Mischief and Mayhem [1]

That night, the academy's halls were quieter than usual, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.

Three figures slipped through the shadows, moving with careful precision.

Adrian led them with the confidence of someone who had done this before, while Sevan followed with reluctancy. Aiden trailed behind them, his eyes flickering toward every creak and shift of the castle around them.

They had timed it perfectly. The older years and the Holloways had passed through their assigned sections, leaving gaps just long enough for them to move undetected. Adrian had planned it down to the second.

The first stop was one of the restrooms on the second floor. Adrian pulled a karatula stone from his pocket: a strange, polished stone that shimmered slightly in the dim light. He knelt, pressing his fingers against the floor beneath the sink, and whispered something under his breath.