The library was nearly empty after hours — except for Section E's newest ghost.
Sera sat alone at the far corner, pretending to read a psychology textbook while watching the Aegis boys out of her peripheral vision. They weren't there for books. They never were.
But tonight, **Kairo De León was flipping through student files** — something only staff and council members had access to.
Illegal? Probably.
Power move? Definitely.
Sera smirked to herself.
*So you're already digging, King. Cute.*
He flipped a page, frowning.
No record of "Seraphina Velasquez" in any database.
Just a fabricated student profile:
> sera v
> Age: 17
> Section E
> Transfer from "Northbridge Regional" (a fake school)
> No emergency contact listed.
He slammed the file shut.
"Ghost," he muttered. "She's a f****ing ghost."
"What's got you twitching like that?" Theo asked, lounging nearby with headphones in.
Kairo didn't answer. He pulled up Aurora's facial ID system and scanned the security feed.
He isolated the moment from earlier that morning.
Paused it.
Zoomed.
**Her face. Her smirk. Her eyes.**
Sharp. Calculated. Like she was three moves ahead.
Then something flickered behind her — just for a second.
A **Black suv** parked outside the school gate. No license plate. Tinted glass. The same kind of car that escorted board members.
Kairo leaned forward.
**Who the hell are you sera?"**
---
MEANWHILE- SERA'S APARTMENT
She shut the laptop quietly.
She'd seen him access the system.
She let him.
In fact, she'd deleted the real records herself last week — just to see how far he'd go.
She opened a message thread labeled: **"Red Widow"**.
> **Sera:** He's digging. Faster than expected.
> **Red Widow:** Good. Make him fall before he finds you.
> **Sera:** He already is.
> **Red Widow:** And you?
> **Sera:** Not yet.
> **Red Widow:** Don't. That boy is a fire you can't afford to touch.
Sera closed the chat and whispered to the city:
**"But I was born in fire."**