Of course.
We hit the common room together. It was busier than yesterday. Coffee mugs everywhere. Someone arguing about music. Another guy laughing like he’d already had too much caffeine.
And then… there it was.
That subtle shift.
At least it wasn’t silence this time. But I knew they were watching.
Eyes tracked the cut first. Then my face.
I felt it like pressure at my back. Not threatening. Evaluating.
“Don’t tense,” Ember murmured. “They smell it.”
I forced my shoulders to relax. Easier said than done.
We crossed toward the kitchen, and that’s when Cassie stepped into our path.
She didn’t block us completely. Just enough to make a point.
“Morning,” she said to Ember.
“Cassie,” Ember replied.
Her eyes slid to me, slow and deliberate. Took in the cut. My boots. The fact that I didn’t move back.
“You settling in?” she asked.
It wasn’t a real question.
“I’m eating breakfast,” I said.
Ember’s mouth twitched.
Cassie studied me for a beat longer, then shrugged. “Just don’t forget where you are.”
“I know where I am,” I said quietly.
Something flickered across her face. Surprise, maybe. Or irritation.
She stepped aside. “Good.”
We passed her without another word.
My pulse didn’t slow until we were inside the kitchen and the smell of food hit me hard enough to make my stomach growl.
“Nice job,” Ember said, grabbing a mug.
“For what?”
“For not backing down.”
I swallowed. “Wasn’t sure I pulled that off.”
“You did,” she said. “Barely. But it counts.”
I leaned against the counter while she poured coffee. People moved around us like we were part of the scenery. A guy bumped my elbow lightly and muttered sorry without even looking at me.
