.
"President?" one of the council members peeked in. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm fine. Just… thinking."
She nodded uncertainly and closed the door again.
Great.
Now even my vice-president thought I was unstable.
I straightened my posture and forced myself back into work mode.
Five documents.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
I set my pen down and leaned back again, staring at the ceiling.
Done.
And somehow… more exhausted than before.
My phone buzzed.
Message from Mother.
Julien helped Joshua with his homework today. He's doing well. Don't stay too late.
I stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then typed back:
I'll be in dorms soon.
I slipped the phone into my pocket and stood up.
As I grabbed my coat, my reflection in the window caught my eye.
Blue eyes.
Ash-blonde hair tied into a low ponytail.
Straight back.
Perfect posture.
The "reliable eldest daughter" look.
I didn't recognize myself sometimes.
I looked too composed.
Too controlled.
I remembered another version of myself.
The one who used to chase Julien around the garden and steal his snacks.
The one who used to complain that he walked too slow.
The one who used to think he'd always be the little brother who hid behind her.
I let out a small laugh.
"That aged poorly."
As I walked out of the office and down the empty hallway, my steps slowed.
Julien's face floated back into my mind again.
That smile.
Not his usual one.
Not his awkward polite one.
The other one.
The one he'd worn when he thought Joshua was about to die.
I clenched my fists.
Whatever that smile was…
It wasn't normal.
It wasn't healthy.
And it definitely wasn't something a fifteen-year-old should have.
He was changing.
Growing too fast.
Carrying things he shouldn't have to carry.
I stopped walking.
Right there in the middle of the hallway.
"…I won't let this happen again," I whispered.
My voice echoed faintly off the walls.
I didn't care if anyone heard.
I didn't care if I sounded dramatic.
I meant it.
I would get stronger.
Stronger than I already was.
Strong enough that Julien would never have to stand in front of danger again.
Strong enough that Joshua would never have to hide behind his brother.
Strong enough that my family would never bleed in front of me again.
I inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled.
Slowly.
Steadily.
A healer.
A president.
An elder sister.
I could be all three.
And something more.
When I stepped outside, the sky had turned orange.
The sun was low.
The air smelled faintly of dust and mana.
Somewhere out there…
Julien was probably smiling again.
Acting like everything was fine.
Pretending he wasn't afraid.
I tightened my grip on my coat.
'You don't get to do this alone,' I thought.
Not anymore.
And for the first time since the attack—
I felt certain.
Something was coming.
And next time…
I would be the one standing in front.