The nausea rose into her throat. Yet Felicia kept smiling. “Thank you.”
Serena looked relieved. “You’ve looked tired lately.”
“Have I?”
“Yeah.” Serena gave a small laugh. “I was worried.”
Felicia stared straight into Serena’s clear, tranquil eyes. There wasn’t a trace of hatred in them, as if the girl genuinely cared. How astonishing.
“Feya?”
Felicia looked away. If she kept staring at Serena, she was afraid she would see a pool of blood beneath the girl’s feet. “I’m fine.”
Serena smiled again. “Thank goodness.”
Then, without hesitation, Serena sat in the empty chair beside Felicia. That small movement made Felicia’s jaw tense. So this was what it felt like to sit beside someone who had once killed you.
“Feya, you’re still going to the school festival planning meeting, right?” Serena asked.
“I am.”
“Good.” Serena looked at her warmly. “But don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
It was exactly what Serena had said back then. Felicia remembered it clearly, because Serena always spoke this way—caring, gentle, and warm.
Little by little, she made everyone believe she was a good girl worthy of love. And once everyone believed that, no one would listen to the victim.
“Feya?”
Felicia realized she had been silent for too long. “What is it?”
Serena looked hesitant. “Are you mad at me?”
That simple question suddenly made the entire classroom feel silent. A few students secretly watched them.
Felicia could feel their eyes on her. If she took even one wrong step, she would be the one who looked cruel—not Serena.
Slowly, Felicia steadied her breathing and smiled faintly. “No.”
The answer came out more easily than she had expected. Yet that was precisely what left Serena looking slightly confused. “Really?”
Felicia nodded. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
Serena’s expression softened. “Then you can talk to me about it.”
Felicia clenched her fingers beneath the desk, her nails digging into her skin. It hurt, but the pain was what helped her stay sane.
Not yet. You can’t act recklessly. If this life really has given me a second chance, then I have to use it properly.
Felicia rose slowly. “I’m going to the library.”
Serena stood too. “I’ll come with—”
“No need.” The words came out too quickly and a little too coldly.
Serena fell silent, her smile freezing for a fraction of a second. But only for an instant. “I understand.”
Felicia looked at the girl’s face—the face that had once made her willing to share her home, her affection, and her future.
Now, for the first time, she saw something behind Serena’s mask. Not hatred or anger, but an almost imperceptible wariness. It was enough, however, to make the hairs on Felicia’s neck stand on end.
Serena lowered her head. “I’m sorry if I’ve been clinging to you too much lately.”
Then the girl smiled again. The same perfect smile. “I’m just afraid of losing my family.”
Felicia’s heart beat harder. Did that sentence sound like a prayer, or was it a threat? Felicia reached for her bag, her gaze calm.
Her voice was flat. “We’re all afraid of losing something, Serena. We’ll see,” she continued softly, “who’s most prepared to face loss.”
The air between them suddenly felt colder. Serena blinked, then gave a small smile as if she didn’t understand what Felicia meant.
But as Felicia walked out of the classroom, Serena’s fingers slowly tightened around the hem of her own skirt. Her smile remained in place, but her eyes sharpened before finally softening again as usual.