Bella~
It's almost four in the afternoon and somehow, I haven't murdered Zade Morgan.
Growth.
After touring nearly every corner of Edelmare's sprawling, extra campus from the strategy halls to the open air performance terrace to a suspiciously locked library wing I'm running on caffeine, mild sarcasm, and the willpower to not fall for a guy who thinks nicknames are a form of flirting.
Eva, on the other hand? She's glowing.
Literally, the girl's bouncing like she found her dream.
"Did you see that stallion?" she whispers to Nyra like she just saw royalty. "I swear he nodded at me. His name's Orion. I'm convinced we had a moment."
"You're convinced you have a moment with every horse," I tease.
Eva ignores me. "I think I'm gonna try out for riding club. I've never been around horses like this before, but it just… felt right."
Nyra smiles, and I notice Jake give Eva a glance that lingers for half a second too long.
Interesting.
Meanwhile, I found my own kind of therapy.
Archery.
Something about pulling back the string, aiming, and watching the arrow fly into the center of a bright red target is insanely satisfying. Even more so when I realize Zade and Jake both couldn't hit the center for three rounds, and I nailed it first try.
"I'm convinced you have secret assassin training," Jake muttered.
"Maybe I'm just talented," I said sweetly, lowering my bow.
Zade, meanwhile, kept trying to distract me with commentary like "Your form's good, but I think the target's scared of you."
He wasn't wrong.
Afterward, we finally crash for lunch in the garden courtyard—Eva, Nyra, Jake, Zade, and me, seated around a marble bench under the shade of vine covered arches. The sun's warm, the food is surprisingly good, and for a moment… everything feels kind of right.
"Alright," Zade says, unwrapping a sandwich like he's about to drop a royal decree. "Let's rank today's best moments."
"Oh god," I mutter.
Jake raises a hand. "Eva's horse bonding. Ten out of ten for emotional connection."
Nyra nods. "Agreed. That horse was definitely into you."
Eva beams.
Zade grins. "Bella's archery, terrifying but impressive. Wouldn't want to get on her bad side."
I raise a brow. "You're already on it."
"Flattered," he says, mouth full.
Nyra chuckles behind her juice box. Jake's halfway to sleep against the edge of the bench.
But the moment's easy. Comfortable. For once.
With the afternoon's structured activities over, we all agree to hit the indoor pool on campus. It's tucked behind the performance halls, surrounded by glass windows and warm lighting, like something out of a vacation catalog.
"I can't believe this place has a heated pool," Eva murmurs, toes already in the water. "They really want us to stay here forever, huh?"
"Bribery through luxury," I say, tying my hair up.
We all change and pile into the water, Jake doing a backflip in, Zade cannonballing dramatically, Nyra sliding in like a mermaid, and me choosing the stairs because I'm not trying to drown for fun.
Eva~
Bella gets into the water just fine and I try to seem normal as I follow behind her but am still human am scared because I don't know how to swim and she notices it and asks if am fine.
I just nod and say "As long as the water doesn't reach my face."
That's when a pool ball hits Bella straight in the face and I try hard not to laugh but end up failing cause I know Zade is so dead for pulling that stunt on her.
I see her rushing towards him in pure anger while he just plays it off seeing it as maybe his kitty's tantrums , its kinda cute how these two always end up bickering.
We splash around, play some water volleyball and have fun.
By the time we're climbing out of the pool, the sky outside has turned soft shades of gold and violet sunset bleeding over the glass walls like watercolor. I feel warm, relaxed, and lighter than I've felt in days.
Despite Zade's chaotic cannonballs and Bella threatening him with bodily harm, today wasn't so bad.
I towel off my curls and grab my bag since am the last one and everyone's already out planning for dinner. I sip the cool juice jake offered us and that's when I feel something's off.
Wait.
No.
My fingers go to my neck bare skin.
No necklace.
Panic flutters instantly in my chest. The chain. The one my mom gave me. The only thing of hers I wear every single day. I was wearing it this morning.
"Oh no no no," I mutter, digging through my bag just to be sure.
Nothing.
"Guys—" I start, but they're already halfway to the locker room talking about food.
I inhale slowly, force a smile. "You guys go ahead. I think I left my necklace somewhere around the pool. I'll catch up."
Bella pauses. "You want help?"
I shake my head quickly. "No, it's okay. It's probably near the benches or something. I won't be long."
"Alright," she says, still giving me that skeptical big sister stare before turning away. "Don't drown or something."
I give a weak laugh. "Promise."
The pool is quiet when I return.
Almost too quiet.
It's strange how different a place feels without people—echoes louder, shadows longer. The warmth from earlier feels distant now, like whatever joy had filled this space got drained with the noise.
I walk along the edge, eyes scanning the tiles, the benches, the lockers. Nothing.
My heart sinks. I chew my lip, frustration bubbling beneath my ribs.
Then I see it.
The chain.
It's lying near the steps that lead into the pool, thank god it hasn't slipped into the water or been swept away.
Relief floods me. I drop to the edge, quickly fasten it around my neck, fingers trembling just slightly. The cool metal touches my skin again, and for a brief moment, I breathe.
I stand to leave.
That's when it hits.
A wave of heat.
My head spins. The air thickens.
My vision tilts violently like the ground just yanked itself from under me.
I stumble.
And then—
Slip.
A splash.
Cold. Weightless. Then heavy.
Water.
I thrash instinctively, but something's wrong. My arms won't move right. My chest tightens like someone's strapped ropes around my lungs.
Everything's spinning. My muscles ignore me.
What's happening?
I try to call for help but nothing comes out. Water fills the space where breath should be.
I kick. Once. Twice. Nothing.
The surface feels too far away.
Stars burst behind my eyelids.
My fingers reach for something—anything.
The water swallows me whole. Then—
Arms.
Strong, secure arms wrapping around me like an anchor.
I'm rising. Breaking the surface.
Air slaps against my skin. My head tilts back. I gasp, or try to.
I can't open my eyes fully, but I catch a glimpse—
A face.
His face.
Reano.
Wet hair clings to his forehead. His jaw clenched, eyes sharp and burning with something that might be fear. Or fury. I'm not sure.
My limbs are lead. My body refuses to respond.
His voice is the only thing I hear.
Low, urgent. "Stay with me."
I am no longer able to stay conscious
The last thing I hear—
"Evara."
Soft.
Commanding.
Then—darkness.
Reano Madriff
She's light in my arms, but the way her breath trembles against my chest makes my jaw tighten.
I walk fast—controlled but there's a heaviness pressing against my spine. The kind that lingers when something goes too wrong, too fast.
The infirmary is tucked between the east training wing and the admin corridor.
Quiet this late.
Good.
The door creaks open as I nudge it with my shoulder. The school nurse—Maera, sharp eyed and always three steps ahead—is already on her feet.
"She took a fall?" she asks, moving fast.
"Fainted," I say. "In the pool."
Maera doesn't waste time. She gestures toward the cot near the window. I lay Evara down carefully, watching as Maera places a warm hand on her forehead and checks her pulse.
"She's stable," she mutters. "But she's had a reaction to something. Her system seems to be recovering on its own."
Maera frowns and pulls a blood sample, vanishing briefly to run tests. I sit nearby, elbows on my knees, watching. Waiting.
She's stable now.
Breathing. Warm. Alive.
Good.
She wouldn't have been… if we'd arrived seconds later.
I glance to my left, where her damp uniform jacket is folded neatly on the bench. Her name patch still sewn over the pocket.
Evara Richards.
Of course.
I remembered her the moment I saw her in the pool. The new girl—the one who wandered into the old gym wing while my bag was on fire. She looked at me like she wasn't supposed to be there. Like I was something out of a story she hadn't finished reading.
She saw me.
And I saw her.
Then this morning… on the terrace.
She thought I didn't notice.
But I did.
She ducked behind the railing like her life depended on it. Fast, clumsy. In her rush, she dropped something.
I reach into my jacket pocket and run my thumb over it again—small, silver, slightly bent.
A crescent moon hairpin.
She hadn't even realized she'd lost it.
Typical.
Now she's here, skin still damp, curls clinging to her face, breathing uneven.
She looks small. Fragile.
Not the same girl who stared down Mr.David's shut door like she might break in.
She stirs. Blinks.
And then her voice, hoarse and dry:
"…You know my name?"
That's the first thing she asks?
I glance at her jacket. At the badge. I don't answer.
She follows my gaze and blinks again.
"Oh. Right."
"You really carried me here?" she asks.
"Yes."
"You could've just… called someone."
"I didn't feel like wasting time."
She gives me a look. Half amused. Half searching.
"You're not what I expected," she murmurs.
I raise a brow. "What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. You don't exactly talk a lot."
"Neither do most people while they're dragging someone out of a pool."
She actually laughs. It's quiet, still rough from the water but it's real.
"I'm sorry," she says after a pause. "For making this harder than it had to be."
I shake my head. "You didn't know. That's not your fault."
Silence settles again.
She touches her necklace. Still there.
Also a crescent moon pendent, does she love that so much?
I pull the hairpin from my pocket and hold it out.
"You dropped this."
My voice is neutral. Flat.
She stares at it, confused. Then reaches out, slowly.
"My… hairpin?" she murmurs. "I thought I—wait. When did I lose this?"
"This morning," I say. "You were on the terrace. Third floor. You ducked when you saw me."
Her eyes widen slightly.
"You saw that?"
I nod once.
"I wasn't spying," she says quickly and the way her voice jumps makes it obvious she absolutely was. "I was—watering plants."
I don't smile. But the corner of my mouth twitches.
Before she can say more, the door swings open.
Alix steps in, towel slung over one shoulder.
"She's awake?"
He walks in casually, but I see the edge of concern still clinging to him.
"You know, for someone who doesn't get involved," he says to me, "you literally dove in without thinking."
"She would've drowned," I reply simply.
Alix lifts an eyebrow. "Yeah, no argument there. But still. You good?"
"I'm fine," I say. "She's the one who—" I stop.
Because Evara's watching us both now. More alert.
More curious.
Alix notices and offers a lopsided smile.
"Hey. I'm Alix Ryder. Reano's less grumpy half."
"I heard that," I mutter.
She blinks. "You were there too?"
"Right behind him," Alix says. "I was gonna jump in, but your knight got there first."
Her gaze drifts back to me. "I didn't even know you were there."
"You weren't supposed to," I say. "The pool's closed after hours. I train when no one's around."
"And I came back for my necklace," she murmurs, brushing her collarbone. "Didn't even feel it at first. The dizziness. I thought it was nothing."
"Did you eat or drink anything new earlier?" I ask
"Juice," she says while I give a 'continue' look
She nods slowly. "Yeah. Jake gave it to me. Said it was from the vending machine."
Alix curses quietly.
Right then, Maera steps back in, holding up a torn label.
"Found it," she says. "That drink was one of the new enhanced blends. Some immunity booster nonsense. It had sorbic flower extract in it."
Evara frowns. "What's that?"
"A rare herb," Alix answers. "Usually used in preservation magic. Not something you find in snacks. But it's in a few specialty energy drinks."
"She's allergic to it?" I ask.
"Apparently," Alix says, checking the label. "Dizziness, muscle fatigue, respiratory suppression. If she hadn't collapsed in water, she'd probably have just passed out."
Maera nods. "Not on any standard allergy list. I'll update her file."
Evara blinks slowly. "So it wasn't just me being… dramatic."
"No," I say. "It was your body trying to warn you. And you ignored it."
She sighs. "That sounds about right."
Alix smirks. "So. How's our princess of near drowning doing now?"
Evara rolls her eyes. "Conscious. Embarrassed. A little cold."
"I'll grab a blanket," Maera says, vanishing into the supply room.
Alix leans back against the wall. "You scared the hell out of us."
"I scared me," she whispers, tugging the blanket closer. "It felt like falling. And I couldn't stop."
She looks at me again.
"You didn't hesitate," she says quietly. "You just… jumped in."
"I don't hesitate when someone's drowning."
Her lips twitch into a soft smile. "Still. Thank you, Reano."
The way she says my name gentle, real—makes something tighten in my chest. Something I don't want to name.
She doesn't look away.
Not yet.
But I do.
Because she's still watching me. Curious. A little too much.
And I'm not ready for what that curiosity might uncover.
The door creaks again.
Footsteps. Fast.
Voices rise in the hall.
"Eva?!"
"Eva, are you in here?!"
Nyra. Zade. And the girl with the sharp eyes and louder mouth, her best friend probably.
Alix grins. "Told you they'd come."
I glance back once more as Evara slowly sits up, her fingers curled tight around the silver hairpin.
Her eyes find mine.
Still curious.
Still seeing me.
And I know—this won't be the last time she's caught in something she can't explain.
And it definitely won't be the last time I'll be the one pulling her back.