The Unwelcoming Home

Avery

**Avery**

I slipped out of the quiet, emptied academy campus, leaving the imposing stone buildings and the sterile safety of the library behind me. The other students had spent the morning chattering excitedly about their holiday breaks and family feasts, their loud voices echoing off the dormitory walls while I packed my things in dead silence. My faded canvas bag dug into my shoulder, we