05:47 – Southwest Boys' Housing, Level C.
The electrical alarm wouldn't stop blaring and the already awake Ajax couldn't be bothered to turn it off. He was already awake before the alarm even went off but he stayed still in silence with Alia still nested into his side, practically sharing his skin.
Alia groaned and switched sides, her leg falling off the couch. She cracked her eyes open, groaned, then shoved herself upright. Her gaze flicked between Ajax, the alarm, and back again. She exhaled and turned it off while he just watched her get up groggily.
She dragged herself to the fridge and got herself a protein shake not before glaring at Ajax's I-don't-talk-in-the-morning-because-I-have-bad-breathe face.
She took out the shake and kicked the fridge door close with her foot then headed towards the door.
"You okay?" She asked first to which he nodded then she turned to the door.
"Byee," she let out a croaky sound and shut the door behind her while she left Ajax stretching in his innate natural habitat.
---
05:53 – Northwest Girls' Housing, Room 314.
Alia walked into chaos infused with glam. Zuri already strapping her boots, looking up at her while Tessa was packing her hair in a ponytail, applying lip balm.
"Girl…where you been?" Tessa asked when Alia walked in and face-planted in her bed.
She pulled a thumbs up and mumbled against her pillow which doesn't exactly answer the question.
Zuri rolled her eyes and knotted her laces. "You always disappear and then come back like you fought Gotham City in the middle of the night, ya sneaky biatch."
"Make sure to get ready Alia, Drills start soon." Tessa reminded after she snores at Zuri's quip.
"Ugh!" Alia got up and took off her shoes before heading into the bathroom to wash her face before changing into her morning drill uniform and boots.
---
06:10 – Drill Grounds.
The courtyard was a graveyard of half-awake students, boots scraping against the concrete, the metallic bark of the instructors cutting through the morning fog.
Alia jogged in late—uniform crisp but eyes dull. Zuri and Tessa had already slotted into their House line. Zuri shot her a smirk, mouthing "lazy."
Alia ignored her, falling into step.
Push-ups. Sprints. Wall climbs. The kind of conditioning that ground your lungs into gravel before breakfast. Alia's limbs moved on muscle memory, but her brain was still half-curled on Ajax's couch. Every shout from the instructors felt like it was rattling loose something in her skull.
By the time drills ended, her shirt clung with sweat, and her hair stuck damp to her forehead.
---
09:22 – Courtyard, Behind School.
While most shuffled to the mess hall, Alia veered off, grabbing a steaming cup from a vendor cart near the quad. She sat on the cold stone steps of the main hall, legs stretched, cup warming her palms.
Her notes were spread across her lap—cipher equations bleeding into strategic essays. She stared at them, trying to focus, but the words slid like oil across glass while reading the same like three times. Her pen hovered, then scribbled nothing in the margin.
Talk about ADHD struggles.
For once, she was quiet. No bravado, no noise. Just tired bones in an expensive uniform.
Enter Cade.
The shadow came first, stretching across her notes. Then his voice, low and edged with amusement.
"Studying before breakfast? That's either dedication… or desperation."
Alia tilted her head up slowly, eyes narrowed against the sunlight behind his jawline. Cade Saville, perfectly unbothered, leaned against the railing, his smile crooked like he knew exactly how sharp it looked.
She sipped her drink, unimpressed. "Or maybe I just don't like people."
"Ouch. And here I was about to offer my genius insight."
He stepped closer, boots clicking on the steps, and glanced at her scattered notes. He plucked one page without asking, scanning it like it belonged to him.
Alia lunged half-heartedly for it. "Give that back, textbook villain."
Cade smirked, holding it just out of reach. "Relax. I'm helping." He tapped the margin where she'd scribbled nonsense. "You're losing focus. Scenario: rival House operative sneaks up right now. You're running on no sleep. What's your play?"
Alia exhaled sharply, setting her cup down. "My play is I stab his ear with my pen and go back to my coffee."
He chuckled, leaning down until his face was a breath from hers. "Messy. Inelegant. Effective."
Their eyes locked—hers heavy-lidded with exhaustion, his glinting with the thrill of the game. For a beat, the air was thick.
Then she snatched her paper back with a sharp tug. "Go bother someone else with your jawline, Cade, I'm busy tryna be a boss bitch."
Cade laughed, low and easy, stepping back. "I'm not leaving yet, I haven't irritated you enough," Alia looked at him and scoffed.
"So…are you still on for tonight?" He asked slowly as if he didn't wanna know what her answer might be.
"I'll might pull up with my crew, but don't get your hopes up." She said, trying to pack her notes in one place.
"Careful, Reivas. One day you'll actually enjoy me being around."
She took a long sip of her drink, not looking at him. "Doubt it."
But her smirk, faint and tired, betrayed her.
"Maybe I wanna drag you into the soil, maybe I don't wanna, we'll see." Alia looked up at him.
"I'll take what I can get. See you…in the walls," he said then slowly backed away till he turned a corner and left.
---
11:35 – North wing, Hallways.
Alia was dragging her feet through the hallway when her cuff buzzed shortly–not loud, not flashy, Vantaire tech doesn't believe in theatrics.
She tilted her wrist just enough to look at the screen and the message rolled in.
Callum Callahan: Report to base now. Bring in assignment notes.
She rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Would you calm down? I was already on my way." She whispered to herself then cussed inwardly.
---
11:41 – Vantaire Grounds.
She walked in like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and she could have a mental burnout at anytime.
"You're late." Callum called out behind the main console as he looked at his sleek Patek Philippe wristwatch.
"Chill out, broski." Alia replied with the most irritated and annoyed look as she dropped her bag on the floor.
"Where's Vos?" Alia asked observing the room for the man that always made her life hell.
"He went on a private assignment, he'll be back soon." Callum said briefly, coming down from the platform.
"Badass," Alia nodded.
Callum stopped in front of her then spread his palm out to her. She gave him a look before shrugging with her arms in her jacket pocket.
"The notes?" Callum requested then she jolted back to reality when she realized. She got one one knee and took out the notes she had prepared before her classes this morning and handed them to him.
He took them and skimmed through the files, eye darting across each like keenly.
"Messy margins, weak framework. Good research though." Callum reported.
"What's that?" Alia asked, looking over his shoulder.
"I'll put it on your record, you're free to go now. I have other things to do," Callum dismissed her before walking away.
"I came all the way here for this…" Alia muttered to herself, inwardly resenting Callum already.
The moment she got out, she walked into Tessa, who was on her way to Finance Aid class.
"Ali? What are you doing here?" She asked with her interest piqued. Looking smart in her uniform that was already adorned with accessories.
"Nothing, I was just leaving." Alia deflected, her hands were telling a different story in her pockets.
"You good? That's a lot of 'nothings' lately from you. You keep hiding secrets," Tessa pointed out with a subtle smirk which highlighted her cheekbones.
"What's St. Bernard's without sneakiness?" Alia retorted with a tired grin.
"Fair point." Tessa said and walked away leaving Alia to exhale like she just got caught trying to sneak away with felony.