THE ALPHA I WAS TO KILL
Across the room, Lila was humming as she tried to braid her hair.
"Morning," she said.
"You look terrible."
"I feel terrible."
"Progress."
I threw a pillow at her, and she laughed. Somehow, her laugh made the room feel normal again.
After breakfast, I skipped training for the first time since arriving at Grimhalden. I went to the library.
It stood at the oldest end of the academy, hidden beneath stained-glass windows that painted the stone floor in blue and gold. The place smelled of dust and old paper, exactly the kind of place where forgotten things waited. An elderly librarian glanced at me over tiny spectacles.