Chapter 59 Meeting (1)
After classes ended, Alina felt that same knot of worry twisting in her chest. She’d been thinking about the meeting all afternoon.
The email from the principal had been short and formal, the kind that made her stomach drop.
Meeting: Principal’s Office. Attendance Required.
So when the last child was picked up by a driver, Alina gathered her courage, smoothed her simple dress, and hugged bag.
The hallway outside Dante Nightshade’s office felt colder than the rest of the building, the dark carved door so tall and heavy that even the handle seemed to glare at her. She knocked once, then twice, and when she heard that deep, low "Come in," she nearly squeaked.
Inside, the room felt like another world– rich dark wood, shadowy corners, bookshelves filled with heavy, ancient volumes.
And at the center of it all was Dante, leaning back in his tall chair like a dark king, his sharp crimson eyes fixed on the files in front of him.
Professor Hobb and Miss Kelly were already seated on one side of the polished table. Their faces looked as sour as ever–Hobb’s eyebrows twitching at her like little caterpillars of judgment, Kelly’s eyes rolling when she stepped in. But Gabriel was there too — the only soft light in the dark room and he gave Alina the tiniest nod and a kind smile as if to say You’re fine.
One empty chair remained. Right across from Dante. Alina’s throat went dry.
She stepped forward, keeping her shoulders straight as she whispered, "May I... take a seat, Sir?"