"Mrs. Marsh, he was my first crush ever!"

The counselor just blinked at Evanna's statement. Okay, she never saw that coming.

Seconds ticked by, but Sigrid Marsh made no comment, her beady eyes peering through her half-rimmed glasses. Over the course of many sessions spanning two months, the teacher appeared almost the same with her pale green skirt and magenta lipstick.

Evanna drew in a deep breath. "Of course I liked him from the start, 'cause he's so cool, you know. He has this awesome pitch black hair shaped like a duck's butt. And he's amazing at ninjutsu and genjutsu."

"What's that?" Mrs. Marsh asked with raised eyebrows.

"Martial arts, sorta."

"I see."

"Yeah, so..." Evanna emitted a sigh, fingering the texture on the pastel green sofa she was on. "He's got his faults, but he's been through so much."

"What was his name again?" the counselor asked.

"Sasuke."

"But last time, I remember you said a different name."

"Oh, that's L. I came to know him later."

"Elle is a strange name for a boy."

"No, no, L—as in, the letter L. His name is L Lawliet." Evanna adopted a suitably serious expression. "Anyways, Sasuke's with this girl Sakura now. I know we can't be together, and honestly, I'm happy for them. I've spent enough time thinking about him and his life. I need to focus on my life right now."

Nicely done, Ev. Tell her what she wants to hear, and slather on some remorse. With each session, it had become obvious that the counselor expected her to spill some secrets that would explain her seemingly erratic behavior. Evanna had been reluctant to make up stories and outright lie to her, which she wasn't sure she could pull off even if she wanted to. Hence, since the last session, she had been testing her brand new solution to the problem.

"Well, this is certainly an improvement, Evie," Mrs. Marsh said, leaning back in her seat. "Took you long enough to talk about this. And I know you're really trying, because I had a talk with Miss Inoue. She told me you're doing well."

"Yeah, I'm really making an effort." Evanna gave her a determined nod. "I have to, 'cause I want to get into Uni Kom."

The teacher studied her for a long minute. The brightness in the room seemed to intensify, enhanced by the pastel colors all around.

Evanna held her breath.

"Well then," the teacher said, closing the notebook on her lap with a tap of finality, "I'll have a chat with your mother. I think we don't need any more sessions."

The words rendered her momentarily speechless. Then she bent down and made a show of tightening her shoelaces while a grin threatened to spread over her face.

Mrs. Marsh curved her lips into a pleasant smile. "Of course, you're welcome to schedule a session with me if you need to."

Heck, no. Evanna straightened up and smiled back. "Thanks, ma'am."

"It's a matter of time before you find yourself involved with some boy again." She made a tut-tutting noise that Evanna had come to associate with her. "Clearly, you have the propensity for it. Kids nowadays and their raging hormones. It wasn't this bad back in the day—they were much better behaved."

Evanna bit back a disgruntled snort at what occurred to her as a simplistic stereotype of teens that she was being nudged into.

"As I said before, boys are little devils. Stay away from them."

"But in ten years, everyone would be bugging me to tie the knot with one," Evanna blurted out.

The counselor stared at her as if she were a puppy that backflipped when commanded to sit. Fidgeting in her seat, Evanna directed her gaze at the expansive windows, which displayed clear blue skies painted with gauzy streamers of cirrus clouds. Great, Ev. Why can't you keep your mouth shut? Am I going to be subjected to the agony of another session now?

Mrs. Marsh cleared her throat, her face reverting to its original state. "That would be in ten years. They'd grow into mature men by then."

Evanna thought of the guys in her classes and tried to imagine them as "mature men". She stifled a giggle.

"Well, off you go then," the teacher said, her plump hand making a flapping motion.

"Okay, see you later, ma'am. Thanks again."

Evanna hastily got up and made her way out, as if one second longer would overturn her good fortune.

As she hurried away from the pastel green room, her spirits lifted like she was surfacing for air after being submerged in a swamp.

Ten minutes later, Evanna wandered into the cafeteria in Building Alpha.

"Oh, you're back!" Marilda exclaimed when she plopped down in front of her.

"Yep." She eyed the glass of orange juice on the table.

"You want some?"

"I'm gonna get one myself!" Evanna grinned. "I always just get lime juice."

The other girl peered at her. "Someone's in a good mood."

"Yeah, no more counseling!"

"Cool! It's crazy your mom forced you to go to Marsh in the first place."

Evanna trotted over to where fruit juice was made—counters of metallic black accented with grey wood and LED strips. Three people manned the blenders, which ground up everything from purple carrots to passion fruits in bright swirls of color.

While they made her orange juice, she swept her gaze over the airy cafeteria. House banners and streamers festooned the place—mementos of the Sports Day that was held the week before.

The black unicorn of Tsunokory stood out on white, while the bronze gryphon of Shirotsume emblazoned the adjacent banner. Further away, the thunderbird of Raitory rested on a sea of green. However, it was obvious which house won.

Dominating the cafeteria were the reds of Benriuka with its fire-breathing dragon.

Juice obtained, Evanna maneuvered her way back to the table. She caught the eye of several classmates along the way and exchanged smiles with them. It occurred to her how familiar the place had become in the past two months.

Warm sunlight and cheerful conversation resonated with her spirits that day, but the ever-present unease persisted. Nothing fully masked the haze of oppression that pervaded the school, where putting a toe out of line had grave repercussions.

Just that morning, she had forgotten to put on her gold earrings after taking them off the night before and was reprimanded by Stephanie Cross, a prefect she had come to despise. As punishment, she was ordered to come early at 6.30 a.m. the next day and help at the school garden, which meant she'd have to get up before five o'clock.

Back in her seat, she took a sip of juice and made a face, which elicited a giggle from Marilda.

"What's with the bitterness?" Evanna mumbled.

"They make it like that somehow." The other girl shrugged and finished hers. "I dare you to drink it five days in a row."

"Challenge accepted."

Evanna downed a mouthful of the bittersweet drink and looked up—just when Anukie walked in with a few girls.

"She's okay with me, by the way," Marilda said, following her gaze. "She even let me borrow her lit notes after I didn't come to school that day. Why did you tell me to stay away from her?"

"Just trust me, okay? She might seem nice, but..."

"Fine, fine."

Marilda proceeded to fill Evanna in on the latest gossip, though the sheer volume of it made her zone out. In her peripheral vision, she observed Alcina talking with Sara, Oleanda and three other girls at the center of the cafeteria.

Alcina's rise to popularity had been meteoric. She had taken up track and field, winning medals at the Sports Day and driving her house to snag the annual cup for sports excellence. As a result, Kom High Times had published an article on her titled The Queen of Benriuka; the Rise of a Dragon. She was even putting in a tremendous amount of effort into her schoolwork—so much so that she was being known among the teachers as a model student.

Without a doubt, Alcina was obsessed with building her reputation to its former glory. As a result, she had largely left Evanna alone.

She hoped it stayed that way.

"By the way," Marilda said, noting the object of Evanna's scrutiny. "Do you have, like, clairvoyance?"

"What?" She shot the other girl a bewildered look, her mind straying to the bizarre telekinetic ability she had awakened, though it seemed to have gone back to slumber mode. If you had any inkling of that, Mari-chan...

"The word on the grapevine is that Alcina Gomez is trying to get herself appointed prefect, even though that'd be totally irregular," Marilda whispered importantly. "And it just occurred to me that you saw this coming on your very first day here!"

"Oh..."

Marilda leaned forward. "So, are you?"

"What?" Evanna asked.

"A clairvoyant?"

A giggle burst out of her. "Nope."

Marilda settled back in her seat, looking rather disappointed.

Evanna wished she did have the power to look into the future. She could have seen herself going back home, and such a vision would have eased the fear and uncertainty bundled up inside. She couldn't help dwelling on her biggest complaints in her old world—when she whined about having to get up at seven or when she had some homework over the weekend. It seemed silly in retrospect.

Her thoughts zeroed in on her mom, cooking delicious plant-based meals that she took for granted. Her chest tightened. When I get back, I wouldn't complain about a single thing, Mom.

"Bring it on, bring it!

Papa papaya.

Bring, bring, bring, bring it!

Papa papaya."

Evanna thought she heard a knock on her door, but she was too busy singing along to the song. The blaring music almost drowned out her voice.

"Matsuri da, matsuri da,

Matsuri da, matsuri da,

Supaishi saradu so songu."

A hand pounded on the door—louder and more urgent. Evanna hit the pause button.

Silence dropped so abruptly that it was disorienting. She scrambled over to the door and flung it open. Light spilled into her dimmed room.

Her mom stood before her, hands on hips and annoyance etched on her face. "What's this horrible racket, Eva?"

"Mom, it's Babymetal," she said indignantly.

"How can you stand it, let alone enjoy it? Do you call that music?" Mary shook her head. "Keep the volume down. It's like the house is shaking."

"Fine, Mom," Evanna muttered. My new subwoofer's the best!

"What's with your tone?"

"Fine, Mom."

Mary turned to go. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to lock the door?"

"I lock it because you barge in without even knocking!"

"I don't have to knock on doors in my own house. Don't lock the door," she commanded and walked away.

Evanna closed the door with a huff and stomped back to her computer. Totally ruined my mood. Then she crossed her arms and plopped down.

As she stared into space, her eyes rested on the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. The sight mimicked a star-spangled sky. Her annoyance abated.

Everything was now personalized to her taste. The walls were black and white, adorned with posters of her favorite video games, anime and rock bands. She had even crafted some quirky table decor with dry twigs spray-painted black and silver.

Her mom had been appalled at the mere suggestion of painting a wall black, but she had stood firm against resistance. Now, it was as if a long lost shard of her soul had returned to its place.

This was her little space in the cosmos until she got back home.

The ping of a notification grabbed her attention.

Evanna eagerly checked it to see that Serafina had appeared on Arcana Online. Since Serafina wasn't on Fizzy or social media, the only way to communicate with her was in game.

Her lunar elf Artemisia was soon seated in an upstairs room in Sevanalla Inn. Then she proceeded to open up a communication channel with the other elf.

Artemisia: Hey Sef!

Serafina: Hey! :)

Artemisia: Wish I can play, but I have homework to do. And tests coming up.

Serafina: I'm pretty busy too actually. But I had to come do the daily quest!

Serafina seemed to forget how busy she was when Evanna recounted what happened at the school counselor's.

Serafina: LMAO. I can't believe you told her about Sasuke! What if she Googles him!

Artemisia: She won't bother! XD

The conversation shifted to Naruto, and half an hour later, Evanna logged off. She ignored the messages Junho and Max had just sent her on Fizzy. She was cautious about chatting with them in real time, in case she let slip something that would hint at her identity.

Evanna yawned and padded over to her bedside table, atop which was a terrarium. It was a little forest in a glass bowl that she had bought from Bountiful Gaia.

She peered in. "Hey, Den Den."

Inside the glass, a small snail crawled on a bed of moss. She had rescued it from the garden, where it lay drying with a chipped shell. Now named Den Den, the injured mollusk had a comfortable refuge till it healed.

"Maybe it's time I let you go," she whispered. "Tomorrow morning. I promise."

Evanna grabbed her books and sat down to work on some math problems. After studying late into the night, she dozed off.

The next morning, she was up at 4.45 a.m.

When she lurched into the bathroom, she could barely keep her eyes open. She wanted to kick herself for forgetting to put on her earrings the day before—a mishap which had robbed her of an hour's sleep. Dawn blues compounded the dread that now overwhelmed her. It made her slightly queasy.

Twenty minutes later, Evanna trudged downstairs.

Her first task was to release Den Den into the wilds of her garden. Back in the kitchen, she let out a colossal yawn and forced herself to make breakfast. Part of her craved a hot drink, but she was worried she might get sick on the way to school.

Soon after, a delicious aroma permeated the kitchen. A pancake bubbled on the pan while Evanna pulled her hair into a ponytail, stretching the band almost to breaking point in her hurry. Pancake-making was a newly acquired skill, and decent results came about only after the third try.

"Well, this is a sight for sore eyes."

She turned. Mary stood at the kitchen doorway, a long cardigan thrown over her blouse.

"I can't starve till lunch break, Mom," she mumbled, dumping the pancake on her plate. "There's more batter for you and Aunt Jan."

"Thank you. There was actually some left-over food from last night you could've had."

"Oh..."

"We should leave soon."

Evanna nodded. Then she grabbed a banana, peeled it and wrapped the hot pancake around it.

After Mary dropped her off at school, Evanna stowed away her bag in the homeroom and embarked on the journey to the school garden. The chilly wind bit at the exposed skin on her face.

She trudged her way past the student car park, where a signpost pointed to various destinations, such as the gymnasium, indoor courts, swimming pool and the stadium. The garden was located near the hostel, which she had eyed on numerous occasions, shuddering at the idea of a watchful matron dictating all aspects of one's daily life.

When she reached the garden, she was struck by its tranquil beauty, bathed in aureate sunbeams and enlivened by bird song. It was a nursery for a variety of plants, including aromatic herbs, while fruit-bearing trees towered above. Paved pathways wormed through the beds of vegetation, wide enough for a wheelbarrow to trundle along.

The magic vanished when the gardener assigned her the task of weeding the tomato bed.

Evanna sighed as she donned an apron and gloves. As she shuffled over to the tomato plants, her eyes landed on the person already at work. Yep, today is jinxed.

"Hey." Mort gave her a toothy grin tinged with yellow.

"Hey," she said, attempting a smile, and quickly went to work.

"So, are you done with the project for bio?"

"Mhmm."

"Nice weather today."

"I guess. I like cloudy too."

A minute of awkwardness crawled by.

Sensing his stare on her, Evanna made a show of focusing on her task and pulled out a handful of weeds.

Mort cleared his throat. "Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out this weekend after class..."

"Oh, um..." She tamped down the anxiety that jetted up. "I'm pretty busy."

"When you're not then."

"No, I just—I don't hang out with people much anyways."

"Oh, you're worried you'd get into trouble."

"Not just that. Anyways, thanks, but no."

Thankfully, before Mort could continue the conversation, a prefect arrived to check if the transgressors from the notorious Tsunokory had indeed reported for community service. Satisfied, he ticked on his clipboard and went away. Evanna scooted to one end of the tomato bed and crouched under the cover of the foliage that hid Mort from view.

Half an hour later, Evanna stood up and stretched, her mouth gaping into a yawn again. She stared into the distance, pining for her comfy bed, on which she could hug Debu-chan and go back to sleep.

The gardener arrived to inspect their progress and glanced at her glum face. "The two of you can go now."

"What? Really?" Evanna exclaimed.

"Yes, it's fine." The gardener smiled and ambled away.

She dawdled until Mort had stowed away his gloves in the shed before heading there herself.

A few minutes later, she emerged outside and frowned. Mort was still there, crouching next to a plant with a tiny blade in hand. She goggled.

He was dissecting a snail he had just squashed.

The ominous spectacle fresh on her mind, Evanna hastened to put some distance between herself and the garden, without even taking the time to wash her hands.

As she neared the student car park, she slowed down to catch her breath.

"Good morning."

She froze.

Shane Evans stepped off the grass to her right and onto the road in his sauntering gait, hands buried in his pockets. His hair looked lustrously wet, almost black—matching his eyes that resembled dark embers with the sun in them.

Evanna stared at him for a prolonged moment. Her heart stirred pointedly in her chest while her mind went blank. She realized she hadn't even spoken to him since the incident in the storeroom two months ago. Like, what do you say to someone you've stomped on anyways? Awkward. That's probably why your heart's acting up, Ev. Or maybe I'm dangerously close to becoming a crazed fangirl after all the Obsidian I've been listening to.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, trying to keep the astonishment from her voice.

"I could ask you the same question," he replied without missing a beat. "But then again, I already know the answer."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

"An early morning date with Mort," he whispered with a smirk. "Had fun?"

Evanna blinked. She whipped back her head in time to see Mort in the distance. Then she stared at Shane again. Wait, is he...teasing me?

His lips quirked up a bit more.

Her heart skipped a beat. Annoyance simmered inside, though she wasn't sure if it was at him or more at her heart. It must be amazing to hear him sing up close with that voice...Oh, shut up, Ev. Shut. Up.

She gave him the most ferocious scowl she could muster and stormed past him. Wait, was he punished too? No way—no prefect would dare do that. Was he, like, seeing some girl in some secret spot out here? Quite a few posh supermodel girls crushing on him...

Realizing he was walking behind her, she turned around. "Why are you following me?"

"Just heading to class," he said, smirk still in place.

Without another word, she turned on her heels and quickened her pace. Her cheeks felt warm, though it had little to do with the sun.

The cerulean blue sky dominated her vision in all its splendor, punctuated by puffy, white clouds. Even though she had to squint against the brightness, it was a soothing sight that distracted her mind from the squashed snail, the day's woes and her encounter with Shane Evans.

Swimming class offered Evanna a much-needed respite that Friday afternoon.

As she floated like a log, the sound of lapping water blotted out all noise and cocooned her in a therapeutic bubble. The cold touch against her skin enhanced the effect. A sense of calm washed over her, and the buoyancy she experienced wasn't just physical. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Her mind embarked on a train of thought that took her through random images and memories. What color would the sky be on a planet around a red dwarf? Images of exotic skies flashed before her eyes, one with a gigantic ringed planet and another with strangely shaped clouds—one cloud reminded her of Debu-chan. Actual pandas must have super fluffy fur, and they're so chonky. How much bamboo do they eat to get so chonky anyways? Do they like fruit?

Her mind showed her a satisfyingly vivid image of a fat panda snacking on a banana, an avocado and an orange. The scene shifted to the cafeteria where oranges were being peeled to make juice.

What's with the bloody oranges? She frowned. There was a nagging thought at the back of her head she couldn't put her finger on.

"Earth to Evie!" Marilda's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

She opened her eyes and flailed to right herself.

When her feet connected with the floor of the pool, she spun around to face Marilda. "What's up?"

"Artav's looking over," Marilda said in an urgent whisper. "Pretend to swim!"

"Oh!" Evanna glanced at the coach some distance away from them.

They splashed about the water. Evanna did a diving motion, propelling herself a few feet away and back.

Marilda had ditched her gym class and joined swimming a few weeks ago. It was a girls' class, and only black or grey one-piece swimsuits were allowed—which suited Evanna fine, since she already felt awkward about exposing more skin than usual. After hunting far and wide, she had come across her retro suit, which had ruched detail and wide halter neck straps that dangled down to her waist. With a little swim-skirt, she had transformed it into a swim-dress. Marilda opted for a sporty boyleg swimsuit. They had a great time every Friday, chatting and relaxing in the pool.

When Artav walked further away, they relaxed again.

"By the way," Marilda said with a gleam in her eye that indicated she had juicy news to share. "Did you hear the latest update on Obsidian?"

Evanna perked up, and a grin spread across her face. "Let me guess—they've played some prank again."

Almost a month back, the school PA system had randomly started playing Gangnam Style, causing students to burst into hysterics of laughter—some even breaking into dance in the corridors. Lycurgus had been livid, threatening to expel the culprits as soon as they were found—but to this day, they remained at large. It was widely believed that Obsidian was behind it.

Marilda shook her head.

"They're coming up with a new song?"

"Nope."

"I dunno then."

"Shane and Alcina might get together soon!" Marilda whispered. "If they're not together already."

Evanna's stomach dropped. "What?"

The other girl looked taken aback. "What?"

"No, just...go on."

"So, turns out, after a recent Obsidian gig, they were seen together! I didn't take it seriously at first, 'cause all kinds of stories and rumors pop up—but I heard it again from a more reliable person on a fan forum."

Evanna said nothing. Her brain detached itself from the world while warring emotions churned inside. The idle focus of her gaze locked onto a drop of water clinging to the tip of Marilda's nose.

"I was curious, and I asked around," Marilda continued. "Turns out, Alcina and Meriton were together, but she's somehow dumped him—like, months ago. Just the other day, Meriton's had a heated exchange with Shane, though I dunno if that really happened or what it was about. But, you sort of can connect the dots, yeah? It adds up."

The drop of water relinquished its precarious hold and plummeted to the water below.

"Well, I can totally see them together, but it's a pity though," Marilda said, one hand trailing over the water. "I don't like Alcina, and I wouldn't want her anywhere near Obsidian. Hang on, did you hear a word I said? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Evanna started—then took an interest in a girl springing off a diving board. "Yeah, it makes sense. I think I'm going to float around a bit more."

The other girl nodded, looking like a wet puppy with her shaggy hair now plastered to her head.

Why are you bothered by it, Ev? She gave her head a little shake. This is nothing unexpected! Guys like him and girls like Alcina get together—that's how the universe works! And you're a fan! When it comes to stuff like this, it's normal for fangirls to feel a bit...whatever. After all, Mari-chan doesn't like it either.

However, as she went to the shower room, she had to fight off a rather severe bout of melancholy that assaulted her. She ended up wishing she was tall, more outgoing and had sleek black hair instead of her fiery red, which her older relatives kept saying was bad luck.