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	The morning breeze mussed Zaylin’s hair as she slowly crossed the courtyard toward the main building, the coolness of the morning marred by late summer humidity hanging in the air and foreshadowing hotter weather. The almost electric energy that ran through her during the night had started to diminish as the sun began to light the sky, turning the spattering of wispy clouds into cotton candy as it yawned over the world.
	Other students mulled around the courtyard, some looking more like zombies than people as the monster of sleep still crawled in their shadows. Others looked almost paranoid, a couple gender-segregated groups speaking in whispers. Some conversations centered around worry for the missing girls, while the voices of morning people rang exuberantly through the courtyard as they made their way to breakfast.
	[i]Business as usual,[/i] Zaylin thought, her eyes narrowing as she looked around before she continued toward the main building. [i]It’s been at least a day since those girls disappeared, hasn’t it? Shouldn’t the police be involved by now?[/i] She glanced up at the windows of the ancient-looking building, then entered. [i]Wonder what the headmistress is doing about it…[/i]
	She moseyed through the cool halls, keeping close to the walls as the flow of students slowly intensified.
	The sound of voices echoed down the passage as she neared the dining hall, the familiar sound increasing inside the room as words bounced off the walls and turned into little more than a jumbled mass of noise.
	After going through the line, Zaylin paused, trying to tune out the irritating din of many conversations as she scanned the large space and the bodies crowding the tables in search of a free chair. She caught sight of a few others she recognized from a couple classes from the previous day, including Victoria. A large opalescent pendant hanging from the eccentric girl’s neck and her hands moved in broad gestures as she spoke to the others sitting around her full table.
	Noticing Zaylin, Victoria beamed and waved, making a couple others at the table turn to satisfy their curiosity.
	Zaylin returned the gesture with far less enthusiasm. Nevertheless, satisfied, Victoria resumed her story. Zaylin couldn’t help but smile, then headed for the least crowded table.