<h4>Chapter 547: The Sudden Announcement</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    I had barely stepped back into the dorm, towel wrapped around my damp hair to absorb the excess water, when I realized something was... off.


    Mallory was standing near the cold firece, gulping down thest of her coffee like her life depended on it. Rowan was hopping around on one foot, struggling to pull on his shoe while muttering under his breath. Ria, on the other hand, had already grabbed her cardigan and was halfway toward the door before she froze and looked at me.


    The three of them were moving with purpose.


    Urgency.


    Now that I thought about it, I just walked past a group of my ssmates in the hallway who were in rush to go somewhere.


    Confusion flickered through me. "What’s going on?" I asked, cing my toiletries basket on the shoe cab near the door.


    Ria didn’t answer.


    Instead, she marched straight toward me, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me to the couch.


    "Sit," she ordered.


    Before I could protest, she had taken the towel off my hair and then plugged in the hair dryer. The loud hum filled the room as warm air sted against my damp hair.


    "Ria-" I started.


    "Nope," she cut me off, already lifting sections of my hair with her fingers. "You are not going anywhere with wet hair."


    Mallory appeared at my other side with another blow dryer, plugging it in with impressive speed. "The weather’s not nice these days. And Assembly halls are cold," she added helpfully, as if that exined everything.


    I blinked at them. "Assembly hall?"


    Rowan finally managed to get both shoes on and straightened. "Yeah," he said, grabbing his jacket. "Emergency assembly. All students. Just came through the studentwork."


    "Emergency?" I echoed, my heart skipping.


    "Not emergency-emergency," Rowan rified quickly. "Just... sudden."


    I already knew.


    The realization settled quietly in my chest.


    Kieran.


    He must have finalized the n.


    This was it - the excuse, the distraction, the way to clear the Academy grounds without raising suspicion. He finally had made the n he had been working on sincest weekend.


    At least I believed this was all about that.


    I kept my face neutral, even as Ria aggressively dried the back of my hair.


    "Ohe on," I said lightly, trying to pull away. "We’ll bete if you keep doing this."


    Mallory shook her head. "Five minutes," she promised. "Trust us."


    Ria nodded vigorously. "Exactly five."


    I sighed but didn’t resist further.


    How could I?


    My heart warmed despite myself. Their concern was genuine, instinctive. They didn’t know what was really happening, yet here they were... making sure I wasn’t cold, wasn’t rushed, wasn’t ufortable.


    And Rowan, he was at my feet the vert next moment... holding my sneakers that he helped me put on.


    Five minutester... exactly as promised... both hair dryers clicked off.


    Mallory shoved a small, pocket-sizedb into my hand. "Emergency grooming," she dered.


    Iughed softly, quickly running theb through my now-dry hair as we hurried out of the dorm.


    The hallway was eerily empty.


    That was when we broke into a run.


    Our footsteps echoed as we rushed toward the elevators, only slowing when we reached the lobby and spotted other students spilling out of stairwells and lifts, equally hurried.


    "Okay," Rowan said, slowing down. "We are notte."


    Three minutester, we entered the assembly hall.


    The ce was already buzzing.


    I slipped theb into my pocket as we scanned the rows, quickly spotting Kyros, Selene, and Noah waving enthusiastically from the back. They had managed to secure a row with enough empty seats for all of us.


    We hurried over and dropped into our seats just as Professor Aldric stepped onto the stage.


    The hall gradually quieted.


    Only then did I notice the faculty. All of them were seated in the front rows... every professor, every instructor. That alone was enough to make whispers ripple through the students.


    Professor Aldric cleared his throat. "Thank you for assembling so quickly," he said warmly. "I apologize for the sudden call."


    A few groans echoed, quickly drowned out by curious murmurs.


    "But," he continued, a smile spreading across his face, "I promise... you are going to love what’sing."


    The whispers grew louder.


    Beside me, Mallory leaned in. "If this isn’t good, I’m suing."


    I barely suppressed a smile.


    Professor Aldric lifted a hand. "Without further dy, I would d like to invite Headmaster Thorne to the stage."


    The hall erupted.


    Cheers. Apuse. And whistles that came mostly from the first years.


    Kieran stepped onto the stage, calm andposed as ever, his presence alone enough tomand silence. It took only a raised hand for the hall to quiet once more.


    "My apologies for the short notice," he began, his voice smooth and steady. "But I believe this announcement is worth it."


    He paused.


    Then...


    "Theing Monday morning, the entire Silver Moon Academy will be going on a three-day trip."


    For half a second, there was stunned silence.


    Then chaos.


    Cheers exploded around us. Students jumped to their feet. Conversations ovepped, excitement crackling through the air like electricity.


    Mallory grabbed my arm. "Did he say entire Academy?"


    "All of us?" Ria gasped.


    Kyros let out a low whistle. "That’s insane."


    I smiled, pping along with everyone else, even as my heart beat with a different kind of anticipation.


    Kieran waited patiently for the noise to die down before continuing.


    "This is the first time in Silver Moon Academy’s history that all four years will be traveling at once," he exined. "To ensure order... and enjoyment... we have selected four different destinations."


    That caught everyone’s attention.


    "Each year will be assigned one destination," he went on, "and which year goes where will be decided through a game."


    The hall erupted again.


    A game.


    Of course.


    Kieran’s gaze swept across the students. "Each year will need to choose a representative," he said. "One volunteer per year."


    The hall buzzed as students from each year began turning to one another, already debating who should represent them.


    "Volunteers," Kieran announced, "please step onto the stage."