Kael continued talking, probably thinking I was still in shock from everything I'd already gone through—watching him wrestle in the classroom, then surviving the whole Lunar Dining catastrophe.
"You must be overwhelmed, huh? Especially seeing that many students, when Lunar Year One is just one small class."
I nodded, remembering how packed the dining hall had been. Most of those students must've come from other school years.
"We've got elementary, middle, and high school here," he explained. "Though you won't really see the younger ones much. The halls are… kinda tricky."
I blinked at that. They keep saying that. Tricky? What does that even mean?
"So, like… how does the Dawn Council manage all those students?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Kael looked confused for a second before nodding. "Oh! Right. So, in high school, we've actually got different councils for each year. First years have the Dawn Council, second years got Dusk, and the third years are under the Twilight Council."
I frowned. "Is it really necessary to have that many student leaders?"
Kael hummed and shrugged. "It's an important time for us. And there's a lot of us in each year. Like, in our year alone, there are three Solar sections. Lunar's only got one, but yeah."
I blinked. Three sections? That's… a lot.
"Elementary and middle school just have one council each," he added. "So it's not like the students here can't manage. We mostly know each other already. But…"
Right. I'm new.
And because I'm new, I'm getting the full cultural shock package.
Stuff that's totally normal to them—like night school—is completely throwing me off.
They must have a ton of students if they need a night schedule. And sure, maybe having a separate council for each year sounds like overkill… but somehow, it works. Probably.
Still, I get the feeling the chairman just thought it'd be fun.
"Do you guys get to choose which classes you attend? Like… if you want to be in the day class instead of night, or the other way around?" I asked.
Kael hummed. "Some do, yeah. But it's more about what we can handle."
I frowned. 'Can handle?' What does that even mean?
He noticed my expression and sighed. "You probably saw it already, but… Percy was originally in the Lunar class too."
He noticed my expression and sighed. "You probably saw it already, but… Percy was originally in the Lunar class too."
I blinked.
That actually explained a lot.
I mean, yeah, he's in Solar now, but he's oddly close to the Lunar students. I just figured that was part of being the council president. And maybe that's why he still eats in the Lunar Dining Hall.
"But… what made him switch?" I asked as we reached the intersection of the West Wing.
Kael smiled—bitter, tired. "Because he had to."
***
When Kael and I finally split off to our own dorms in the West Wing, I nearly tumbled down the stairs—and worse, the crows perched along the windows cawed as if they were laughing at me.
Jerks.
Getting up to the fourth floor was a whole ordeal on its own. I almost forgot how creepy the corridor was, though it didn't feel as dim or cold as before. Maybe knowing Nyra was behind one of those doors helped a bit. Still, I didn't dare disturb her. Right now, all I wanted was a hot shower and sleep—glorious, undisturbed sleep.
I paused when I saw my bag hanging on the door handle.
My heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, I checked it—half-expecting it to be soaked or ruined. But it was dry. Completely dry.
Nyra must've grabbed it for me, probably from the classroom where I'd left it, before I run off to find the restroom with Miro… only to somehow end up in the Lunar Dining Hall and get roped into the mess that followed.
Once I got inside and closed the door behind me, I nearly dropped to my knees from sheer exhaustion.
I groaned, melting onto the floor for a moment, before dragging myself forward.
'Can't sleep at the entrance, Reina. Keep it together.'
I pushed myself up, grabbed some clean clothes, and got ready for a much-needed shower.
Another set of uniform ruined. Probably needs deep cleaning. Or just straight-up incineration.
After a long, hot shower, I felt human again—at least more than I did before.
Still half-damp, I flopped onto the bed with a satisfied groan, checking the time.
10:32 a.m.
Almost lunchtime.
Matilda had mentioned that lunch could be eaten in our dorm rooms or the common hall downstairs. The Dining Hall only opened in the morning and again at night. Weird, but I wasn't about to question the system. Not right now.
I thought about setting an alarm for a quick sleep—maybe two hours, tops. That's when I remembered my phone.
Of course, I had to check if my brother called or messaged me.
I picked it up and squinted through the cracks on the screen.
Nothing.
Maybe it was the damage, or maybe… he really didn't text.
I sighed, thumbed out a quick message:
—I'm here now.
—Weird school.
—Weirder schedule.
—Even weirder classmates.
—But I'm having fun.
I wasn't sure if that was a lie or not. It felt mostly true.
I set the alarm and passed out almost instantly.
When I finally woke up, it was 3 p.m.—definitely more than two hours. My body felt a bit lighter, but my head was still pounding like I'd been hit with a book titled 'Welcome to Lyceum.'
Groggy, I dragged myself toward the small fruit basket near the desk and paused.
It had been restocked.
I definitely remembered eating the last banana and a couple of apples before class last night.
I blinked at it. Everything looked fresh again. No note. No knock.
I shrugged it off—maybe there's some kind of room service? But it'd be nice if they told us that someone could come and go from our rooms like that.
Still, I sat down and started eating, chewing slowly as my fingers instinctively went to the necklace resting against my chest. I toyed with it absentmindedly, my mind drifting again.
What was the connection between this necklace… and the envelope?
I laid the contents out on the bed again, careful not to bend or smudge anything. Each photo showed a different student—some in Lunar uniforms, others in Solar. A few looked even younger… middle schoolers, maybe? Elementary?
What is this?
My eyes drifted over each face. None were familiar to me yet, but something about the way they were arranged, the variety—it felt intentional. Like a lineup. Like someone documenting something.
Should I take this to the Chairman?
To Matilda?
To Percy?
To Signos…?
The questions circled, spinning faster the more I stared.
And then my gaze landed on the envelope.
The one I hadn't opened yet.
I'd nearly forgotten—last night was a blur. Matilda taking back the waywards to the classroom. My first class. Nyra's very distracting hair. Too many things happening at once for curiosity to win.
And now…
I finally tear it open.
.
.
.
Now, I wish I had opened it immediately.