Will's look is one of gratitude and relief. Sonia, meanwhile, gives you a grudging shrug.
"Well, you're quiet enough, I suppose," she says. "Just make sure that you don't rustle any leaves too loudly, won't you?"
You set off. Despite the conversation about strategy, your move towards the forest's exit is more of a stroll than an organized retreat. This is mostly because, as far as you can tell, the forest has no interest in keeping you there. For the first five minutes, the most dangerous thing you encounter is a rogue tree root, which at least gives Sonia something to laugh at as you pick yourself up off the ground.
No one comments on the ease of your passage. It's as though your group shares the same belief that if anyone remarks on the calm, you'll hear the first rumbles of the storm. After the ferocity of the headmaster, it's as though you're all on watch, waiting for something—anything—to hurl itself at you.
You find yourself walking with Grace. The girl seems to have had a surprisingly quick recovery from her brush with death, and she shoots you a slightly nervous smile as you fall in step beside her.
Like most of the St. Mary's students you've met so far, she seems far more comfortable talking to another human. You decide to take advantage of this and engage her in some conversation.
"So," you say, "how're you doing now?"
Grace shrugs, looking back down at the forest floor. "I'm…still trying to puzzle it out," she says eventually. "I mean…I wasn't in control over what I did—I can't even remember most of it—but it was still me, wasn't it? I still did it." She shrugs, still looking down. "I guess I'm just trying to work out how I feel about that."