Verena sprinted through the empty courtyard, her boots barely touching the ground.
Shit, shit, shit! She was going to be late!
Correction - she was late.
The academy's grand iron gates had already closed with an ominous clang, signaling that tardy students would have to go the long way through the official disciplinary checkpoint.
But Verena wasn't about to subject herself to that nonsense.
No, she had a plan.
Her eyes darted toward the east wall. The perfect place to climb over.
She had scouted it before because obviously, she would need an escape plan at some point in this hellhole of a school.
There was a sturdy-looking tree nearby, a few footholds on the stone surface, and the angle was just right.
She was going to pull a full-blown intruder move and sneak in like an elite assassin.
Or, well, like a desperate student avoiding detention. Same thing.
