Meeting Erin

Everyone on the warship had to be in the dining hall by noon sharp.

The dining hall was down a level, so the students had to hop in the elevator from their floor. Around 11:50, several students left their rooms, and they all happened to bump into each other in the hallway.

Kail noticed Lyra's face as soon as he walked in—it was all too familiar to him. Every time he saw her, he couldn't stop recalling their time spent together when they were kids.

So, he made a point to walk next to her, saying, "Watch out, Cousin Erin's around too." He then hurried to catch up with some first-year students, completely missing the brief moment when Lyra hesitated behind him.

"Lyra?" Zinnia glanced over and noticed Lyra's expression was a bit off. 'Maybe it's just the dim hallway lighting?' Zinnia thought.

Lyra kept walking, but something about it felt... wrong. In every way.