"Why?!" Kevin yelled.
Everyone in the classroom froze.
Silence crashed down like a heavy curtain as all eyes turned toward him.
Whispers followed almost immediately.
"What's with him?"
"Did he just scream?"
"Is he crazy?"
Kevin didn't say another word.
He bolted from his seat and ran after Nazy.
(…Every vision I've had up until now has always come true.)
He zoomed past the classroom exit without looking back, completely unbothered by the attention he left behind.
(…So I have to stay close to her—even if she hates me. To hell with fate. I'm not letting anything happen to her!)
His feet pounded against the marble floor as he dashed after her, breath sharp, heart racing.
MEANWHILE—
Back in Ibadan, that same day, at Julie's school.
Julie sat outside her classroom on the pavement, quietly watching children play with their friends. Laughter echoed around her, yet none of it reached her heart.
Emotions rippled through her mind as she struggled to focus on just one.
(…Why did it have to be like this? Have I committed some grave sin?)
(…Why do I have to bear people's emotions?)
She closed her eyes for a moment, memories of the morning surfacing uninvited—the terrifying hatred she had felt from her friend, the hurtful words that had followed.
Guilt.
Remorse.
A sharp, stinging pain bloomed in her chest.
Julie's own emotions stirred uncontrollably.
(…If only Kevin were here. He'd know what to do. He always had a solution for everything…)
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as grief tightened her voice.
"I miss you… Kevin," she whispered.
"Julie? Why are you crying?"
Warm, soft—delicate hands gently wiped the tears from her face.
"Huh?" Julie blinked in surprise. "Gift? When did you get here?" She looked up at her youngest friend.
Gift always seemed pure—innocent, as if she were too good for this wicked world.
Her long grey hair was tied neatly into a bun, her dark, shiny eyes reflecting the sunlight. Tiny crumbs of food were smeared around her small pink lips.
She was just… an angel.
"Just now," Gift giggled. "I finished my snacks while I was looking for you."
She tilted her head. "Are you okay, Julie?" Gift asked, pressing a small hand to her forehead.
"I'm fine," Julie replied with a weak smile. "Pfft—what are you doing? Since when did you become a doctor?" she teased, quickly changing the subject.
"Well, I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up—hmph!" Gift puffed her cheeks proudly.
"Yeah, sure. Doctor G," Julie smirked.
"You'll see!" Gift declared. "I'll take care of you, my mom, my daddy… I'll make everyone feel better."
Julie chuckled softly.
She wasn't going to be the one to tell her that Nigeria had its own plans for its citizens—that dreams didn't always survive reality.
No.
She wouldn't burden a child with that truth.
Besides…
At that moment, Julie felt something extraordinary.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Love.
True joy—without malice or hate.
For the first time, she felt an emotion that didn't come with chaos or pain.
It was calm.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
AT THE SAME TIME—In Anambra, Kevin's school.
Kevin caught up to Nazy in the hallway just past the stairs. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"What's the meaning of this?" Nazy snapped, irritation clear in her voice.
"There's something I need to tell you—it's—"
"I don't want to hear it!" she yelled, cutting him off.
"Bia, Kevin abii Eleven or whatever they call you—stay away from me! I don't want anything to do with you!"
She turned and hurried back up the stairs.
"Nazy, can you just listen—ahh!"
The same vision struck again, rattling his mind with familiar pain.
"Wait!" Kevin ran after her.
The vision didn't stop this time.
It came again and again—
flashing images of Nazy's broken, terrible future with relentless urgency.
"Stop!" He grabbed her hands halfway up the stairs.
"Let go!" she snapped, fury burning in her eyes.
"Please, just listen to me! Something bad is going to happen to you if you don't—"
"Oh, so now you're playing the hero?" she hissed. "Let go of me!"
She yanked her hands free and ran upward without looking back.
"Nazy, stop!" Kevin called out, chasing after her.
She climbed faster, stomping against the tiled stairs like they were enemies.
Suddenly—
She slipped.
"Ahhhh!!" she screamed as she fell backward.
"Nazy!" Kevin shouted, bracing himself. "Gotcha—argh!"
He caught her, but the force was too much for his small body. Instinctively, he grabbed the stair railing to lessen the impact.
Thud!
They crashed onto the floor. Nazy landed on top of him, trembling violently—the shock overwhelming her.
"Huh?!" She scrambled to her feet, realizing their position. "Th-thank you…" she muttered, face flushed as she hurried down the hallway instead. She didn't go back up. She was too shaken.
Kevin exhaled, a mix of exhaustion and relief washing over him.
(…Two heroics in one day. At this rate, I might actually get myself killed.)
He stood slowly, his back aching but manageable. As he brushed dust from his uniform, something caught his eye.
"Is that… water?" he murmured, staring at the wet staircase.
There hadn't been any water earlier.
Which meant—
Someone had spilled it on purpose.
A feminine figure peeked down the stairs briefly, as if checking the result, then disappeared.
(…Isn't that Nazy's friend? Why would she—)
The realization hit him hard.
Back in the dream, adult Nazy had told him about her friends—the jealousy, the resentment whenever Kevin got close. But it had never gone this far. It had never turned physical.
(…Once again, the universe is punishing me for changing fate.)
Guilt settled deep in his chest.
"I guess it really was all because of me," he scoffed bitterly as he climbed the stairs, gripping the railing.
At the top, a small smile formed.
"Well… on the bright side, I managed to save—"
"Ahhh!!"
Another vision struck.
A new one.
Sharper.
Darker.
More dangerous than the last.
A ripple in time.
—To Be Continued.
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