The next morning was nothing close to calm.
It came faster than Seraohina had wanted it to.
Seraphina hadn't slept. Not really.
She had closed her eyes at some point, but her mind had refused to follow. It stayed awake, looping through the same thoughts, the same fears, the same unanswered questions that had been clawing at her for days.
By the time the light crept in through the thin gap in the curtains, she was already sitting up, waiting, Dreading.
Emily moved quietly around the room, glancing at her every few seconds like she was afraid Seraphina might disappear if she looked away too long.
"Are you ready?" she asked softly.
Seraphina didn't answer immediately.
Ready.
There was no such thing. But the clock didn't care. The disciplinary meeting didn't care. So she nodded.
Once but Slowly.
