Both of their brows furrowed at the same time — a subtle ripple of discomfort crawling along their spines. Someone was following them. Even if the person tried to be quiet, their presence clung stubbornly to the air behind them, like a lingering shadow that refused to dissolve.
Leci and Kieron walked side by side on the sidewalk, their steps steady, their pace unhurried. Nothing about them was strange — they even kept a careful distance between their shoulders, as if pretending nothing unusual was happening.
But behind them, Norris continued trailing the two, ever since they stepped out of the school gates. He hid behind shop walls, crouched behind street lamps, slipped behind trash bins… his silhouette flickering like a badly disguised phantom. No one knew how long he planned to stalk them like this.
He still doesn't believe me… that must be why he's doing something ridiculous like this, Leci grumbled inwardly. Maybe Norris wanted proof for his baseless assumptions about her 'wild lifestyle.' Why is he so stubborn over something so pointless? Her sigh fogged faintly in the cool air.
She glanced at Kieron, who had been knitting his brows in irritation for a while now. Of course he was annoyed — anyone would be. Leci longed to tell Norris off, but doing that openly felt awkward. He was her cousin, after all.
When Leci pulled out a small mirror from her shirt pocket, the reflection revealed Norris again — now peeking through a hole in a billboard as if auditioning for the world's worst spy. Leci let out a tired exhale. Why was her cousin this embarrassingly foolish?
For the second time, she glanced sideways at Kieron. Coincidentally, he was also looking at her. She signaled with her eyes — a swift, precise movement — and Kieron understood at once. Her lips began a silent countdown. Three… two… one—
They sprinted in opposite directions. Leci darted left into a narrow alleyway between the shops, while Kieron crossed the main street in a single powerful leap.
Norris straightened in an instant when he saw their sudden escape. He clicked his tongue when he realized Kieron had already gone too far — swift as a shadow melting into the light.
So he chose Leci. He chased her into the cramped alleyway.
Fortunately, Leci wasn't too far; Norris spotted her backpack turning sharply to the left. He sped up. They twisted through corners — left, left again, then right. Until—
Leci vanished. Completely. As if the alley had swallowed her whole.
Norris groaned, "Ck! Where did that brat go?" He searched every corner he could see, but no trace of Leci remained.
Elsewhere — far from Norris's frantic wandering — Leci stifled a giggle. Moon emerged beside her, carrying her backpack like a prize. Moon had never left her side; The one Norris had been following was merely Moon in disguise. Being a jinn, Moon could pull off simple illusions with ease.
"Thank you, Moon! You saved me again!" Leci rubbed her cheek against Moon's soft fur.
"Meow~" The white cat purred loudly, pressing its warm, fluffy body against her ankle.
Leci smiled and handed Moon the dried fish she bought earlier. Moon accepted it happily before vanishing — returning to the residence of the jinn clan.
Peeking from behind the flower pot near the minimarket entrance, Leci let out a deep breath of relief after confirming that Norris was nowhere in sight.
"Finally, I'm free," she whispered, stretching her arms. She quickly sent a message to Kieron, asking to meet at the old playground's intersection.
After the message was sent, Leci hurried to the meeting spot — humming a small tune. Her steps light, unburdened. The incident at school hadn't traumatized her at all. Maybe because… Kieron was there.
Tap.
Her steps halted.
Someone blocked her path — standing in the middle of a narrow alley, where even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
It wasn't Norris.
A beautiful girl with bouncing curled hair stood there, arms crossed tightly against her chest. Amanda Hayes. She appeared as if she had been waiting in the shadows all along.
"Leciara Maclean."
Leci tilted her head slightly, trying to grasp why Amanda was here — and why she remembered both her name and her face. The Ancient Guardian Spell should have erased all memory of her overnight.
Besides, Leci didn't recall ever being close to Amanda. Same school, same year, different classes, different circles, and almost zero interaction. Their worlds so different — they were practically strangers.
The only time their paths crossed was when Leci found Amanda unconscious in the infirmary. She had simply carried her to infirmary bed, called the nurse, and left before Amanda woke up.
So why… did Amanda now stand before her — with the expression of a debt collector hunting down a runaway target?
"Amanda Hayes," Leci replied calmly, calling her full name in return.
Amanda narrowed her eyes — sharp, almost cutting. As if she disliked hearing her name spoken aloud. They stood facing each other in the quiet alley, ten meters apart. No one passed through. Even the air refused to interrupt.
"I'll make this clear," Amanda declared, each word sharpened like a blade. "Mr. Kieron is my boyfriend."
One of Leci's brows arched, her expression flat, unimpressed. "And? What does that have to do with me?"
Amanda's lips curled in irritation — clearly annoyed that Leci showed no fear, not even a flicker of intimidation. "You need to stay away from him. He belongs to me!" Her voice trembled with frustration
This was the second time Leci had been confronted over merely standing near someone. So this was how it felt — irritating and ridiculous all at once. "I didn't do anything," Leci replied calmly.
"If you have a problem with it, you should tell Mr. Kieron to stop coming near me."
That answer only poured fuel on Amanda's temper. Her anger boiled over and she stomped her foot on the ground. "You should know your place! How dare a plain, nobody girl like you go anywhere near someone like him?!"
"The one who deserves to be by his side is me! Me — Amanda Hayes, the school's very own Prima Donna!" Stressing every word, Amanda nearly cried from the unbearable annoyance. She claimed with all her might that Kieron was hers, and Leci had no right to be anywhere near him.
Leci grimaced, a shiver running up her spine — not from fear, but from how cringe the statement sounded. At least, she understood the anxiety that Amanda felt. "Er… sure. Take him. Whatever," she said, almost bored.
But Amanda didn't believe her. She suddenly pulled out a folding knife from her skirt pocket, pointed it directly at Leci's chest with trembling hand. "Don't lie! I know you're planning to meet him!"
Leci slowly raised both hands, as if she were a criminal cornered by the police. She didn't want to argue. She didn't even want to deal with someone like Amanda. "I'm serious. I never intended to get close to him." Though her heart did waver a tiny bit.
"So… can you put that knife down?" Her voice softened just enough — hoping Amanda would reconsider stabbing her in an alley.
"Hah! Don't act innocent with me! That fake sweet-girl act of yours is disgusting! You filthy brat!" Amanda spat, still brandishing the knife.
Something flickered inside Leci. Something she rarely let surface. A part of her that should've stayed untouched.
Her expression darkened — her aura dropping several degrees. She slowly lowered her hands and stared at Amanda, eyes like sharpened glass.
She'd been suppressing his anger since the incident with the female ghost that harmed her twice in a row. And now, Amanda had managed to awaken the darkest side within her.
"I tried to be nice," Leci said, her tone chillingly level. "I tried to talk it out peacefully." She stepped forward, stretching her fingers as if loosening them before a fight. Her gaze locked onto Amanda's irises, making the girl flinch.
"If you want a fight… then I'll take your challenge."
With a single swift movement, she flicked her fingers — and the knife flew out of Amanda's trembling hand.
Amanda froze — especially when Leci grabbed her by the collar of her uniform. Amanda was taller, yes. But Leci's strength was more than enough to lift a skinny girl like her.
"If you dare say something nasty about me again…" Leci's voice sharpened into a whisper that stung. "I won't hesitate."
Amanda's eyes widened in terror, tears forming at the corners. That alone made Leci release her grip and shove her lightly backward.
"Don't ever make me angry again," Leci warned, brushing past her.
Amanda stood frozen — stunned into silence while her body still trembling with a strange fear. Something felt wrong when she met Leci's tanzanite eyes. It felt like she had provoked someone she was never meant to touch.
The girl clenched her fists, cheeks red with humiliation. How dare she be embarrassed — by a girl she considered nothing but a nobody?
"She's just an ugly nobody…" Amanda hissed through gritted teeth.
Her glare followed Leci's retreating back. Then she forced a laugh, mocking and sharp. "You'll regret this, Leciara! I'll make you regret ever flirting with Mr. Kieron!"
Her threat almost made Leci laugh. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling faintly. "Regret? Why would I re—"
Clang… knock… clang…
Amanda sneered, thinking she had the last word — but Leci clicked her tongue in annoyance. The female ghost that had pushed her off the rooftop earlier now stood beside Amanda, holding a gardening hoe — its tip impossibly sharp.
"So it was you…" Leci muttered, jaw tightening. "You damn Hayes."