I was still spellbound.
I couldn't believe it.
Did he follow me from the cave?
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Now, Twilight, why don't you have your seat in the first row? There's an empty one right there," Sir Lewis said.
Twilight moved toward the seat like a ghost so silent, so strange, yet so composed.
"Now, class, let's begin our first lesson." Sir Lewis turned to the board and started writing the topic.
I decided to take a quick peek at Twilight, who was staring at Sir Lewis in a distant, unreadable way. Then, suddenly, he turned his head, looked left straight at me.
His eyes held disgust.
I frowned slightly. Why did he look at me like that? He seemed so different… like a completely different person, yet with the same face, the same aura.
He turned away, and I forced myself to face the front too.
"Now, class," Sir Lewis began, "we are going to start with synthesis reaction. I'm sure most of you are already familiar with it, but today, you'll conduct experiments on different types of elements. You'll also be combining molecules to form new compounds."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Just in case some of you have forgotten, a synthesis reaction occurs when two or more elements combine to form a compound."
He smiled faintly. "To better understand this, we'll head to the lab. But before we go, I'll divide you into pairs."
The moment I heard that, my stomach dropped. I already had a bad feeling about it.
Sir Lewis began reading out the pairs.
"…Silver and Joseph."
Silver let out a squeal of joy, while Joseph or Big Joe, as everyone called him grinned proudly. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Aviva and Milal," Sir Lewis continued.
"What?!" Aviva exclaimed, pouting. "But Sir Lewis, Fiona and I are always lab partners!"
"My apologies, Miss Aviva," he said with a small smile. "But in life, change helps us move toward a new light."
Aviva groaned but nodded reluctantly.
Follow a new light.
Those words echoed in my mind.
That same phrase I heard when I met Twilight in my dream.
It had to mean something.
"And finally," Sir Lewis said, "Fiona and Twilight."
I froze. Of course. I knew it. My doom was sealed.
"Before we head to the lab," Sir Lewis continued, "I trust everyone remembers the lab rules and safety precautions?"
"Yes, Sir!" the class chorused.
"Good. Let's go, then."
As those final words left his lips, I could already feel the ache forming in my head.
Fiona and Twilight.
Just the thought of being paired with him made my chest tighten. I stood up and followed the others toward the lab, trying to calm the storm of thoughts rushing through me.
He came.
He really came.
To my school.
And somehow, I knew this was only the beginning.