Chapter 61

Aria's POV

The first month of residential life went smoother than expected.

Students adjusted to dormitory routines. Wake up calls, communal meals, study hours, lights out. Catherine and her team kept everything running efficiently.

I still didn't fully trust her but I couldn't fault her work.

Then one of the students went missing.

It happened on a Tuesday evening. A boy named Thomas from the Western Pack didn't show up for dinner. His roommate assumed he was studying late. When he didn't appear for evening check-in, Catherine raised the alarm.

"We've searched the dormitory and school buildings," she reported. "He's not in any of the usual places."

"When...