Alice started down the hallway with her lunch bag in hand and made sure that no teachers saw her because she didn't want to get stopped for a random talk despite having a pass.
She knew most teachers around the academy since she tried going out of her way her first year of admission to the academy, but it didn't make much of a difference now.
Going down the stairs of the hallway, she avoided the elevator since it was practically announcing her arrival and was reserved for those who needed it more.
She paused at the base of the stairs when she heard some unfamiliar voices. The main office was straight ahead, and she could be caught in a flash if she wasn't careful.
Alice shifted her head to the side to try and see who it was. It was three men who were speaking quietly to each other, but she could tell that nothing was amiss with the smile on their faces. They were likely administrators just talking cordially with their arms crossed.
She made sure to not make her heel come in contact with the floor when she made her move to the other side of the stairwell and slip past, aligning herself with the doors so that they couldn't see her.
Pressing her back to the wall, she breathed in shallowly before making a break away to the other side of the hallway.
Alice peeked back around the corner to see that they didn't move an inch and sighed in relief before striding the side door of the main building straight onto the courtyard.
They could clearly hear the door opening and closing which meant that she had to find cover immediately. She dove to the side of the main building when she heard the door open once more, but then they retreated.
Nerves were threatening to eat her up, and she gripped her briefcase tighter. Why was she doing this again? Alice shook her head to suppress her smile. It was already done. She might as well finish her plan.
The noise from the lawnmower was getting closer, and Alice flinched right before the hum turned away. She had to make sure that she didn't come across the gardener either.
She would have to stay on the outskirts of campus to avoid the gardener seeing her. Alice ran out from her hiding spot to the stone pathing that led to the south building and walked along the front side of the building facing the road, knowing that she looked insane if there was a car driving by.
The gardener had already finished this side, so there would be no reason for him to come back this way. Alice stifled her laugh since it felt as though she was playing a game, dodging all the mobs that could land her in some hot water.
She ducked low underneath the windows and tried to cross by as fast as possible since she could be seen from the top if she took too long. Alice went behind tall bushes that were neatly kept and kept her distance away from the windows in case someone were to open them.
Hopping over the slate rocks, she made it to the side of the courtyard where she could be seen in plain sight, and her heart stuttered when she saw the gardener drive past on his lawnmower, but he didn't lift his head from the grass.
Alice sprinted over to the small thicket of trees that easily obscured her body. Tucking her briefcase tight against her chest, she followed the pathing that led to Carver Hall.
The area of the trees was large enough to be mentioned as the woods on the academy grounds, and Alice lifted her eyes above to see that the trees above blocked away most of the sunlight.
There were some light blotches on the ground, and the soft crunches of the leaves underneath her played with her ears. Birds chirped overhead, and Alice wiped the sweat on her brow before lightly laughing.
She never had run that hard in forever. Her collar was sticking close to her neck, and she loosened the tie around her neck.
The path opened up to a stone pattern on the ground when the trees gave way to a cleared-out area where a bridge was and a man-made pond ran underneath.
There was a spring that had precisely placed lily pads on the water, and Alice paused to catch her breath while leaning her forearms on the side of the stone bridge.
She was reminded of how beautiful the academy was once more, and Alice brushed a hand down her skirt to smooth out the lines. Continuing her walk down, she hummed to herself excited to eat her food. Time was cutting close, and she only had a few minutes to get up to the rooftop before she was caught.
Alice could tell the students in the classrooms were getting antsy, clearly ready to eat lunch, and she needed to hurry to the back of the building. Some students she could see in the windows were sneaking out early, and Alice sighed before picking up her pace and sprinting, clutching her bags tight to her body.
The path curved to the right, but Alice needed to get to the back. She ran behind the wooden gazebo and ducked down when she saw students leave the building.
Two girls were laughing loudly, pushing each other teasingly before stopping to whisper to each other. Alice remained in a squatting position for a moment but the girls wouldn't move.
Why were they standing there in the open like that when they could obviously get caught? Alice spotted their crest which only had one star on it, signaling that they were first years. Running a hand through her hair, she decided that she couldn't wait any longer.
The second the girls faced the other direction, Alice waddled like a duck for a few steps, making sure that they couldn't see her before straightening up and shooting straight behind the building.
Biting her lip, she tried to make no sound with every step she took and completed her mission, running home safe when she walked into the shadow of Carver Hall.
She gripped the brick wall and leaned her head on her arm for a moment. She was more nervous about this than taking a test, and Alice wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
Alice slid the briefcase that had backpack straps over her arms before clipping her lunch box to her strap, looking up at the metal ladder that was attached to the building.