It started with a phone vibration.
Then another.
And another.
Mira noticed it during homeroom—the way students kept glancing down at their screens, whispering behind their hands, eyes darting around the room like they were looking for someone.
"Have you seen it?"
"No way she's a student here…"
"They say she's from Saint Elara."
Mira tried to ignore it.
She focused on her notebook, on the neat rows of letters she'd written again and again just to calm herself. But the air felt different—thick, restless.
Jade suddenly leaned over her desk.
"Uh… Mira?" she said carefully. "This might be awkward."
Mira's heart sank. "What is it?"
Jade hesitated, then turned her phone around.
On the screen was a photo.
A girl with soft makeup, confident eyes, and a smile that didn't look like it was asking permission to exist. The lighting was warm, the angle perfect.
Mira recognized the face instantly.
It was her.
Her breath caught.
"This was posted anonymously last night," Jade said quietly. "People are calling her the 'mystery girl.'"
Mira felt her hands go cold. "T-That's not— I mean, it is, but—"
"I know," Jade said. "I won't tell anyone. But others are starting to guess."
As if on cue, Mira felt a gaze on her.
Lucas stood near the window, phone in hand. He wasn't staring at the screen.
He was looking at her.
Not accusing.
Not shocked.
Just… understanding.
Mira looked away, chest tight.
The bell rang, loud and sudden.
Whispers followed her down the hallway. She felt them like shadows clinging to her back.
For the first time, Mira realized—
Her secret wasn't just slipping anymore.
It was about to be exposed.