Chapter 72: Quiet. Simple. Good.

I got up with the first light of the morning. Ken was still out cold above me, snoring like he was getting paid for it. Had to admit, ever since I got here, I’d been sleeping without pills. No idea why. Maybe the air, maybe the exhaustion, maybe both. Either way, I wasn’t complaining.

I rubbed my eyes, swung both legs off the bed, and stood up. I slipped on my slippers and stepped quietly into the corridor, the door creaking faintly.

A few students were already awake. Some leaned against the walls, half-asleep, others actually looked alive, talking in low voices. The dining area was mostly empty as I passed, save for a small group of friends hunched over a table, scribbling in their notebooks as if their lives depended on it.

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