Chapter 4 — The Faculty Lounge

Ellie

Ellie Hart adjusted the strap of her leather satchel as she ascended the wide, creaking staircase to the top floor of Whitmore Hall. Her heels clicked against the polished wood, each deliberate step echoing faintly in the quiet corridor. Though she had walked this route countless times, today the climb felt heavier—less a routine journey, more an approach to a battlefield. The faculty lounge awaited her, its veneer of collegiality barely masking the undercurrent of competition that defined so much of her professional life.