Elias sat in the library the next morning, his notebook open but his mind racing through everything the figure had told him. He needed to talk to students who knew Bella, who had witnessed what happened before she was sent to the forest.
The dining hall incident was the perfect starting point.
He spotted a younger girl sitting alone near the windows, one of the second years. Her name was Sophie, and she looked nervous even now, fidgeting with her breakfast toast.
Elias approached casually, sliding into the seat across from her. "Hey. You're Sophie, right?"
She looked up, startled. "Yes. Do I know you?"
"Not really. I'm Elias. I'm in fourth year." He kept his tone friendly, non threatening. "I heard there was some drama in the dining hall some weeks ago. Something about Bella Rivers?"
Her eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"There was some sort of fight between Bella and a couple of girls in her dormitory."
