The thought hollowed me out.
I swallowed hard and turned toward my dorm, my steps slow and numb.
But as I reached the edge of the courtyard, something made me stop.
A flicker.
A shift.
Movement in the tree line.
Instinct jolted through me.
I ducked behind a pillar, pressing into the shadow, watching.
A figure slipped out from between the trees—
calm
casual
unhurried—
hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket like he had simply been out for a stroll.
K.
He merged seamlessly with the stream of students heading back inside, sliding into their midst without a single glance my way.
But then—
just before he reached the doors—
he paused.
He looked back at the chaos.
At the dying flames.
At the smoke curling into the night.
And for a heartbeat—
just one—
that mask he always wore slipped.
A small, satisfied expression tugged at the corner of his mouth.
A look that did not belong to the boy I thought I knew.
Then it vanished.
He smoothed his face into blank boredom and disappeared into the building with the rest.
I stayed frozen in the darkness, my pulse thundering in my ears.
What the hell was that?
