"Can't you see I am running as well!"
Serena's sharp reply came without her even turning toward him, her breath slightly uneven as she kept pace, her grip still firm on the girl beside her as all three of them surged forward through the dimly lit pathways.
"Tch-"
Damon clicked his tongue faintly at that, but he did not press further, the urgency of the situation swallowing any chance of continued argument as the sound of rushing footsteps echoed all around them.
"THUD—THUD—THUD—THUD!"
The academy grounds, which had been silent moments ago, now felt alive with movement, streams of students pouring toward a single destination as the massive doors of the auditorium came into view ahead.
By the time Damon reached it, the entrance had already flooded with bodies, students pushing through in waves as they hurried inside, the tension thick enough to feel.
Within minutes, all three hundred first-year students had gathered.
