They wait for contact from The Divide. They wait for the campus police to begin investigating another death, or perhaps, blood staining the floor of the underground lot. They wait for something else to go wrong.

The school has begun to reconstruct the pub on campus. The smoke damage was severe before the firefighters came. There is still nowhere to eat on campus besides the few cafes and the dining hall. They've begun to eat properly again. Even Felix will join them in the dining hall on occasion.

They hang out in the library, dorm rooms, and private study rooms. They giggle over caffeinated beverages, listen to record players crackle, and share glances over the corners of books.

Evelyn feels more herself than usual. She spends time with Felix, who carries her bag to and from each class. He is sweeter to her than she had expected. His second violent outburst doesn't scare her as much as the first did. She is sure he would protect her, under any circumstances. They deserve everything bright and wonderful and magical in this world. She continues to work on a gown for the winter formal, the final ball the night that exams end. Most will just trade around their ballgown from the masquerade, but not Evelyn. She excels in her fashion class, and she calls home to her parents, hoping they will stay proud.

Ez does not have many friends, but Luis grows on him. He spends time with Felix and Roman, and even occasionally Tom. They talk about their lives, and the books he is reading, and the dreariness of winter. It is odd for one to realize they do not mind associating with others. There is no magic to friendship. It will not save them from impending doom, which ticks closer to midnight at every second. Still, associating with others is nice.

Luis is making art again without the urge to smash things. Some days, he even forgets about Poppy. It's easy. No one brings her up, and the term moves rhythmically. Papers than midterms than papers again. Exams are approaching, but he still makes time for the others. It's why he is here, after all. He still hates the rich and everything they believe in. He still wants the freedom to be himself. The worst part is, he can only recognize his own voice when someone else is around to hear it. His art is him, but so are others.

Briar's routine consists of studying and her friends and Artemis. He makes her feel like she is not just her father's daughter. She feels like she gets to be her own person with him around. He doesn't pry either. He never asks her about the fight at the stadium. He assumes she knows the others through her parents' connections but never asks more. Briar could ask for nothing else in a companion. Well, perhaps less socialist tendencies would do him good, but she would never ask someone to change themselves for her. People with good character deserve to let themselves shine.

A few letters from Ellie's parents arrive. She pays them no mind. She continues to study, popping Adderall. She listens to music as she runs through the snow on campus. There is a gym, but she prefers to run outside. It is cold, and nature rejuvenates her. She finds time between prepping for exams to see a few of the others. At this point, it occurs to her that they will not be caught. It is possible that The Divide is plotting, but as the weeks go by, it seems so unlikely that they will come for her friends.

Roman feels better. They go to a school counsellor to talk. It takes a week to get in, but they share that they feel despondent. They do not discuss the murder; it would be impossible to discuss that. Instead, they talk about their deceased father and their troubles with their mother. They talk about the isolation of being black and queer at a predominantly white institution. It doesn't solve everything; a few conversations cannot begin to unpack all that has happened. Still, they throw away the rope and try to create happiness in their own life. The sun may be gone more frequently, but they still open the curtains to watch it rise in the morning.

Polo is on a break until the winter semester, and so Kai finally has time to rest. He still works out, but he finally bothers with schoolwork. He doesn't need to as much as the others, since he considers himself a natural talent following in the footsteps of his alienating father. He even distances himself from the other jocks. Since his beating at the hands of Felix, he is feeling better about himself. He feels as though he has made amends to the others, including Evelyn and Briar. Not only did he cause the problems of the group, but he solved them. He has united them. Once they are officially in The Divide, everything will be perfect again.

The Nutcracker ballet is coming up, and though Felix is frustrated he did not get the lead role, he accepts it. He dances and spins around like no tomorrow. He spends time with Evelyn too and gets to know her more than superficially. While she is beautiful, she is also kind and wonderful and soft. She helps make his costume for the ballet, and so they get to spend even more time together. He often gushes about her to Ez, and Kai, and really anyone who will listen. Best of all, he feels like he actually deserves her. He feels like people see them and think they look like a good match.

Vieira looks for Tom across campus. They haven't spoken since, and that makes her feel comfortable. She doesn't know if she read him wrong. After all, he did not pummel Briar's attacker as the others did. Maybe there is good in him. She thinks about him in art class, where she creates a box. The box has several holes in it, but none big enough to let the small ball inside escape. It is gold, but the ball is black. It is trapped. She believes it is her best piece yet. Afterwards, she paints fresh flowers. She has to use a book as a reference as she cannot paint any that are outside. They are beautiful.

It is has been weeks since Jetta has written a proper song. She writes a groovy bassline as well as a vocal line. She composes for classes and plays the violin quite frequently. Her knuckles heal from the punches she threw at the man. It isn't her first time hitting someone, but it is her first time being unsure if they lived or not. Surely, she would have heard by now. To distract herself, she talks with the friends she has made. She feels safe, for the first time in a long time.

Tom feels fine. In fact, he feels better than ever. The winter semester culminates with The Tempest. It was one of Shakespeare's last plays, and it shall be the one to close the semester. When he is not doing that, he is applying for more scholarships from the financial aid office. He spends time with the others as well, reciting lines with Roman's help. He doesn't dare touch a glass of alcohol. He has no desire to see Vieira, even though he is so confused by their last encounter. It is pleasant to be together with them all.

~~~

One night, the initiates book out the lounge in the basement of the building that Ez and Tom share, just to spend time as a group. It is now the first day of December, and no news has come. No retaliation from The Divide, which they may or may be members as well, and no word from the police.

The record player is quiet, so as not to disturb the other students. They sit in chairs and mill about, non-alcoholic beverages in their hands.

"How is it going with Artemis?" Evelyn asks Briar, a smile on her face. She brings her cup of sparkling water to her lips. It tastes like strawberries, though the drink feels like static in her mouth.

Briar smiles, "excellent."

"It's a relief he's not in The Divide," Evelyn puts a hand to her chest and exhales. "I think everyone's just become a bit paranoid about the whole situation, honestly."

Across from them, Ez and Kai are sitting at a table. Ez is sober, depressingly so, but he keeps trying to arm wrestle Kai.

"You're not going to win," Kai insists.

Ez shrugs, "you might be surprised. I've spent my fair share of time in pubs."

"I am the captain of the rugby team," Kai insists, almost laughing. "I'm built to win."

"Then why not bother proving me wrong?" Ez insists.

Kai rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling, "I don't want to embarrass you."

In another group, Jetta and Luis stand together.

"There's got to be a way we can do a performance art piece together," Luis says. "It would surely draw attention."

"You should just join my band," Jetta says. She's been thinking of starting one up again. "Do you play any instruments?"

"Maman made me learn piano," he explains, sighing. "I was terrible at it. Rotten even. I cannot follow a metronome if my life were at stake."

Jetta laughs, "well, there goes that plan."

On a couch, Felix and Tom discuss their upcoming shows.

"I never got stage fright," Tom explains to Felix. "I don't know."

"I never had a reason to experience stage fright," Felix says. "I know if people are looking at me, it's because they are mesmerized. My form is perfect."

"I had to do some dance for the stage," Tom says. "I wouldn't say I'm as good as you, but I'm half-decent."

Felix laughs, "we should have a dance-off sometime then."

By the music, Roman, Ellie and Vieira stand together. Their voices are louder than the others, just due to the proximity of the record player.

"I actually loathe Plato," Roman shakes their head. "I imagine you feel the same way about Freud."

"I mean, some of his ideas were interesting," Ellie says.

"The rest?" Roman asks, cocking an eyebrow.

Ellie giggles, putting a hand to her lips to try to mute the sound.

"What about you, Vieira?" Roman asks. "Who's an artist you hate?"

Vieira loves art, all of it. She cannot think of a painting that infuriates her, and she has seen so many brush strokes, "Picasso made a lot of women uncomfortable. His art is still beautiful, but he's not perfect."

The groups continue to chatter, and they break apart and intermingle with others. Felix convinces Tom to dance a bit to the next song, and Felix is frustrated with how good Tom is. Jetta discovers that Evelyn can play the violin. They continue to learn about one another. They have no each other the shortest of lifetimes possible. Even Poppy's life was longer than the time they've spent together, and that was cut short even.

Eventually, Briar stands on a chair to get everyone's attention.

"I ended up booking that cottage that we were all discussing!" she smiles. "It will be available during the two study days!"

Nothing on campus is going on before or during the study days. It is a pause.

Even Ellie, who was hoping to use those days to dig deep into her textbook, is excited to leave campus. They need a prolonged break. While their time after beating up the member of The Divide that they encountered has been pleasant, they need a breath of fresh air.

One better than the last.

~~~~~

Cool beans. This is all just fluff, but I like a little calm before the storm, don't you? It'll be over soon, I imagine. I don't know how many chapters are left (it all depends on how long it takes me to write them). This is going to be my shortest of the bunch, hopefully reaching about 60K but maybe not. Oh well, do enjoy it!