IVY LEAGUE

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄

The waiter returned with their breakfast, carefully setting the plates down in front of each of them. A sweet aroma instantly filling their noses, there were freshly brewed coffee, buttery croissants, and eggs that was cooked just right.

"Here you go," the waiter said, placing Xinmei's plate last. "Let me know if you need anything else, enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," Xinmei said with a polite nod before picking up her fork.

Lucy had already reached for her coffee, stirring in some sugar as she leaned back in her chair. "So, have you guys started applying to universities yet?"

Blakely took a bite of her food before answering. "I’ve sent a few applications, but I’m still deciding between two schools. I don’t know if I want to stay in-state or not, definitely not but my mom would burn down the house if I told her that."

Xinmei made a small sound of agreement. "Same. I’ve applied to a couple, but I haven’t gotten any replies yet. I feel like the waiting is worse than actually applying, my dad wants to help." She paused. "I feel like I should let him. We're in the connection age anyway. Less stress”

"Good for you. I don't think I want anyone's help, it'll definitely come back to bite" Blakely said. "So it's stressful for me refreshing the portals every day like my life depends on it."

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, like anyone would believe that, Meimei told me about how good you are academically and I've seen your volunteer works okay? So I'm sure you'd get into any of the schools you chose. Is it an ivy league?"

"Yup, UPenn, Wharton school”

Lucy laughed, sipping her coffee. "That's a pretty good choice”

"Hope so," Blakely muttered.

They kept eating, the conversation shifting between different topics, from plans for the summer, whether or not Xinmei would dye her hair again, how annoying it was that senior year felt both too fast and too slow at the same time. Just normal talk, nothing too deep, nothing too stressful. It felt nice.

But then, both Blakely and Xinmei’s phones buzzed at the same time.

They glanced at each other before checking the messages. It was from the school—students were being called back to class to discuss about the unfortunate fire, the graduation award ceremony, and graduation itself.

Blakely sighed, setting her phone down. "Guess we actually have to go to school today."

"I mean… we could ignore it, but I feel like the award ceremony thing might be important." Xinmei groaned.

"Yeah," Blakely agreed. "Normally, today would just be a waste of time, but since they're actually discussing graduation, we probably shouldn’t skip."

Lucy, who had been watching them, raised a brow. "You guys heading out?"

She nodded, taking the last sip of her drink. "Yeah. You can stay a little longer if you want, but we have to go."

"No problem," Lucy said easily. "I’ll hang around for a bit before leaving. Have a safe drive."

Blakely stood up and grabbed her wallet. "I’ll go settle the bill."

Xinmei got up as well, adjusting her bag. "I’ll wait outside."

Blakely walked to the counter, paid for their meal, then joined her outside. They headed to her car, the morning sun now fully out, making the glass walls of the café gleam.

Once they were in, Blakely started the engine and drove off toward the school.

\-----

She pulled into the school parking lot, smoothly steering the car into an open space at the parking lot. She killed the engine and exhaled, glancing at Xinmei, who was scrolling through her phone.

"You think we should’ve gone back to change?" Xinmei asked without looking up.

Blakely shrugged. "Doubt it. I’m sure half the students didn’t bother either."

"Good. Because I really wasn’t in the mood to dig through my closet for that uniform."

They got out of the car, grabbing their bags before heading toward the main building. The campus was quieter than usual—most students were already inside, probably in their classrooms or wherever this meeting was supposed to be happening.

They walked down the hallway, pushing open the door to their class.

Empty.

Xinmei frowned. "Well, that’s not a good sign."

Blakely glanced around, then checked her phone. "Maybe they moved it somewhere else?"

"Auditorium?"

"Probably."

They turned back and went out, making their way toward the large double doors leading to the main auditorium. As they got closer, the faint sound of voices and movement confirmed their guess.

Blakely pushed the door open, and sure enough, students were already gathered inside, some standing around in small groups, others taking seats while waiting for the teachers to come.

"Guess we’re in the right place," Xinmei muttered, stepping inside.

Shs nodded, scanning the room, a few students were already seated, some in their uniforms and others, like them, in casual clothes.

“Okay, good. We’re not the only ones.” Xinmei sighed beside her, clearly relieved.

She hummed in agreement before stepping in. They made their way down the rows and found seats next to each other in the middle section, settling in as more students trickled in.

The auditorium wasn’t packed, but there were enough people to make it feel like an actual school gathering. A few students whispered among themselves, probably catching up on whatever gossip they had missed since yesterday. Blakely caught snippets of conversations—some about the fire at Eden, and one of them smugly replying that now she knew why she had a feeling not to join the trip.

A few minutes later, the teachers and some other school authorities walked in, making their way to the front. The noise in the auditorium died down as everyone turned their attention to them.

Ms. Li who was among one of the teachers who had accompanied them on the trip, stepped forward first. She smiled, though there was a hint of exhaustion in her expression. “Good morning, everyone. First off, I hope you’re all doing well after everything that happened yesterday. We just wanted to take a moment to check in with you all and also go over some things regarding your graduation and the awards ceremony.”

She paused, letting that settle in before continuing. “I know some of you were worried about what happened at the castle. We’ve been assured that everything is under control and that there were no serious injuries. That being said, it’s unfortunate that the trip had to end the way it did.”

Blakely glanced at Xinmei, who was super focused on what was being said. Did no one else hear about what Lucy told her?

Ms. Li continued, “If we were allowed, I would have suggested we put together a small consolation gift for the people at Eden as a thank-you for hosting us. But considering the circumstances, I don’t think that will be possible. Ms Evangeline rejected our request to visit again with the gifts as the owners are back and wouldn't like that”

Some students muttered in agreement. It seemed like the trip to Eden was illegally arranged.

One of the other teachers, Mr. Finn, took over next. “Now, about the graduation award ceremony,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “We want to remind you all that the ceremony isn’t just about the top academic achievers. There are multiple categories, including leadership, sports, music, and community service awards. If you think you or someone you know deserves recognition, make sure to submit nominations before the deadline next week. ”

A few students perked up at that, and whispers started up again, no doubt about who they thought would win certain awards.

Blakely Looked around her eyes settling on Frankie, she snorted softly. “If there’s an award for making out with a roommate, sure.”

Xinmei bit her lip to keep from laughing.

At the front, Mr. Finn continued, “As for graduation itself, the final date has been confirmed, We'll be creating a poll to choose the theme, so please make sure to log into the school site to participate to get your dream graduation. We’ll be holding the ceremony on the—” He paused to check his notes. “—fifteenth of next month. That gives you all plenty of time to make sure you have everything you need, including your wears and any other necessary arrangements.”

Ms. Li took over again. “We’ll also be having a small farewell event for the graduating class before the ceremony. More details on that will be shared soon.”

Blakely barely paid attention after that. She already knew the basics of what to expect, and right now, her mind was still lingering on what Lucy had said earlier at breakfast.

She still didn’t get it. If the castle wasn’t actually damaged, then what had they seen? What had actually happened?

And why did it feel like no one was questioning it? No one heard or saw it?