Chapter 53: Day 2 of Plague

Nivia POV.

I woke before the bell.

For a moment, I lay still and listened.

The girls’ hostel was quiet. No running water yet. No doors slamming. Just soft breathing and the faint noise of the old ceiling fan.

Rachel slept in her bed, her back to me, a thin line under her blanket.

From here, I could not tell if her eyes were swollen again.

I turned my head toward the window.

The curtains were pulled, but a weak light usually crept through the thin cloth this early. Today, the fabric was dark. No gray glow. No sign of morning.

A knot formed in my stomach.

I pushed my blanket aside and slipped my feet to the floor. The tiles felt cold. I shivered and reached for my thick sweater at the end of my bed. I pulled it over the long-sleeved shirt I had slept in, then grabbed my socks.

When I tugged the curtains open a little, my breath caught.

The sky outside was not brightening. It was a deep, dull gray, like late evening before a storm. The lamps in the hostel yard were still on, casting ye