28. Evelyn
28
Evelyn
T he stuffy conference room reeked of tension and stale coffee. I shifted in my seat, eyeing the grim faces around the table. Dean Sterling looked like he’d aged a decade overnight, his usually sharp demeanor dulled by exhaustion.
“This is unprecedented,” the dean began, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. “Given the events of the last few days and the growing threat of Goddess Eris, we’ve decided that the Academy term will end early and we won’t be hosting the end-of-year ball.”
Murmurs rippled through the room, but no one seemed surprised.
“We have no choice,” he continued, his voice heavy. “Our priority is the safety of the students.”
Around the table, witches, shifters, and other key leaders from the Academy and nearby communities sat in strained silence. Rafe stood at my side, his wings tucked back, while Lucien, Alister, Chad, Ryker, and Zade flanked me like a united front.
Zade nodded, breaking the quiet. “The dean is right. With the influx of volunteers, we’ll need the Academy as our base of operations.”
The chief of Supernatural Law Enforcement grunted his agreement. “Better to have willing fighters here than a bunch of half-trained students not listening to protocols.”
“It’s settled, then,” Dean Sterling sighed. “We’ll begin evacuations immediately. The dormitories will be cleared for those who’ve come to help.”
Chad leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. “What about the students? What if Eris targets them on their way home?”
The room fell silent, the gravity of his words hanging in the air. The thought of Eris targeting the students churned my stomach.
The chief spoke up again. “We’ll organize escorts for the younger students and anyone vulnerable. We won’t leave anyone unprotected.”
The dean nodded, relief flickering across his weary face. “Good. This transition must happen as swiftly and safely as possible.”
The rest of the day was a blur of chaos. Students streamed out of dorms, lugging overstuffed suitcases and exchanging hurried goodbyes. Once buzzing with the usual rhythm of classes and study sessions, now the Academy felt unrecognizable.
By sunset, only a handful of students remained. I found myself outside the dorms where Maggie, Felix, and Aurora stood. They were some of the last to leave, and their goodbyes felt heavier than I was ready for.
“Promise you’ll text?” Maggie asked, her voice thick with emotion.
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Felix pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, his usual humor absent as he whispered, “Be careful, Evelyn.”
Aurora pressed her forehead to mine, her voice soft but steady. “Look after Raven and Dad, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
And just like that, Arcanum Academy officially became our headquarters for taking down Eris.