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“Give her some space,” I said in a low voice. Not only was she probably overwhelmed by the sudden gang up, but I kind of wanted to see her too. They took a step back, and I could barely contain the look of shock on my face when we locked eyes.

Reaper.

I never made the connection that she was the girl from the missing posters. I wasn’t interested in it back then, so I never kept the face in my memory.

She smirked, waiting for me to speak.

“You’re Datura, right?” Lin asked.

How cruel for her parents to name her after such a poisonous flower. As if they wanted to give her a misfortunate life.

She pulled her gaze away from me to meet Jamiel’s .

“I only go by my second name now.” Her voice was so soft and pure, like snow gently falling from the sky. A sound you'd listen to with your eyes closed and feel serene enough to fall asleep but wouldn't be able to because you just couldn't get enough of it. “It’s Celestine.”

“Why’d you run away from home?” Lin asked.

“Yeah, isn’t Senator Vicary super rich?” Jamiel questioned.

Publicly, the Vicarys are the second richest family in the city, after the Prime Minister. Though, there are those far wealthier than them who are able to keep their names secret.

“Where do you live now?” Jamiel and Lin continued bombarding her with questions, but didn't wait for answers.

“Guys, come on.” Iri glared at the boys.

“That’s personal.” She turned back to Reaper.

“You don’t have to answer these stupid people.

” Iri smiled, shocking all of us. She never smiles like that, especially not for us.

The last time we’d seen that smile of hers was with her last partner.

“You probably don't remember me, but I was friends with your brother.” Iri knew everyone in this city.

Reaper lowered her eyes, not responding. Sensitive topic, noted.

“Have you already eaten lunch?”

Reaper nodded.

“How are you liking the school, Celestine?” Jamiel was being so polite and kind, it almost made me laugh.

“It’s… It’s nice, everyone’s been really… Nice.” Bloody hell, even her stuttering was cute.

Did I just—No! Stop it.

I quickly turned and walked away.

“Oi, where you going, Cinth?” Jamiel called .

“I’m bored and class is starting soon.” I waved them off. I'd rather fall on my knife like an idiot than let them see my heated face.

“We still have ten minutes!” Jamiel shouted.

But I turned the corner and was gone. Popping a pill into my mouth, I sat against the wall.

After a few minutes, my friends found me, and I reached into my pocket and handed Iri a gold coin.

“Hah! I knew she would shock you.” Iri laughed.

“Yeah, yeah.” I wasn’t going to tell them it wasn’t her beauty that shocked me.

Jamiel gasped. “I can’t believe it. You’ve never had a crush on anyone.”

“I thought Cinth was an ace like me.” Lin raised a brow.

I don’t do labels because then I’d be confined to it. I don’t know what I was or wasn’t, nor did I care. I just hated everyone.

I never could understand the obsession with labels, everyone labelling themselves and each other.

What’s the point? To create the useless feeling of being different?

Special? Important? Why can’t people just be?

Everyone is fundamentally the same anyway, with the same selfish goals, whether it be power, money, or love.

People are so bloody pathetic.

“I don’t like anyone, and I don’t like her,” I growled. Just because she was insanely attractive didn’t mean I like her.

Iri sat next to me with a smirk. “But you admit she’s pretty.”

“I’m not blind.” Though even a blind person would know she was beautiful just based on her voice.

It's odd though. Standard Souic beauty was curvy, signifying they were well fed, darker skin like Angels who were constantly exposed to the sun and short, curly hair to show they were able to afford being indoors where there were heaters.

She was none of that, but still, everyone was raving over her.

“You know you two met before, right?” Iri said.

I turned to her.

“Seven months before your accident.”

Four years ago, I suffered a blow to the head and the majority of the year before the hit was wiped from my memories. If I tried to think of that time, my head would feel like it was about to explode, like right now. So, I don't try anymore.

“Do you think she remembers me?” I asked, fiddling with one of my rings.

None of the memories I lost were likely important.

Just my normal life of school, assignments, sleeping, and parties I hardly ever participated in.

But sometimes, late at night when I can't sleep, I think the God of fate caused it to happen on purpose, as if there was something Moira wanted me to forget.

Not that I'm religious. If the Gods really cared, the world wouldn't be messed up to this extent.

“No idea.” Iri let out a dramatic sigh. “More importantly, do you think she likes girls?”

This dog.

“She’s out of your league, Iri.” Lin and Jamiel snickered.

Iri kicked Lin in the shin, who was unfortunately closest to her. “If she doesn’t, I’d still have more of a chance than you two combined.”

I let out a laugh. “How old is she anyways?” She was put in our grade level, but there was just no way she was the same age as any of us. She had the height and body of a child.

“She'll be eighteen in May, right up there with Lin.”

The bell rang and a sea of students came back from the cafeteria.

There aren’t many students at the school, my grade being the largest with forty. Our grade was split into two classes and thankfully Reaper was in the other class .

Though history was in the largest classroom to accommodate both classes and was one of the only ones that required assigned seating. It was the only class Reaper, and I shared.

The teachers knew Lin, Jamiel, Iri, and I caused less trouble when we’re together and made sure to put us in the same classes and our seats near one another.

So, we took our seats in the back corner, Lin and Jamiel directly in front of Iri and me.

Reaper sat in the middle row, closer to the wall, the only seat available.

Pausing in the middle of her lecture with a sigh, the teacher walked over to Reaper, causing me to look up from texting Jerome and Symeon, separately of course, they couldn’t stand one another.

She spoke in a low voice, but we could all hear it. “You seem to be distracting your classmates.”

Reaper gave her a confused look. “I’m not doing anything.”

The teacher gave her a tight smile. “I need you to move seats.” She turned to one of the girls sitting next to Iri. “Willow, please swap seats.”

Willow did as she was told, but Reaper took her time before she was now just one desk over from me.

But if the teacher thought she was distracting the class before, it was even worse sitting her in the back.

People were constantly turning in their seats, pretending to stretch or look at the time, just to get a glance at Reaper.

Their eyes lingered before turning back to the front.

Reaper didn’t seem bothered by it or even notice as her eyes glazed over, dissociating from the world.

“Hyacinth.”

I snapped my head back towards the teacher.

“Please, focus. This will be on the exam.”

The class snickered and giggled.

Why was I the only one being called out?

** *

Classes were over before I realised they had begun, and I walked out of school with Iri and Jamiel. Lin ran tutoring sessions after school, so we never walked home with him.

“No detention for you today?” Iri laughed. I also hardly walked home with them.

“That’s a first,” Jamiel commented, taking out a smoke.

“I’m full of surprises,” I muttered, taking a lit cigarette from Jamiel. Honestly, I might have had detention today, but no one reminded me.

“What’s going on over there?” Jamiel nodded towards the gates, filled with flashes of light and camera shutters. There were even a few students talking to the cameras, excitedly answering their questions.

Iri turned and rushed over towards a tree.

“Oi, where are you going?” Jamiel asked, but she ignored us, so we followed her. I didn’t even notice Reaper sitting under the tree, her body hidden from the cameras.

“Are you okay?” Iri asked, crouching down to her level.

“Yeah, I’m… Waiting for them to leave,” Reaper said in a low voice, running her fingers through the grass.

“It must be so annoying to have the media follow you all the time.” Iri laughed.

“I didn’t know they cared so much.”

“Your court case was a huge deal, of course they’re curious.” Jamiel snorted.

“Court case?” Reaper asked, as if she didn’t know… Maybe she didn’t.

The world thought she was murdered by a sixteen-year-old boy. The trial was blasted live on every news station the entire year it went on for. I think that guy went to prison. How embarrassing that everyone was wrong about him, or at least about how he murdered her.

Iri spoke before Jamiel could tell her. “It’s fine now, you’re alive and well and that’s all that matters. Do you have anyone to call to pick you up? ”

“Not really.” Reaper took a peak behind the tree to see the crowd still there. “You don’t have to wait with me. I’m fine.”

Iri made herself comfortable across from Reaper, setting her bag down. “There’s no way I’m getting my photo taken today, I don’t have my lashes on.”

Iri loved make-up. Able to create art on her face just as well as she was able to decorate a cake, which comes in handy since her family owns one of the most successful, high-class restaurants in the city.

Reaper cracked a small smile.

Jamiel followed suit. “I have nothing to do anyway.” He offered Reaper a cigarette, but she politely declined.

Yeah, I don’t have time for this. I have an assignment that I wanted to get over with and I needed to repaint my nails. I turned and walked to the gates.

A few teachers were trying to disperse the crowd, but they kept getting sucked into the questions.

“How is Miss Vicary?”

“Is she doing well in school?”

“What’s she like?”