"Miss Araceli."
Before she reached her dorm room, Nikolas Delanivis stopped her on her way.
Cecilia's steps slowed. The curfew bell would ring soon. Students hurried past in small clusters, their voices echoing off the stone walls, their footsteps quickening as the hour approached.
Nikolas stood in the corridor, his uniform immaculate, his posture formal. But there was something in his face that hadn't been there before. Something softened. Something uncertain.
"May we speak for a moment?" He asked.
Cecilia studied him. She had wondered why it was him who had come looking for her. Not Ruby. Not Arzhen. After all, Arzhen had returned to school on this first day. She had even seen him, briefly, in the corridor, pale and withdrawn, his eyes avoiding hers.
"It depends." Cecilia said calmly. "What are we going to talk about?"
