*
"You still haven't told me..." (Aura)
They weren't alone, the rooftop was quite the popular spot for students during lunch break. The erected fences were proof of this place's frequent use. The sun was overhead, Sariel's head was bent at a slight angle, hiding her eyes with her frontal bangs. Only her nose and mouth were visible, her shapely jaw entrapped a neutral expression, thoughts couldn't be gleaned so easily.
"... Nothing other than studying, I suppose." (Sariel)
"Ehhh??!?" (Aura)
An incredulous yelp leaked out, glancing around she covered her lips as if it would stop people from looking in her direction. Getting conscious mid way, she realised she was too loud and began to speak in a softer voice. Clearly she wasn't buying it, but when someone was resolutely hiding something, prying secrets was also moot.
"... Can't a senior have a secret or two? After all, they are a women's greatest weapon, aren't they?" (Sariel)
"... What kind of backwards view is that?! Whatever, I can't be bothered. Anyway, I just wanted to know if you're free this saturday?
I'm going to the amusement park in a nearby commercial zone with a group of classmates. However I don't fit into any of the cliques, I need someone to keep me company... " (Aura)
"... You should have just said so from the start. Haa~
I'll go. " (Sariel)
" Of course! If Y-you're not willing, it's fine to refuse to-! " (Aura)
" I said I'll go... I said what I do in my private life is a secret, but it didn't mean I wasn't free, right? "(Sariel)
Aura quietens down, becoming more demure. It puzzled Sariel to ponder where all the energy had went. Just how did she see her senior? In truth, she was really free... Perhaps she picked up a couple hobbies here and there, but didn't exactly invest much of an interest in them. Exhaling silently, she looks up to take in the view. Free from her long bangs, afternoon light enters her eyes and warms her face. Clouds floated like cotton and the empty expanse of the sky was decorated in a vibrant blue like a sea of flowers.
Her junior enters her sight, locks of brown are painted in dewy gold under the arid rooftop weather. Her heart froze. Just who was she expecting to see? She quickly reconfigures herself, sweeping sinful thoughts under the rug. After all, it wouldn't be fair to this cute junior here. At least for her, she should try her best. Her words are choked in her throat, her lips part but no sound or sentences were to be formed. Her thoughts flash into a blank before she puts her hand down on Aura's head, giving it a gentle sweep.
"I'll go. So stop making that face. I'm alright." (Sariel)
She squeezes out a small smile, her cheeks felt sore, she had gotten used to frowning that the edges of her lips forgot what it felt like to smile. When was the last time she smiled like this? A couple weeks ago? When she first met Aura, a middle school student who ran into a Trace right after Lastia and everyone disappeared. Wherever she went, it was too scary to think about. Are they all dead? If not, what are Arin and Lastia doing? Could they still be somewhere fighting? On a scale she couldn't quite imagine. On a stage far far away.
Picking herself up, she pat down the dust covering her uniform skirt before walking off. Aura accompanies her, sensing that break was ending soon. Feeling the icy cold metal door knob, her memory jolted.
"Ah right, when's the trip? Are we meeting in school first? Or someplace else?" (Sariel)
She turns her gaze back, her eyes lightly glancing over Aura for her response. Aura perks up with a grin.
"The amusement park is at Gedolah. Most likely, it'll be this coming Saturday and the meet up will be at the West train station." (Aura)
"Alright... I'll head back to class now. See you later." (Sariel)
Waving her off, she walked off towards her classroom. Students of different years will have their classrooms placed on different floors, so they would inevitably split at the stairs. Even if they weren't having much of a conversation as they stepped down through the silence.
On that day, time travel did not occur. Arin exchanged her own soul to give Sariel a glimpse of Lastia's whereabouts, the moment right before she died. Allowing her to swap their places in every sense, even in fate, in the chronology of this universe. She swapped their destinies, so the person that fought in the underworld was Arin in the first place. Sariel catches herself, her mind wandering to that time once more, like strands of hair slipping through her fingers. She could never quite organise her own thoughts, seeking an elusive reconciliation that might not even exist.
This must be grief. She turns away from the glass wall hugging an entire side of the classroom. She finds the scenery of the sky gentle and idyllic, always drawing her attention when she needs space to consolidate on herself. The teacher's presence is light, formless, like trying to tug on a cloud. Yet, she'll still sense it the moment she leaves the stairs and enters the hallway, and the moment she enters the classroom. Break is over, she needs to concentrate on class now. It's the first day of this year, with familiar faces all around.
The number of classmates has changed, yet the days will continue to go by as if nothing was different. That's just human nature, she laments. If it were up to her, perhaps she'd hold a grand funeral for the two. However, nothing will change. No matter what. Where were their parents? They haven't called in despite their children going missing, they haven't been seen in this residential zone before, it's as if they didn't exist. She searched Lastia's home, she found the diary and nothing else of value.
Lastia's phone vanished with her. No one calls by the homeline. There are no records of any calls at the teleprovider company's database. Not a single lead was found. Arin was different. She was the adopted heir of a massive conglomerate in the commercial zone. Wealth mattered little when food, waster, shelter and Internet access was a given in this era, anyone could explore the cosmos and pursue their dreams. Still, it was shocking yet not much of a surprise when Sariel found out. After all, looking at how Arin lived, she seemed completely detached from the life an actual heir. She simply lived like the rest of them, with all the money going unused.
As someone who was adopted, she was given a large amount of funds to use as she pleased with. A portion of those funds were being sent to Lastia to raise her. Their bond is inexplicable, all these details only ground their financial backing in reality. What about family? Relatives? Friends? The rest was shrouded under a dark cloud, and nothing could disperse that fog.
She called the conglomerate's customer service hotline for details, they too acted as if the heir didn't exist. As if... The entire company only persisted to give money and then have nothing to do with her ever again. On the other side, there did exist an actual family that holds most of the power in the company, with a heir studying hard to one day inherit the business. Queenferr Pte Ltd.