After classes ended, Alina felt that same knot of worry twisting in her chest. She'd been thinking about the meeting all afternoon.
The email from the principal had been short and formal, the kind that made her stomach drop.
Meeting: Principal's Office. Attendance Required.
So when the last child was picked up by a driver, Alina gathered her courage, smoothed her simple dress, and hugged bag.
The hallway outside Dante Nightshade's office felt colder than the rest of the building, the dark carved door so tall and heavy that even the handle seemed to glare at her. She knocked once, then twice, and when she heard that deep, low "Come in," she nearly squeaked.
Inside, the room felt like another world– rich dark wood, shadowy corners, bookshelves filled with heavy, ancient volumes.
And at the center of it all was Dante, leaning back in his tall chair like a dark king, his sharp crimson eyes fixed on the files in front of him.
