Outside, Brunnhold Campus
Inside the entryway, Madeleine carefully stamped the snow off her boots. She shivered, adjusting her scarf.
“Stop blocking the way!” An older girl called.
Madeleine glanced up, wide-eyed, and edged to the side, her lips pressing together. She could have, Madeleine thought, said please. She didn’t like the cafeteria; it was her least favorite part of Brunnhold. It was always noisy and awful; having meals in her room or the infirmary had been really the best part of being sick, even though none of it had been good, exactly.
Madeleine took a very deep breath, and went inside. She stayed towards the edge of the wall, near the door. She wasn’t even really sure whether Orthosophos was there or not; he had said if he were there first, he would save her a seat, but the cafeteria was really large, and she didn’t know if she should wander through all the rows looking for him. She thought she wouldn’t find him otherwise, if he were even there.
She just wasn’t sure what to do. If she went and looked and he wasn’t there, she might be looking for the whole of the lunch period and never even find him, at least not before she finished eating. If she didn’t go look, and he was there, he’d think she had stood him up.
Maybe, Madeleine thought, hopefully, he would look for her? All she could really think to do was stand by the doorway, looking around rather plaintively. Surely, Madeleine thought, if he had gone through and taken a seat, he’d look up and – wave? or something? Waving seemed sensible, Madeleine felt. If he hadn’t arrived yet, then, she thought, he’d see her when he came in.
As she waited, Madeleine glanced down at her skirt. It was, she thought ruefully, terribly creased; it always seemed to be terribly creased. She hadn’t even thought to look at her hair in the mirror before she left. Very gingerly, she reached up and touched her braid with her fingertips. It felt, she thought miserably, as if all the strands had come out. She had been working hard on her Bastian braids since the summer before, but it was awfully hard to do it without a mirror, even though her hands were sort of behind her head; she always seemed to miss lots of little bits when she couldn’t see.
She should, Madeleine thought miserably, probably just go. She waited a little longer instead, lingering just beside the doors, still hopefully looking around the tables, as if she might see Orthosophos waving for her at any moment.