I balanced the tray in my hands, trying not to spill the glass of orange juice as I walked. The halls in this place seemed endless, wide enough to fit a whole town. Every turn looked exactly like the last. The walls were a pale shade of cream, lined with portraits of serious-looking wolves. The windows stretched almost to the ceiling, and sunlight poured in so bright it made my eyes water.
Mae’s directions had sounded simple. Second floor, third door on the left. But simple did not mean easy when every hallway had about twelve third doors.
“There is no way I’ll ever learn where everything is,” I muttered to myself. My voice echoed faintly in the empty hall. The sound made me feel smaller, like I was trespassing somewhere I did not belong.
After a few wrong turns and near collisions with
