Evaline:
It took everything I had to remain calm as I stepped through the dim corridors of the Academy.
The quietness around me was pressing in on all sides like a thick fog. My footsteps were light, deliberate, while my ears were alert for any sound - shuffling boots, or the low murmurs of patrolling faculty or warriors.
It wasn't against the rules to walk the halls after dinner hours, but it was unusual. Most students tucked themselves away after ten, a habit bred by routine... and perhaps by an unspoken fear. I couldn't blame them. After everything I had just learned, I too felt like shadows were watching from every corner.
The tall staircases creaked beneath my steps as I climbed them, casting quick glances behind me every now and then, half-expecting someone to appear out of the dark and question me. But no one did. The Academy was asleep.
It was nearly midnight by the time I reached the fourth floor of the dormitories and slipped quietly into my dorm.
