{Elira}
~**^**~
"Sorry to disappoint," I murmured, lifting my hands in a gentle shrug. "But yeah, I was reading a particular yearbook that day. And today, I went back to finish up... only to find it was gone."
The room fell quiet for a beat.
Cambria straightened slightly. "That’s strange. Are you sure it wasn’t just moved?"
"I checked. The librarian—I an... Professor Rennon looked into the logs. Nothing. No one signed it out."
Tamryn frowned. "No item is allowed out of the Archive Room without being logged. That’s like... standard rule."
"Exactly," I said, exhaling deeply. "But it’s not there anymore."
Nari sat up. "Maybe it’s a mistake. Or soone took it out and forgot to log it? It’ll show up again."
I nodded slowly, but the truth lodged like a stone in my chest. Their reactions made sense—they didn’t know what that yearbook ant to . They didn’t know the weight it carried or the secrets it might’ve held about my mother.
If they did, maybe they’d understand why my chest felt so tight, like sothing important had just slipped through my fingers.
Cambria stood and walked over, gently patting my shoulder. "You’ve done enough for today. Go shower, rest a bit before dinner."
I nodded wordlessly, grateful for the escape.
As I grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, I glanced once more at the ceiling, biting down on the swirl of frustration rising inside .
---
Dinner slled... divine.
The mont we stepped into the cafeteria, the aroma hit like a warm hug — hearty spices, buttery richness, sothing zesty, sothing sweet.
My mouth nearly watered on instinct, totally forgetting all about my frustration.
"Okay, what’s going on?" Juniper asked, eyes narrowing as she scanned the buffet. "Are we celebrating sothing? Because this—" she motioned to the spread, "—this is not your regular school dinner."
I spotted the trays: Instant pot chicken and dumplings, juicy steak drowning in thick brown gravy, mashed potatoes so fluffy they looked whipped. Maybe they were actually whipped.
There were stuffed zucchini boats with tomato and feta, and even tahini pasta salad. Then there was the gnocchi soup — steaming, creamy, laced with chicken.
My stomach grumbled instantly.
Cambria looked over at and grinned. "One thing ESA gets right? Food. Honestly, if they keep feeding like this, I won’t even miss ho."
Nari groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. "ESA is trying to kill . Slowly. Through food. They want fat and happy and helpless."
Then she grabbed her plate and marched straight to the buffet line.
I burst out laughing, not even trying to hold it in. Nari’s actions totally pushed my worries to the back of my mind.
She was such a codian. What happened to the weight-watching ideology she was pushing for?
I guess that goal has all been swallowed by ESA’s cafeteria.
Tamryn, who was surveying the drinks, raised a brow. "Red wine?"
Her tone was mild, but even I could tell she was surprised.
"They’ve never offered wine since we got here," she added. "Not even during the weekend als."
Juniper nodded in agreent. "Whatever mood ESA’s in, I hope they stay there. This is the first ti I’ve felt like I’m dining at a five-star lodge."
Once we had each picked up a little of everything — which basically turned into a mountain of food — we found an empty table at the far end of the room and claid it.
I was about to dig in when I suddenly rembered.
My phone.
I quickly pulled it out, snapped a photo of my colourful, over-filled plate, and sent it straight to the triplet brothers’ group chat with the caption:
[Tonight’s dinner at ESA.]
It didn’t even take up to three seconds, and I saw the notification that Lennon was already texting.
I stayed to wait for it.
Lennon replied almost instantly:
[Okay, wow. ESA’s feeding you better than we are. We’ve got a margin to beat.]
A soft smile tugged at my lips. I typed:
[That’s not true. But yeah... the food’s amazing.]
Then another ssage popped up — this ti from Zenon.
[It looks like you’re eating better than you’re studying. Co to my office imdiately after your classes tomorrow.]
My fingers froze. My entire body stiffened.
I dropped the phone on the table like it had burned .
Nari’s voice cut through the mont. "What the hell just happened to you? Your mood switched faster than a magician’s card trick."
I scrambled for a normal expression. "Nothing," I said quickly, reaching for my cutlery. "Just... figuring out what to eat first."
Juniper raised her glass of wine and said dryly, "This dinner calls for a celebration."
Cambria grinned. "Absolutely."
Nari didn’t wait. She clinked her glass against Cambria’s. Tamryn lifted hers too, ever composed. Then all eyes turned to .
I blinked and reached for my own. "Okay," I murmured. "Cheers."
We clinked.
Only for Nari to interrupt the mont, holding her glass up again. "Wait! Do it again. I need a picture for my blog."
Juniper groaned. "Seriously? The food is getting cold."
Nari waved her off. "Just hold it for three seconds. Please."
Cambria shook her head but raised her glass again. "Let her have her mont."
Tamryn sighed. "Don’t get my face in your shot this ti, Nari."
Nari gasped, grinning. "I won’t, I won’t!"
We all held our glasses up again, slightly more impatient this ti. Nari snapped the photo, bead, and said, "Thanks, guys!"
Tamryn leaned in. "Let see."
Nari handed the phone over. Tamryn looked at the photo and said with satisfaction, "Good. My face didn’t show."
Nari rolled her eyes. "That’s all you noticed?"
Before Tamryn could reply, Cambria took the phone, glanced at the picture and said, "Aww. This one ca out really nice."
Nari took her phone back with a pleased smile, and I told her, "Send it to the group chat. I want a copy too."
She did. And then finally — finally — we started to eat.
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