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“Sorry, excuse us…” Hayzel says softly as we squeeze through the gaps.

We pick up the pace when we hear the warning bell that’s going off in the buildings surrounding us. I feel the sweat forming around my face as our power walk turns into a light jog. I let out a breath as we came closer to the entrance of the hall.

Hayzel removes her hand from my arm, twisting it through mine as she pulls me towards the two empty rows at the back of the hall.

“Shit,” Hayzel mutters under her breath as Professor Green spots us from the top of the stage. I feel her eyes boring into us as she adjusts the microphone.

“You’re good, we’re good, no stress.” I whisper as I squeeze her hand.

“Good morning everyone. I am going to keep this very brief for the most part. I just wanted to give you a warm welcome to the academy,” she gestures towards the other professors who are standing nearby. “Your professors will be here to teach and mentor you, should you need anything they are your most trusted advisors.”

I catch Mister Caldwell’s eyes and the way he studies everyone in this room. He looks focused, as if he’s searching for something.

“You are the elite of Seraphin Bay, but success isn’t guaranteed without effort. This year is going to be long, draining, and tiring. Some of you will leave because of the pressure. But you need to be strong.”

Draining. Tiring. Long…Fuck.

The hall feels too full, too many bodies and too much sound at once. They’re screaming, applauding this new year... Clapping hands and too many people.

I lower myself, like I dropped something, just to get my head down.

Stay low, just stay low.

I don’t look up again right away. I keep my eyes on the desk in front of me, trying to slow my breathing, but it keeps slipping. It’s too fast, then not fast enough, then too fast again. I think about leaving, then immediately don’t. That would be worse.

There’s movement in front of me. A veiny hand. A lighter between fingers, opening and closing. I notice it before I mean to.

Focus on that. Don’t think about anything else.

The noise, the people, the space, I’m trying to keep it out. My breathing evens out a little when I stop trying to control it and just follow that movement instead.

Open, I breathe in. Shut, I breathe out. Open, again.

When I lift my head, Mister Caldwell’s already looking at me and I don’t move. His hand stops, and the lighter goes back into his pocket.

“Reya, come on,” Hayzel says, pulling me upright. I look around the hall noticing everyone grabbing their bags and belongings.

“Are you alright?” She asks, handing me my things.

“Yeah. Sorry, I must’ve spaced out,” I lied.

“Okay, I got you,” Hayzel looks at me suspiciously as I adjust my bag on my shoulder and stand up behind her, watching the students spill out into the hallway. We fall into the back of the line, moving at a slow, dragged-out pace.

I follow with the rest of them, letting the noise thin out as we move.

The lighter is still somewhere in my mind, the rhythm of it lingering a little too long, then it fades as the hallway opens and I keep walking out.

“Let's cut through the building,” I pointed to the door behind me, the one next to the stage. Hayzel nods before linking her arm through mine again. She twirls a lock of my hair with her hand as we pass the professors who are also walking in the same direction as us.

Bennett appears quickly next to us, smiling with his arms crossed against his chest.

“Oh, you again,” Hayzel says and I fight the urge to laugh at her tone as I push one of the large oak double doors.

“Are you guys ready for the firearm training tomorrow?” He asks as he walks beside us.

“I don’t know, do you think they’ll start the evaluation even during training?”

Ethan nods at Hayzel and sits on a bench in front of a big and large statue.