Chapter 34: Anastasia

The hallway inside the main wing of St. Jude Academy smells of citrus-based floor wax and fresh paint. The corridor is four meters wide, lined on both sides with built-in lockers painted in a matte slate-gray enamel. The sharp click of my leather heels and the light, uneven thuds of Luna’s new shoes echo against the high plaster ceiling as we follow the line of parents toward the end of the hall.

We turn right through the oak doorframe of Room 104.

The classroom is large, square, and illuminated by four tall sash windows that look out over the northern courtyard. Twenty small wooden desks are arranged...