Chapter 100: Assignments and Autumn
Evaline:
The beginning of the sixth week rolled in with golden leaves rustling against the stone pathways of the Academy.
Autumn had fully embraced the grounds, painting the trees in hues of amber, burnt orange, and deep red. If I were someone else, I might have romanticized the beauty of the season - the crunch of leaves underfoot, the mellow sunlight filtering through branches - but the shift in the air was not just in the weather.
The peaceful lull we got to enjoy for the five weeks of the term came to a sharp, screeching halt.
Professors across every subject seemed to have woken up with a vengeance, as if they all collectively decided that now was the time to remind us we were at the most prestigious and demanding academy in the shifter world.
Over the week, we received assignments, group projects, and news of tests/quizzes that were to take place I’m seventh and eighth weeks.
Some students actually groaned out loud in the middle of classes, others (like me) just buried their heads in their notes and braced for the wave.
Still, what unsettled me the most wasn’t the workload, but Professor Kieran.
He returned mid-week, and the first moment he stepped into class, I felt it like a chill wind slithering down my spine. He looked the same - long blonde hair tied back, his attire sharp and scholarly, his posture perfect - but something about him was feeling different.
It wasn’t visible... but it was there. To anyone else, he was just as clear, efficient, and gentle in tone. But for someone like me, who had shared quiet conversations and half-smiles with him before, I could tell.
His eyes were more tired. Less warm. The small, amused expressions that used to flicker across his face during lively class discussions were gone.