All Chapters of Eclipse Academy: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Xavier’s POV By the time we finally made it back to my suite, the academy had gone quiet. Break had emptied most of Eclipse Academy, leaving the halls almost unnaturally still. Every now and then, distant footsteps echoed somewhere beyond the corridor before fading into silence again. Our afternoon in the library had followed us home. Journals covered my coffee table. Loose sheets of parchment filled with hurried notes were scattered across the couch and the floor. Maps, family trees, and names of forgotten kingdoms were scribbled across pages in three different handwritings. We’d spent hours chasing Aldren’s trail, only to discover every answer pointed toward another question. Angela hadn’t slowed down once. She was sitting cross-legged against the headboard of my bed with another journal resting across her lap, completely absorbed in its pages. A strand of blonde hair had slipped loose, falling across one side of her face, and every few seconds she’d absentmindedly blow it away

Xavier’s POV The copied pages felt heavier than they should have. They were only a handful of worn sheets, carefully copied from Mr. Wilson’s journal, yet I couldn’t stop looking down at them as I walked back through the quiet academy. I’d gone looking for answers. Instead, I’d found another clock. Only this one wasn’t counting down to twenty-one. It might already be running out. I tightened my grip on the papers before pushing open the door to my suite. Silas looked up from the couch the moment I stepped inside. He’d obviously been waiting. “Did you find him?” I nodded my head as I shut the door behind me. “Yeah.” “Well?” He waved his hand in the air. I glanced toward the bedroom. “Is she awake?” As if on cue, Angela stepped into the room carrying two steaming mugs. A loose sweater hung from one shoulder, and her hair was still slightly messy from sleep. She looked tired, but she smiled the second she saw me. “I didn’t know you were already back.” She crossed the room and ha

Angela’s POV I sat on the edge of Xavier’s bed, staring down at my phone. It rested in my hands, but I hadn’t unlocked it. Not yet anyway. The room was quiet. Too quiet. The silence should have been comforting. Instead, it only gave my thoughts more room to run. I’d left the living room because I needed to breathe. At least… I thought I did. Now I wasn’t so sure. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the copied journal pages spread across the coffee table. Ancient handwriting. Faded ink. Words written by people who had died centuries ago. Yet somehow they still had the power to make my chest ache. I’d spent so much time believing I had until I turned twenty-one. Now… Maybe I didn’t. Maybe the curse wasn’t waiting patiently for my birthday. Maybe it had already started counting down. I looked toward the window. The afternoon sun stretched across the floor, warm against the hardwood, but it did nothing to chase away the cold knot that had settled in my stomach. I rubbed my hands tog

Angela’s POV The door to our suite opened just as I was setting my backpack beside the couch “Home sweet home,” Steph announced dramatically as she stepped inside behind me, dragging her suitcase with one hand. She looked around the room before letting out a satisfied sigh. “I missed this place.” I laughed softly. “It’s good to have you back.” She smiled the moment our eyes met. “It’s good to be back.” I have to admit the place had felt strangely empty while she’d been gone. Xavier and Silas had become my safe place over break, but there was something comforting about having my best friend back too. Steph dropped her suitcase near her bed before pulling me into a hug. “I missed you, girl.” “I missed you too.” I chuckled as she squeezed a little too hard. She held me for another second before stepping back to look at me. “You look tired.” I couldn’t help laughing. “You sound like Xavier.” “And Silas,” she guessed. I nodded my head. “They’ve both been fussing over me.” Befo

Angela’s POV. My hand lingered on the doorknob for a second before I finally turned it. The hallway beyond the suite was almost empty. Darius stood just outside the door. For a moment, neither of us said anything. He looked… different. Not in the obvious ways. He still wore the same dark clothes he always preferred, and his hair was just as unruly as ever, but something about him had changed. His shoulders seemed heavier, as though he’d been carrying something for far too long. His face looked more tired than I’d ever seen it. Even the confidence that had once surrounded him so effortlessly was gone. He looked at me with uncertain eyes. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually want to see me.” His voice was quieter than I remembered. I stepped aside. “I wasn’t sure either.” He gave a small nod, accepting the answer for exactly what it was. When he walked past me, I noticed something else. His movements were stiff. Almost like every step demanded more effort than it should. I closed the