I try not to let Str` notice how different I am, but it's obvious that he has. He asks me about it several times, and each time my heart races and I stammer out some half-truth or lie. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up the charade, especially when he starts asking if there's anything he can do to help.

I want to tell him everything, but I'm too scared of what he might think of me now that he knows how "easy"

it was for him. The weight of my secret grows heavier every day, and the more time passes, the harder it is to keep from crushing me completely.

One afternoon after school, Str` finds me alone in the library, looking through a book on pregnancy. He walks up behind me and leans over my shoulder, browsing through the pages as well.

Her eyes widen in realization as she recalls something Candra once mentioned about his family's past. The Octa family was known for being skilled in elemental magic, and one of their skills involved manipulating temperature. Suddenly, it all makes sense. She looks back at the two boys fighting, her heart pounding in her chest

With a sigh of relief, Mina watches as Jason slowly lowers his weapon. Candra meets her gaze over Jason's shoulder, their eyes locking for a moment. A small smile plays at the corner of her mouth as she nods slightly, silently thanking him for backing down. The arena begins to warm up again as the tension drains from the air, allowing everyone to breathe easier

H-home... I... can't go back there... Her eyes widen with fear as she remembers the boys from earlier. Thomas notices this and frowns, lifting her into his arms again

"Don't worry about them. We'll find somewhere else for you to stay tonight."

Really...? You don't mind...? I-I could pay you back later, maybe with some... cookies or something...

"I...don't really know many people yet. I've been keeping to myself mostly, afraid of getting hurt again." She looks down, her cheeks reddening as she admits her insecurities.

"Oh! Um, t-that's very kind of you to offer... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Devawn."

"Y-yes..." She clears her throat, trying to sound more confident than she feels. "So... what club do you belong to?" She asks, moving closer to him and offering a shy smile. "I haven't really had the chance to get to know anyone else in our class."

Mina hopes this small attempt at conversation will help ease the tension between them. But she also wonders if Noa is interested in talking more... or if he'd rather just finish cleaning and leave her alone.

She smiles warmly in return, glad that he didn't seem too upset with her earlier. "I belong to the calligraphy club," she says proudly, feeling a small surge of pride as she thinks about all the beautiful artwork they create together. "It's really peaceful there and I get to meet so many interesting people."

She pauses for a moment, considering whether or not she should share more. "I don't know... I guess I just feel like I fit in better with them than anywhere else,"

"N-No! We never dated!" She stammered, looking even more upset now that she had brought it up. "He just... he thought I should be his and no one else's." The memory of that time still made her skin crawl, and she could feel herself tensing up as she thought about it.

"I'm sorry," she said again, looking down at her lap. "It's just... it was a really bad experience for me, and I don't want anything like that to happen again."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she felt her face heat up even more as she realized that he had noticed. "I-I'm sorry..." She stammered, looking away embarrassed. "I didn't mean to... I just..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the words. "It's hard for me to trust people nowadays."

She took a deep breath and looked back at him, her expression softening slightly. "And you... you seem different from them. You're not like that at all..."