[center][h2]Zaylin Devonshire[/h2]
[h3]From her Dorm Room to the Hallways[/h3]
[h3]Around 4:00 a.m.[/h3][/center]

	Zaylin tossed and turned in her bed, trying unsuccessfully to fall back asleep. Her mind wandered to her classes the previous day, and the missing girls Stella had mentiond. It did not help, either, that the glorious darkness still shrouding the room felt alive, as if taunting her, breeding new life to the ever persistent desire to release the animal side of her.
	After propping herself up and fluffing her pillow for the thousandth time in the past few minutes, she looked to the clock on the nightstand, her vision easily piercing through the darkness to make out the hands and numbers: 4:02. Still at least two hours before the rising sun.
	[i]Maybe I could search for those missing girls,[/i] she thought, shoving her face into the pillow, its cover still slightly damp from her shower the previous night. [i]Catch their scent or something... but I'm not a bloodhound,[/i] a proud side of her scolded. [i]Not that I would know what to look for, anyway.[/i]
	She sighed irritably into the pillow, the stuffing muffling the sound. Without taking her head from the pillow, she removed the comforter. Grumbling in a gruff-sounding language, she sat up, stretched, then padded over to the window, her steps quiet against the floor.
	With a glance to the other bed, Zaylin carefully pulled aside one of the curtains and pried it open. She flinched at the gentle squeak of wood-on-wood. With the window open as far as it would go, she draped her arms on the windowsill and stuck her head out into the night. She leaned out as far as she could and looked up at the dark sky.
	The morning stars winked at her from amidst the sea of near-black. She closed her eyes and inhaled. The earthy scent of the nearby woods lingering on the comfortably chilled air speaking of freedom, calling to her on a primeval level. Her fingernails grew slightly and thickened, their pointed tips digging into the outside sill.
	Zaylin inhaled through her nose and opened her eyes. The gold of her irises consumed even her pupils, the gold glowing slightly in the darkness. With the conscious demand, she released the sill stiffly and both her nails and eyes returned to normal.
	[i]I’ve gotta get out of here.[/i] She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers catching on one of the many knots tangling the strands. [i]Stretch my legs or something.[/i] She started toward the closet, then paused, looking back to the clock. [i]But there's a curfew, right?[/i] Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the clock. [i]I’ll feign ignorance or something if I get caught.[/i]
	With that thought, she quickly and quietly got ready for her day, shouldered her usual messenger bag, and crept into the hall beyond. She paused, blinking in the sudden light that forced her eyes to adjust from the comfortable darkness. Listening and searching for any sign of a patrolling teacher or prefect, she snuck down the hallway.