Chapter 16: Two Roads, One Warning
The classroom was unusually quiet that Friday afternoon, sunlight streaming lazily through the windows of St. Benedict Law Faculty. Students were barely holding on, mentally halfway into the weekend. But not Sarah.
She sat upright with her fingers curled tightly around her pen. Her eyes were fixed on the whiteboard as Professor Daniels paced slowly in front of the class.
He tapped the board with a ruler and turned.
"By the end of this semester," he began, "you'll each be required to pick a specialization. This will define your legal career."
He paused and allowed the words to settle. A low murmur of curiosity passed between students.
"There are several paths," the professor continued. "Criminal Law. Corporate Law. Family Law. Human Rights Law. Intellectual Property Law. Constitutional Law. Each with its own fire. Each with its own battlefield."
He looked around as if weighing their spirits.
Sarah's heart thumped a little harder.
"Some of you are here because you've been told where to go," Professor Daniels added, his voice lowering. "Your parents, your sponsors, your mentors... They've already made that choice for you, haven't they?"
Sarah looked down. She didn't need to imagine it, her mother's voice was always precise:
"Human Rights, Sarah. You'll do good for the world. You'll carry our legacy."