I had somewhat lost track of how long I’d been at Night Raven College.

The days blurred together in a rush of classes, magic mishaps, and barely passing exams. I could handle those. The chaos almost made it feel normal—almost like I belonged here.

But the nights…

They were hard.

When the halls went quiet and the lights dimmed, there was nothing left to distract me. No lectures, no Grim yelling for tuna, no Ace picking fights for fun. Just the weight of silence and the reminder that I didn’t belong in this world.

I was lucky, in a way. My phone was useless for everything else—no signal, no messages, no internet—but somehow, my photos were still there.

It still had us.

Pictures I never thought twice about taking. Moments I assumed I’d always have more of. Smiles, candid laughs, blurry shots taken when neither of us could stand still.

I never realized how precious they were until they were all I had left.

It was lunch now, and Grim was happily shoveling food into his mouth, crumbs scattering across the table.

“Oi! This stuff’s actually good today!” he said through a mouthful.

I barely registered it.

Ace and Deuce still hadn’t shown up, so I slipped my phone from my pocket, angling it low beneath the table like it was something I needed to hide.

My thumb hovered for a second before I opened my camera roll.

I scrolled past photos of Night Raven—messy dorm rooms, Grim making ridiculous faces, Ace photobombing shots on purpose—until I reached that one.

My favorite.

You and me, standing close together, your arm slung casually around my shoulders. It was taken on our anniversary, both of us dressed up nicer than usual, smiling like the world couldn’t touch us.

I smiled before I could stop myself.

God, that day…

The warmth of your hand in mine, the way you laughed when I tripped over my words, how you leaned in just a little closer when the photo was taken. It hurt—this dull ache in my chest—knowing I couldn’t see you, couldn’t talk to you, couldn’t even tell you I was okay.

Do you even know I’m gone? I wondered.

“Whatcha staring at so hard?”

I jumped, nearly dropping my phone as Ace slid into the seat across from me, grinning like he’d caught me doing something illegal.

I quickly locked the screen. “Nothing.”

Ace leaned forward, squinting at me. “That was the fastest ‘nothing’ I’ve ever seen.”

Grim glanced up from his plate. “If it’s food-related, it’s probably mine!”

“It’s definitely something,” Ace continued, resting his chin in his hand. “And judging by that look? Definitely someone.”

My grip tightened around my phone. “Drop it, Ace.”

Deuce arrived then, setting his tray down carefully. “What’s going on?”

Ace smirked. “Our prefect’s got secrets.”

“I do not,” I muttered.

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Sure. Because people don’t usually smile like that at nothing.”

For a moment, I considered snapping back, brushing it off like I usually did. But the lump in my throat made it hard.

“It’s just… someone from home,” I admitted quietly.

Ace’s teasing expression softened—just a little. “Oh.”

Deuce blinked. “From your world?”

I nodded.

There was a brief silence, broken only by Grim slurping his drink.