The heavy iron gates of the Dragon Academy loomed ahead, their rusted spikes cutting into the gray sky like claws.Seven months.
That's how long I'd been gone-suspended,exlied, whatever they called it.Nothing had changed.
The same gloomy stone towers rose against the clouds, ivy choking the walls like it was trying to drag everything down.
Crows circled overhead,their harsh caws echoing across the empty courtyard as I stepped inside.
I kept my head low,backpack slung over one shoulder, boots scuffing against the damp cobblestones.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the weight of stares hit me. Every student in the quad turned.
Conversation died mid-sentence. Eyes-curious, wary, some outright hostile-locked onto me like I was a ghost walking among the living.
Whispers slithered through the air, but I didn't need to hear the words.I already knew them.
What should I expect? I thought, my jaw tight.I'm an outcast after all .
My chest ached with the familiar mix of defiance and loneliness as I pushed past the silent crowd.
I made my way straight to the dormitories, the narrow hallway lit by flickering torches that cost a long,dancing Shadows on the walls.
My old room-third door on the left. I paused outside, heart thudding harder than I wanted to admit.
Raising my fist, I knocked thre times
From inside came a muffled voice. "I'm coming".
Footsteps shuffled closer the door. The door creaked open, and Teresa familiar face appeared, her curly tied back messily, an annoyed look already forming on her lips.
" Yes who is it-"she stopped short, brown eyes widening in shock."Astrid!"
Before I could say a word,she lunged and pulled me into a tight embrace,her arms wrapping around me like she'd never let go. The warmth of it hit me harder than the cold stares outside.for the time since walking through those gates, something inside me unclenched just a little.
I hugged her back, burying my face in her shoulder for a brief second, letting the relief wash over me.
And that was it, I was home.