A heavy, suffocating silence descended over the academy field the instant Mr. Asher's cold voice sliced through the morning air like a sharpened blade.
"Except the Red Dorm."
My stomach plummeted instantly, a sickening free-fall that left me hollow.
Oh, what in all the hells had we done this time?
The thought echoed through my mind, slow and heavy like a stone sinking into dark, murky water, inescapable and dragging dread along with it.
Around us, the atmosphere shifted in the blink of an eye. Students who had already begun drifting toward the promise of breakfast froze mid-step, then slowly turned back. Whispers erupted like wildfire racing through dry grass, spreading fast and merciless.
"Red Dorm again…"
"They're always causing trouble."
"So troublesome. When will they learn?"
