-eng- Ariel Academy-s Secret School Festival -r... -

He’d heard the rumors, of course. Every student at Ariel Academy had. Whispers in the cafeteria, cryptic messages slipped into lockers, teachers exchanging glances that said not yet . The Secret School Festival. A single night when the campus transformed into something else entirely—something the official brochures would never mention.

Leo had never been invited. Last year, he’d waited in his dorm like a ghost, watching the lucky ones slip out after midnight in costumes that weren’t quite costumes. Feathers. Glitter that moved on its own. A boy with antlers growing from his temples that he claimed were “just for show.” -ENG- Ariel Academy-s Secret School Festival -R...

He looked up. Across the quad, the first-year kid was waving at him, grinning so wide his braces caught the morning sun. In the kid’s other hand, he held a small, glowing object—whatever had been behind the door. He’d heard the rumors, of course