Devon, after his little misbehaviour, sat back ignoring everyone's presence like, But his gladness could not be hidden—he grinned widely, staring at the feminine figure who moments ago,walked in with the teacher but now was seated at the far front of the class.
She introduced herself as Stephanie. Although people wondered why she was being introduced, the teacher simply said he knew her parents. At first, it didn't seem suspicious, but Devon had better things to do than play detective.
He waited until class was over, lost in plans and preparations. He was so deep in thought that he forgot when the bell rang, still staring out the window.
A tap jolted him back to reality. Looking to his side, it was none other than the girl from earlier.
"Umm... are you going to the next class?" she said, her head lowered.
Devon kept staring at her before taking long blinks. Wasn't this the same girl he had just insulted? Why was she back? Wasn't that enough to stop her from bothering him again? Shit! he thought, screaming internally as he ran off.
He forgot to confirm her identity. The best-case scenario was if she turned out to be a doppelgänger. But if not, he'd have to alter his plans.
Running down the hallway, he looked right and left like a deranged monkey. The gym, the cafeteria, the locker room—he even checked the girls' locker room.
Luckily for him, it was empty. If he were caught by anyone else, the consequences would be dire. Just as he was about to step out, she emerged from the bathroom, eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to scream, but Devon moved swiftly and covered her mouth.
"Don't scream. I just want to ask you something. Is that okay? Can I let go?"
She nodded before Devon released her and stepped in front of her.
"You're the boy from earlier in Class 1A. What do you want with me? I can't let you touch me, please," she said, crying as she bent down, sobbing.
"What? Why would I? I just wanted to ask for your name," Devon said in disbelief at what the hell was going on. Is this really the girl I was hoping she was?
She finally looked up. "Really? Just my name?"
"Yeah, just your name," Devon said once more to clear her doubts.
"My name is Stephanie. You should have just asked me back then." She smiled awkwardly.
"Your name is really Stephanie? Huh?"
"Yes... is something wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Not really." He turned to leave the locker room. "It's just that I mistook you for someone else. What was I even thinking? I apologize once again for the inconvenience." Turning his back to leave.
"What's the name?"she asked.
"Huh?" Devon looked back at her.
"The name of the person you were hoping I was..."
"Oh, that... Elliot. She told me back then; that was her name. She said few people knew it."
"Where did you meet this girl?"
Devon, sensing something off, turned back. "Why are you asking me all these questions—"
Without sparing him a moment, a small kunai launched toward him. Without hesitation or thinking, he dodged it by a hair's breadth, scraping the side of his cheek and drawing blood. His blood dripped onto the tiled floor.
What just happened?
Did I just escape death? Did she just...?
Eyes widened, he couldn't see her anymore. Where could she be?
The hairs on his body stood up.
Below.!
She lunged upward with a kunai, attempting to slit his throat. No time to dodge—he used his hand to block the blade. It passed through easily and still stabbed his chin slightly.
Devon stared at her in awe. The kind and frail-looking girl's demeanor from earlier had changed completely; now there was no visible difference between her and a wild animal.
She smiled, then let go, moving back. The kunai remained etched in his palm, blood dripping on the floor. But Devon had mastered his body to the point where he could disregard certain levels of pain and regain his composure. Doing so on a large scale required nexus, which he didn't have, making it harder—but luckily, it was just his palm.
He dropped his hand and looked at her.
She looked back at him.
"So, you are definitely not an assassin. That much is obvious. So... who are you?"
"I think I'm the one who should ask such a question to the one who almost took my life. Who are you?"
The girl laughed. "Shouldn't you answer first since I asked you first? It's proper etiquette, after all. Besides, it wasn't a request. So I'll ask again... who are you?"
"I'm Devon. Devon O'Neil."
"You didn't seem to understand the question. Who do you work for?" Her face turned serious, her cute voice sounding slightly hoarse.
"How did you know my name?"
"Do you mean Elliot?" Devon said, but she didn't reply, only giving him a cold glance that could cut steel.
"Believe it or not, I met you in a world far different from this. I'll spare you the details, but I'll tell you this much: You were a warrior back then—or a bounty hunter—sent to take the life of a mere insignificant being like me. Yet you spared me. Just like you're sparing me now. Why?" she asked.
"Like I said, I'll spare you the details."
"I wasn't asking," she said, holding another kunai and playing with it.
Devon laughed. "Do you think you can threaten me with my life? You're delusional. If I refuse to speak, I won't! Using my life as leverage just annoys me."
Devon's face hardened, annoyed.
Stephanie stood there speechless for a second. The voice she heard, the way he spoke—it was like a higher being. It commanded authority and respect. Even she was in awe.
"I failed to ask: Why haven't you killed me yet? Why do I still breathe? Killing me now would solve all your problems, wouldn't it?"
As much as Devon thought he knew this girl, he wasn't taking risks. After all, so many events and people had been altered in this timeline. He needed to play his cards right if she turned out to be someone else.
"Your heart," she said, looking back and picking up her bag to leave.
She walked past him, stopped at his side, and whispered in his ear, "It never skipped a beat."
She walked away, leaving Devon in a blood-filled room.