Amberine pushed open the heavy wooden door of the classroom, her footsteps muffled by the sound of tired murmurs already floating in the air. Her eyes scanned the room briefly before spotting Elara and Maris seated near the back. As always, the three of them flocked together, the usual energy between them subdued today.
Elara looked up from the corner of her eye as Amberine approached, her normally stoic face softened by the unmistakable bags under her eyes. Maris was slumped over her desk, staring at nothing in particular, while Amberine herself felt a familiar, dull ache beneath her eyelids. None of them had gotten enough sleep—something had kept them all up last night, gnawing at their thoughts.
"You look like you got run over by a horse," Amberine muttered as she dropped into the seat beside Elara, her voice laced with dry sarcasm.
