How To Survive A Calamity

Ceres clutched the yogurt in her hand against her then tightly.

The look in her red eyes was dead serious—sharp, unblinking.

"Huh?"

Damn. She meant it.

I looked away before I could roll my eyes or sigh aloud. Probably for the best.

"I don't want your yogurt," I muttered. "And by the way… what was that back there with your food? You're not actually scared of vegetables, are you?"

The image flashed in my head—her awkward food maneuvering at the table just a moment ago. Come to think of it, I'd seen something similar yesterday in the cafeteria, too. Ceres, Deandra, Don, and Chelsea had all gathered at my table.

Ceres had been picking at her food even then.

Ceres frowned, her expression tightening slightly as she lingered in silence—thinking, maybe.

Then, without a word, she scooped another spoonful of yogurt and shoved it into her mouth.

"…eas," she mumbled.

I leaned in slightly. "What?"

"I don't like peas…" she said, her voice muffled.

A beat.

"…And carrots, too."

***

I blinked.

"That was…"

The image of Ceres, her expression tightening around a spoonful of yogurt, lingered vividly in my mind. Our conversation from just minutes ago played on repeat in my head, every word clearer now than when she'd said them.

I scratched the back of my head as I made my way toward the dorms. The evening breeze had grown colder, brushing past me as the last sliver of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon.

Somehow, the grand, untouchable image I'd built of Ceres was beginning to crack.

Not in a bad way.

Yeah, she still kind of terrified me. And yeah, she was still very much a mystery.

But I guess… she was strangely human, after all.

The more i spoke with Ceres today, the more i realised how weird and awkward she really was. Underneath all that gloom and coldness...she was also a weird teenage girl after all, huh.

"The great and powerful Ceres Walker… doesn't like peas and carrots."

"Pfft—" A short burst of laughter escaped me before I could stop it.

I couldn't help it—just remembering the way her face had tensed, like she was recalling some deep personal trauma, all because of two vegetables… it was absurd. Like peas and carrots had personally wronged her family.

I was just glad I hadn't laughed while she was still standing there.

Terrified, sure—but mostly? Just relieved.

After parting ways with Ceres, I finally made it back to my dorm, feeling drained from the sheer chaos of the day.

The hallways were quiet—eerily so—aside from a few cadets lingering downstairs in the common room. I passed them without a word and climbed the stairs to my floor, my thoughts spiraling as the silence settled in.

Today had been… long.

From waking up to find a terrifying Stigmata etched into my lower back, to the chilling realization that Meta had some kind of influence over my mind and memory—it felt like my entire world had been tilted off its axis.

And then, there was the library.

Or more specifically, what happened after I left it.

I ran into Aurhea. The Student Council President. Out of all people.

And, yeah—I panicked.

Heart pounding. Thoughts spiraling. I was sure that was it. I thought she knew. I thought I was done.

But apparently… all that internal chaos was for nothing.

So it seems the Academy—or the Council—aren't onto me yet.

I'm still in the clear.

For now.

"Right. I should follow up with Addriene. Let her know how I'm holding up," I muttered, pausing in front of my dorm room door.

Aurhea's words echoed in my mind. Something about the way she spoke of my sister felt... genuine. And my gut told me she wasn't lying—that they really had known each other, maybe even been close.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to confirm.

If I was wrong—and Aurhea was simply that skilled, that dangerously convincing—then what exactly was her angle? What was she playing at?

But if everything she said was true...

Then maybe... just maybe, I had an ally in Aegis Academy?

I scoffed under my breath, a crooked smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

Yeah, right.

Ally was probably too strong a word. But being on the good side of the Student Council President?

That definitely wouldn't hurt.

Still, I couldn't afford to drop my guard—not with Aurhea. Not with anyone.

I sighed quietly, the weight of the day pressing back down on my shoulders.

"But at least... it means my secret is safe. For one more day."

I was still in the clear.

The moment the click of my door echoed through the room, I moved to toss myself onto the bed—

—or at least, I wanted to.

But the second I stepped a single foot inside, I froze.

My gaze dropped.

There, just beyond the tips of my boots, lay an envelope.

I frowned, crouching down slowly to pick it up. "What's this…?"

It was a letter.

But no seal.

No name.

No signature.

Nothing.

Just a blank, cream-white envelope with a weight that felt heavier than it should.

My expression darkened.

I stepped fully into the room, locked the door behind me, and flicked on the light.

I took off my blazer, tossing off to some corner of my room. I loosened the buttons of my shirt around my neck, and plopped down against the edge of my bed before raising the anonymous mail in my hand.

It seemed, someone had slipped this under my door while i was away, i mused curiously.

I examined the envelope again. It was reckless of me to just grab something so suspicious, but neither my gut nor my Danger Sense was giving me any warning signs.

Besides—this was the Academy dorms. What was the worst that could happen?

Still…

I peeled it open and unfolded the paper inside.

It was a letter.

No seal.

No name.

No signature.

Just—

Four words, etched in ink.

"I Know Your Secret."