Aarya rolls her eyes and goes inside like nothing happened, but Ines frowns.

Layla takes the distraction as an opportunity to walk away from them, and I follow.

“They’re all running from us,” Charles says, and they both laugh.

I look over my shoulder briefly before we enter the building on the far side of the courtyard, and the hair on my arms immediately stands up. Brendan and Charles are staring directly at me. If attention from Aarya is bad, my gut tells me that this is much worse.

I look at Layla with newfound appreciation. She might be uptight and closed off, but at least she lacks the menacing vibe these other students have.

“Layla, what I said last night…about you being right about Aarya,” I say quietly.

Layla scans the foyer with the displayed shields, but no one is near us.

I keep my voice low. “I just wanted to say that I haven’t learned my way around here yet. And yes, I definitely ask too many questions. But I’m going to do my best to keep up. I get why you think I was being reckless. And…my loyalty is to you. One hundred percent.” I mentally wince, remembering what Ash said about me being impulsively loyal. But this is who I am. I don’t betray my friends, even the new ones.

Layla looks at me and I swear I catch a glimpse of vulnerability behind her stony expression.

“I just want you to know that I am listening to you,” I say. “And I’m grateful you’re taking all this time to explain everything in detail.”

She gives me a quick nod, and I can already tell that some of the hardness has left her demeanor.

We walk toward the dining hall in silence. Then, casually, she says, “Ash told me what happened with Felix and the fork,” and steals a glance at me.

I smile. I know an acceptance of an apology when I hear one. I walk a step closer to her, keeping my voice quiet. “What are the chances that Felix knew about the search last night?”

“I want to say he did,” she answers. “Because the timing is suspicious, and if there’s one thing we’re not, it’s random. But the only way he could know about a search is if a faculty member told him, which is forbidden. Unless he overheard something he wasn’t supposed to. I just don’t know.”

I nod. “What about Ines? How does she fit in with Aarya and Felix?”

“Ines is Aarya’s roommate,” Layla says, and pauses in front of the dining hall door. “She’s also one of the best tactical students at this school, but she doesn’t talk to anyone except for Aarya and Felix, mostly Aarya. And she’s probably right not to.”

I want to ask her what she means by that, but she pushes open the door and I follow her inside. The dining hall at breakfast is nothing like at lunch or dinner. It’s almost lively. Students congregate in groups, and there’s even some light laughter—which I now attribute to the fact that the teachers’ table is empty.