“No. I’m not letting Raya stay over or go to your house,” Axel snapped as he suddenly appeared and slipped an arm around Maya’s shoulders from behind.
“You’re a bad influence on my little sister.” His eyes fixed on Sky—sharp, cold, and dark.
Sky glared at him indignantly. She was about to protest, but Axel pulled Maya out of the classroom first.
“We’re going to the cafeteria. Lexa already ordered lunch for us,” Axel said excitedly.
Maya didn’t say anything. She was too busy trying to keep up with Axel’s long strides.
After walking for quite a while, they finally reached the high school cafeteria. Maya looked around in amazement. Some students were lining up, while others were already sitting comfortably and enjoying their meals.
“That’s Lexa.” Axel led Maya toward one of the tables in the corner of the cafeteria. Lexa was there, scrolling through her phone. Several dishes Lexa had ordered earlier were already on the table. Everything was still untouched.
As soon as she saw her twin brother arrive with Maya, Lexa set down her phone. She patted the chair beside her, gesturing for Maya to sit there.
“How was your class?” Lexa asked shortly after Maya sat beside her.
Maya grimaced. “Hard,” she answered honestly.
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t know you were this stupid. What did you learn back in seventh grade? You should’ve at least studied a little for eighth- and ninth-grade subjects.” Axel’s cutting words made Maya nervously fidget with her fingers.
“Graduation exams are in a few weeks. I don’t know what you’re going to write on your test paper,” Axel added, shaking his head.
“Axel!” Lexa scolded, shooting him a sharp look. She felt that Axel had gone too far.
“What?! Isn’t what I said true? Maya needs to study fast to catch up,” Axel pressed, refusing to back down.
“I never wanted this life. Please stop pressuring me. I’m not Raya.” For the first time, the girl dared to voice her feelings. Her teary eyes stared at Axel in deep disappointment.
Without waiting for a response, Maya stood and walked out of the cafeteria. Even though she had no idea where to go, she kept moving quickly. When Axel tried to follow, Lexa grabbed his arm first.
“You went too far, Axel. Did you forget that Maya is two years younger than Raya?” Lexa’s words left Axel stunned.
No. Axel hadn’t forgotten that fact. The problem was... without realizing it, Axel had been treating Maya the same way he treated Raya.
“Damn, I’m the worst...”
Maya’s steps grew slower when she finally returned to the middle school grounds. She sat down on a rock beside a tree.
The girl was still trying to steady her ragged breathing when a book suddenly landed on her head. Letting out a soft groan, Maya picked up the book and looked up.
Her eyes widened when she saw Arkana sitting on a tree branch. The teenager looked down at Maya with an impassive expression.
“Sorry,” Arkana said curtly.
Maya gave a small nod. Her lips curved into a faint smile to show that she accepted his apology.
After that, neither of them said another word. Maya sat awkwardly, bored as she watched ants crawling past.
“So... have you ever been to City Y?” Maya suddenly asked.
“A few times,” Arkana answered indifferently. The teenager looked down at Maya. A faint crease appeared between his brows as he noticed that ‘Raya’s’ behavior was becoming increasingly strange.
Forget smiling or speaking to him in a gentle tone—even going one whole day without mocking him had been enough to make Arkana grateful. So... was the rumor about Raya losing her memory really true?
“By bus?” Maya asked again.
“Train.” Arkana’s answer was, once again, far too brief.
Maya nervously played with her shoelaces. Was she interrupting Arkana’s time?
“Oh... a train, huh...” Maya pursed her lips. In all her life, the girl had never used that form of public transportation.
Maya glanced at Arkana’s book beside her. She picked it up, then stood and brushed off her skirt.
“Here, Arkana,” Maya said as she held the book up to him. Fortunately, Arkana was sitting on the lowest branch, so it was easy for him to take it.
“Want to come up?” Arkana asked flatly.
Maya’s eyes widened adorably. She hadn’t expected Arkana to offer to let her sit with him.
“But I can’t climb trees.” Maya hadn’t even been able to run before, let alone climb a tree. Her body was too weak for an activity that wasn’t even particularly strenuous.
Arkana raised one eyebrow, but no words came from his lips. The teenager simply extended his hand toward Maya.
Maya looked back and forth between Arkana and the hand he held out to her. Hesitantly, she took Arkana’s hand. Then, without warning, the teenager pulled her up, making Maya let out a muffled squeak.
Maya instinctively hugged Arkana’s arm. The girl stared down in shock, still unable to believe that Arkana, whom Sky considered a bookworm, possessed such unexpected strength.
“You...” Maya didn’t even know what to say.
“What?”
Maya turned her face away when she realized she was hugging Arkana’s arm. She wanted to let go, but what else could she hold on to?
In the end, all Maya did was loosen her grip and gently grasp Arkana’s uniform sleeve.
“Nothing,” Maya replied, a blush beginning to color her cheeks.
Maya tiptoed out of her room. The girl looked to the right and left. After making sure no one was around, she hurried down the stairs.
Two guards watched the main entrance twenty-four hours a day, so there was no way she could leave through there. Maya swept her gaze around, then quietly made her way toward the kitchen.
Since it was already nighttime, not a single servant was there. Maya looked toward the door at the back of the kitchen.
Her eyes immediately lit up. She had just reached for the doorknob when someone suddenly lifted her into the air.
Maya held back her scream, not wanting to wake the people in this house. The person then effortlessly turned her around. His sturdy hands gently gripped Maya’s waist.
“Wow... Hello, Little Mouse.”
Maya frowned, certain she didn’t know the strange man who had lifted her like an animal. “H-hello to you too, Uncle.”
“I’m not your uncle,” he said with a soft chuckle. The man then set the pitiful, frightened-looking Maya down on the table.
“I heard you lost your memory and are experiencing delusions—or whatever it is. But the twins said something strange instead. They were talking about a soul transfer. Tell me, which one is true?”