Evaline:
Monday came faster than I could have hoped. As the dawn light crept across the walls of my dorm, I groaned and rolled to my side, clutching my pillow like it owed me sleep. But reality was relentless - it was the day of the Herbs and Potions quiz.
And I hadn’t revised yet.
Thanks to Saturday night, and everything that unraveled after, the weekend was turned into an emotional landslide. I didn’t even open my notes, let alone revising anything.
I sat up with a sigh and quickly made my bed. But instead of my usual morning exercise session, I settled down in the balcony and started flipping through the notes.
"C’mon, Eva. You have got this," I muttered to myself as I scribbled keywords on the edge of my notebook.
I wanted to do well in this quiz, not just to prove something to anyone else, but to myself. I needed some kind of win after how low I had felt all weekend.
And then there was him.
Kieran.
His messages had kept coming, and I had ignored them just like his brothers’.
I didn’t even know if they were about the quiz, about Saturday night, or something else. I didn’t want to open them. Because if I did, if I read concern or guilt or worse, apologies, I wouldn’t know how to feel. He wasn’t River. He hadn’t hurt me.
But he was River’s brother. And that, somehow, was enough to tie a knot in my chest.
Herbs and Potions was right before lunch. I walked in with my books hugged tightly to my chest and my nerves a bubbling mess beneath my skin.
I slid into my usual spot beside Mallory and Selene. My friends were chattering quietly about the questions that might come up. I got involved too. I was as ready for the quiz as I ever could be.
I hadn’t heard anything about the missing warriors since returning to the Academy, and part of me wondered if it had all been handled quietly by the Council. Or maybe no one wanted to involve students in matters like that. Whatever the reason, the silence around it made it easy to push to the back of my mind, for now.
I was just about to take out my potion formula cheat-sheet when someone unexpected walked in.
Rowan.
He looked casual - messy hair, untucked shirt, and that always-too-cool-to-care air around him. He stopped at the front and started scanning the class as if he was looking for someone.
"Holy hell," Mallory whispered beside me. "Who is that?"
Selene blinked. "He’s not from our class, is he?"
I smiled as warmth rushed through me. "That’s Rowan."
"Rowan?" Mallory asked, raising her eyebrows at me. "As in the roommate you never let us meet?"
"How come it’s my fault?" I murmured. "He usually has his own... schedule."
Kyros turned to glance over his shoulder at us. "I think I saw him during the entrance exams. He was there for the combat trial, I remember."
"Of course you would remember someone like that," Selene said under her breath, clearly watching Rowan with the kind of interest that made me want to chuckle.
Rowan noticed us, and with zero hesitation, walked over and slumped into the empty seat next to me that Mallory emptied.
"Hope you saved me a spot," he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. "You came."
"You said it was important," he replied, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. "I’m here to ace this quiz and ruin the curve."
Mallory leaned in, eyes wide. "Okay, he’s charming and confident. Eva, you have been holding out on us."
I laughed, for what felt like the first time all morning. "Everyone, meet Rowan. Rowan, these are my friends - Mallory, Selene, Kyros, Noah, and Ria."
He nodded at them, flashing an easy smile. "Nice to meet you. I have heard way too much about all of you."
"You have?" Selene blinked.
He smirked. "Eva talks in her sleep."
My mouth dropped. "I do not-"
"Okay, okay," Rowan chuckled, holding up his hands. "Maybe I’m making things up. Maybe not."
Kyros leaned over to Mallory. "I like him."
"Same," she whispered back, smirking.
The mood around us brightened instantly. Rowan had that effect. He settled into the group like he had always belonged. It wasn’t forced or awkward, he just fit. And somehow, just by showing up, he made me feel more grounded than I had in days.
Then the door opened again as the bell rang for the class to begin. And the air changed as Professor Kieran walked in, causing all the chatter to die down immediately.
I didn’t look at him. I kept my eyes trained on the desk as he began placing the quiz sheets on each desk, one by one. My heart was thudding in my chest, and when he finally reached our row, I felt his presence before I saw the edge of the paper slide into place on my desk.
"Good luck," he said softly.
I nodded once, but didn’t dare to say a word. Not even thank you. My throat was too tight.
I felt Rowan glance at me. Just briefly. Like he was checking if I was okay. But he didn’t say anything either.
I picked up my pen, took a steadying breath, and turned the paper over.
Much to my surprise, the quiz wasn’t too hard. There were a couple of hard questions, but overall, it was balanced properly to let all those pass who would have spent some time going through their quiz notes.
It took me about thirty minutes to finish answering and rechecking, before I handed in my paper along with Rowan and Kyros.
We waited in silence for others to finish and twenty minutes later, the test officially ended.
Mallory stretched beside me. "That wasn’t too bad, huh?"
"It could have been worse," I said, agreeing with her.
"Honestly," Rowan chimed in, "I was expecting trick questions. Professor Kieran seems like the type."
"He is," Selene agreed. "He’s just sparing us since it’s our first test."
The bell rang and I started packing my things. I just finished packing when my gaze flickered once toward the front where Professor Kieran was organizing the collected quizzes.
He looked up as if sensing my gaze and our eyes met.
It was only for a second. But it made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want to examine.
So, I looked away and followed my group out of the class.
As we stepped out into the corridor, I finally breathed in deeply. The air was cooler out here. Lighter. And with my friends beside me, the knot of tension in my chest slowly began to loosen.
"You okay?" Rowan asked as he appeared beside me.
"I will be," I replied honestly.
"Then let’s go find lunch," he said. "Because I’m starving. And I’m hoping that quiz earned me at least one of the good desserts at the dining hall."
I chuckled, realizing that it was his first time tasting the food at Academy’s cafeteria.