CHAPTER 47: THE SMARTWATCH

{Elira}

~**^**~

Cambria and I walked side by side down the quiet hallway.

"I need to stop by Professor Calven’s office," I told her softly. "He asked me to come pick up my textbooks after class."

Cambria nodded without missing a beat. "Alright. Let’s grab our backpacks from the lockers first. Then I will walk you there."

We turned a corner and stepped into the main hallway on the ground floor where rows of lockers lined both walls.

There were many other students lingering around, the muted hum of chatter mixing with the distant sound of footsteps.

I found mine—number 352—right where I remembered. My heart thudded once, as if the locker itself were waiting for me to prove I belonged here.

I took a breath and keyed in my passcode: 1321. The lock clicked open, quiet but sure.

Inside, my black leather backpack sat neatly. I lifted it out carefully, then slipped my notebook, pen, phone, and the folded printed timetable that Professor Calven had given me earlier inside.

When I shut the locker door, I made sure it clicked shut properly, pressing lightly to check it wouldn’t spring open.

Cambria waited patiently, her posture relaxed but her gaze quietly observant.

As we started back up the stairs toward Professor Calven’s office, she spoke. "By the way... ESA gives students a smartwatch."

"A smartwatch?" I repeated, curiosity sparking through my fatigue.

"Mm-hmm." Cambria’s dark ponytail shifted as she nodded. "It’s actually really useful. It has a map of the school grounds to help you find your way, and it shows your personalized schedule—reminding you when it’s time for your next lecture or activity."

"That sounds... amazing," I murmured.

A part of me felt so relieved. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t be entirely lost here. I wouldn’t always have to rely on Cambria for every direction.

And even if she didn’t mind doing me this favour, I would be uncomfortable.

I hesitated, then asked, "How do I get it?"

Cambria’s lips curved gently. "Professor Calven will give it to you. It’s usually the homeroom professor’s responsibility to hand it over to their new students."

I felt a flutter of relief at that answer, grateful that I wouldn’t have to ask for it awkwardly.

Before I could say anything more, we reached the floor of the professors’ offices. Cambria gestured to a door with a polished plaque that read: Professor Calven.

"Go ahead," she told me softly. "I will wait out here for you."

Her kindness made my chest ache. I nodded, my palms slightly sweaty against the leather strap of my backpack, and stepped up to knock.

"Come in," came Professor Calven’s calm voice.

I opened the door carefully and slipped inside. Professor Calven himself wasn’t seated—he was at the bookshelf, selecting something.

When he turned, he walked back to his desk and nodded toward a neat stack on one side. "Those are your textbooks, Miss Shaw. You can take them."

"Thank you, Professor," I said quietly.

I set my backpack down on one of the chairs and opened it.

The textbooks were heavy—each stamped with the ESA crest and labelled: Combat Tactics, Power Channeling, Werewolf History, Mathematics, and my chosen elective, Economics of the Wild.

Each one felt significant, like a piece of the identity I was slowly assembling.

When I finished packing the textbooks inside, Professor Calven tapped another stack. "These are your notebooks. And take the pens beside them too."

I blinked, a little surprised. The notebooks were sleek, ESA-branded, and surprisingly lightweight—about ten in total. Their clean covers felt like a promise.

My backpack was already near bursting, so I carefully balanced the notebooks against my side.

Then, before I could bring up the smartwatch Cambria had mentioned, Professor Calven picked something up from his desk and extended it toward me.

It was a sleek, black smartwatch.

My breath caught. "Thank you, sir," I whispered, accepting it with trembling fingers.

Professor Calven began to explain. "This device is more than a watch: it has your full class schedule synced in, so it will notify you before each lecture. It also holds a map of the academy grounds—you will find that useful, especially at first. You can pair it with your phone, track your steps, and in case of emergency, alerts will go directly to you."

I nodded quickly, absorbing each word. It felt like another chain tying me to this new life.

With my backpack on one arm, the stack of notebooks in the other, and the watch still warm in my palm, I turned toward the door. It seemed impossibly far away now.

But before I could even try to open it, Professor Calven stepped forward and pulled it open for me.

"Thank you, Professor," I breathed, stepping out into the hall.

Cambria was waiting just outside. The moment she saw my struggle, she smiled and reached forward. "Let me get the notebooks for you."

I hesitated, then let her take them, and my arm felt immediately lighter.

She waited while I slipped the watch over my left wrist, its smooth band tightening gently. Then, I lifted my backpack properly onto my shoulders, freeing my hand again.

When I reached out, Cambria handed the notebooks back. The corners of her eyes crinkled kindly. "Got everything?"

"I think so," I murmured, clutching the notebooks closer.

Cambria and I walked away together, the echo of our steps blending with the hum of the air conditioning.

"It’s time for siesta," Cambria reminded me softly, almost as if she could sense how tense my shoulders had become.

I hesitated, glancing sideways at her. "Why does siesta last for two hours here? Isn’t that... a lot of free time?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. "Feels like ESA might be wasting precious study hours."

Cambria smiled, her dark eyes softening. "Here in ESA, they prioritize the health and mental state of their students. They believe that a well-rested mind is capable of more than a restless one."

I thought about that, letting her words sink in. A part of me wanted to believe it was true, but another part—shaped by years of living in survival mode—found it hard to see rest as something deserved.

Then Cambria added lightly, "But most students don’t actually nap during siesta."

My brows knit together. "Then what do they do?"