The hallways of Northbridge Academy were chaotic, buzzing with laughter, slamming lockers, and the low hum of conversation—but Kaiden hardly noticed. Mara's presence beside him was a steadying force, a tether through the storm of attention that followed him like gravity. He had grown used to the stares, the whispers, the casual brush of girls pretending to fix their hair as he passed—but nothing prepared him for the girl who stepped out of the crowd ahead.
Her chestnut hair was tied loosely in a high ponytail, swinging with every step. Sharp green eyes scanned him with an intensity that made his pulse spike. She moved with the kind of confidence that made everyone else in the hallway seem like scenery.
"Kaiden," she said, her voice clear, carrying just enough for nearby students to notice.
Kaiden froze. He didn't recognize her. Not at all.
"Uh… hi?" he said cautiously, taking a tentative step back.
Her lips curved into a smile that was confident, teasing, and terrifying all at once. "I've been looking for you. Thought I'd catch you before Mara swoops in."
Mara stiffened immediately. Kaiden noticed the subtle shift in her posture, the way her hand brushed lightly against his sleeve—not possessive, but protective. Mara's eyes sharpened, narrowing ever so slightly, scanning the girl as if she already knew something he didn't.
"I… I don't know you," Kaiden said, voice tight.
The girl—Lila—stepped closer, brushing past a few students in the crowded hallway with a casual ease. Her presence was magnetic, deliberate. She was invading his personal space in a way that made him conscious of every movement, every expression.
"Sure you do," Lila said softly, leaning just enough that he could feel the warmth of her shoulder brush against his. "We've known each other a long time."
Kaiden's chest tightened. He shook his head. "No… I mean—I don't remember you."
Mara's eyes flicked to him, sharp and calculating. "Kaiden… do you know her?"
"I—" Kaiden started. His throat felt tight. "No."
"She's your best friend," Mara said, her voice low and precise. "From before. From the other life. She knows you—the real you."
Kaiden felt a cold shock run through him. "Best friend?" he whispered. "I… I don't—"
"Yes," Mara said firmly. "She's the one who remembers everything. She sees through the mask you're wearing. And she's not going to let it slide."
Lila smiled faintly now, no longer teasing, but sharp with intention. "You're surprised, aren't you? Thought you could just disappear into your new life?"
Kaiden's pulse spiked. "I don't know you!" he stammered, panic rising.
She tilted her head, green eyes sparkling with familiarity he didn't understand. "I know you. Always have. You think I'd forget?"
Kaiden's chest constricted. The real me… He realized for the first time that all the smiles, the attention, the girls who admired him—none of it mattered. This was different. She knew him, truly, in a way that made the borrowed identity feel like a cage.
Mara's hand tightened lightly on his sleeve, anchoring him. Her gaze, calm but fierce, sent a clear message: Do not falter.
"I'm not here to cause trouble," Lila said, stepping closer, her voice dropping so only Kaiden could hear. "I just… want to know if you're still the same person I knew."
Kaiden's throat tightened. Her closeness, the familiarity in her voice, the heat of attention—it all collided with the weight of Mara's gaze beside him. He could feel her awareness, her silent warning: I see everything.
The hallway felt suddenly smaller. Students flowed past them like water, whispers and giggles slicing the air, but for Kaiden it was like they were trapped in a spotlight. Every glance, every subtle gesture from Lila felt amplified. Every micro-expression threatened to expose the fractures of his borrowed identity.
"You're safe," Mara whispered, her hand still lightly on his sleeve. "Don't let her make you slip. She knows the real you. And she'll see it if you show the wrong thing."
Kaiden swallowed hard. He had navigated flirting, attention, admiration before, but this was different. Lila wasn't testing casual interest—she was testing truth. She could see through him in ways no one else could.
Lila leaned closer, letting her shoulder brush his just slightly. "I don't care about appearances," she murmured. "I care about you. The real you. And I can tell… you're hiding something."
Kaiden felt the heat of it—not lust exactly, but the pressure of attention, desire, history, and expectation crashing into him at once. Every step, every smile, every glance carried meaning he had never learned to interpret in this borrowed life.
"I… I don't—" Kaiden began, but no words could articulate what he felt.
Mara's eyes softened only for a moment before hardening again. "Step carefully," she said, voice low, calm but lethal in its tone. "She'll push. And if you falter…"
Lila's green eyes locked onto him, teasing and dangerous. "We'll talk later," she whispered. "I want to see the real you. Don't disappoint me."
She stepped back into the crowd, moving effortlessly, leaving behind only the faintest trace of her perfume. Kaiden's chest heaved. Mara's hand tightened on his sleeve as they continued walking.
"You didn't know her," Mara said softly. "But she knows you. Every habit, every secret. She's dangerous in the right way—she can see through all the lies you're telling everyone else."
Kaiden nodded, mind spinning. He felt exposed, crushed under the weight of attention, popularity, and now history he couldn't access. The girls who smiled at him before felt trivial compared to the sharp, probing awareness of someone who had always known him.
Everyone watching. Mara watching. Lila watching. And me… pretending.
For the first time since waking in this body, Kaiden felt truly unmoored. He was popular, admired, desired—but powerless in ways he had never imagined.
And the worst part?
He realized the real danger wasn't the girls who flirted or the rumors that spread—it was the girl who remembered him. The one who could see straight through his mask.
The one who could ruin everything.