Once she finished, Amber bought a bag of sausages and made her way to the lawn to feed the campus cats. It was one of those simple, quiet routines she had once enjoyed—something that had always brought her peace, even when everything around her felt fractured.
The campus cats were well-fed and plump, thanks to the kind-hearted students who had taken it upon themselves to care for them. Beneath the girls' dormitory, a special winter shelter had even been set up, stocked with freeze-dried food and canned meals purchased by the students. The warmth of the campus community was a stark contrast to the cold void Amber felt inside.
The campus was mostly empty—students scattered for the weekend. The teaching buildings were silent, the library still. A blanket of fallen leaves from the five French plane trees covered the ground beneath the dormitory, the autumn air crisp and cool.