The schoolyard emptied after the last period. Voices faded, bicycles rattled away, the giggling of the clique drifted like a distant gust of wind across the asphalt. The sun hung low, bathing the yard in a soft, golden light that made the cracks in the ground gleam. I still stood by the fence, my bag slung over one shoulder, as if nailed to the spot.
The metal bars felt cool under my fingers. I stared at the spot where Vanessa's clique had just been standing, until everything dissolved into stillness.
"Come."
His voice cut through the lingering sounds of the day.
I turned around.
Alaric stood beside me, his hood half on his neck, his gaze calm but firm. No smile. No anger. Just that quietness in his eyes that always appeared when he had decided something.
He looked as if he carried the weight of an unspoken promise.
I nodded without knowing why.
We walked in silence side by side, down the street.
