Niko and Fraze don't say anything. They just stare at me, eyes wide.

Thanks to their quietness, I can hear the flapping of the patrols overhead. They ride overhead every ten minutes or so. School's in a building now, in the middle of the town, close to Main Street. We used to only use it when the snow fell too heavily. Now, the King had stuck his nose in our business and forced us in here.

For safety, or something dumb like that.

It's stuffy. I miss the feeling of the grass underneath my feet, the sound of water rushing through the river. Wooden chairs and concrete floors just aren't the same. The ceiling is low, contrasting the openness of the sky. I sigh and look down.

"Look," I say. "I don't want to talk about it."

Fraze isn't religious. Niko wasn't there that day. He had work or something, I couldn't really remember. All they do is stare with misinterpreting eyes.

"We know."

Niko's voice is barely above a whisper. My injury starts stinging, stitches shifting within my skin. The doctors said it'll take a while to heal. Draugr wounds are always lasting, though. And compared to others, I'm lucky. Five students are missing today. Three of them are dead.

"The thing is," I start. "You don't know. You don't know what it's like to be surrounded by falling bodies. All I could hear is Vivvy crying and Draugr screaming. It's...something I don't think I'll ever forget."

Niko bites his lip, Fraze looking up to the blackboard. I know shaming them for not almost dying isn't the best idea. But they just, don't know. They don't know anything about it. I can't close my eyes anymore without seeing a picture of Flaire surrounded by Draugr. For crying out loud, why did also this death have to happen in such a short time?

"So, class is almost over-"

"I can see that."

Fraze scrunches his nose. He despises interruption.

"Anyway, we want to come with you. To the garage. We're going to help you build your dragon."

"What?!"

The entire class turns their heads. Our teacher stops her somber lecturing, tilting her chin and furrowing her brows. I gulp. Maybe screaming at the top of my lungs wasn't the best idea. Ms. Blundell starts talking again, slowly drawing attention back to herself.

"What?" I hiss, this time whispering. "I'm not going to let you. I need to do this on my own, by myself. You don't even know anything about Terro-Magic anyway!"

"I know how to lift things. And follow instructions. Kinda."

"And I know that your thick skull's gonna get in trouble without a reasonable person around."

"Shush it, Niko," I say. "Speaking of that, you two could get into some serious trouble for trying to help."

"And you're going to get in trouble if you get caught. You aren't going to talk us out of this."

I narrow my eyes, trying to bury the feeling of relief. Yeah, I'll admit it; It would be so nice to have someone help me along with all of this. Someone to help build things, keep it all under wraps, and especially program. Of course, it's not like either of them knew how to do that. And the potential cost is just too high.

We could be arrested.

Or worse, executed.

My teeth shiver at the thought of heads rolling. I look back at my friends. There's determination in their eyes, overcoming the shaking in their shoulders. I smile. It feels forced, but I'm genuinely relieved.

"You know what that could mean for you? Right? We might be digging ourselves into an abyss. One that's impossible to get out of."

Niko rolls his eyes, a playful smile on his lips.

"Don't worry about it! At least we won't have to deal with school if we're tossed in an abyss."

I laugh.

"I guess that's right. I'm not sure prison will be much better."

"Well," he says. "There won't be any homework."

"Alright class, you're dismissed!"

We're pulled out of our conversation by Ms. Blundell. We look up at her. Her glasses, hanging on the tip of her nose, shake.

"Make sure you go straight home. No individual classes today; It's too dangerous with the recent attacks."

I roll my eyes, exchanging looks with Niko and Fraze. We all smile a crooked grin.

"Let's get to the garage."