The next morning, she walked into school with one goal—ignore Lucien. After everything that happened yesterday, she wasn't going to let him mess with her head any further.
As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she saw him. He was leaning casually against his locker, talking to a few students. His piercing blue eyes flicked toward her the second she entered, but she kept walking. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she forced herself to act indifferent.
"Morning, Callista," he said smoothly as she passed.
She didn't pause. Didn't look. Just kept walking as if she hadn't heard him. It took everything in her not to glance back and see his reaction, but she stuck to her plan.
To her relief, he didn't follow or call after her. Maybe he got the message.
---
Lunchtime came quicker than she expected, and she found herself at her usual table with Margaret and Kristal. They were deep in a conversation about an upcoming test when a shadow fell over their table.
she looked up, her stomach sinking as she saw Lucien standing there, hands in his pockets, looking calm and composed.
"Can we talk?" His voice was polite, but something in his tone made it clear it wasn't just a casual request.
Margaret and Kristal exchanged wide-eyed glances before Callista could even respond. She already knew what was coming.
"Oh wow, Kristal!" Margaret gasped dramatically. "Didn't we leave our… um… science project in the library?"
"Oh! Yes! Totally!" Kristal nodded, playing along. "We should go… like, right now! Before someone steals our… genius idea!"
Callista shot them a glare, but they were already grabbing their trays and rushing off, whispering excitedly to each other.
She sighed, turning back to Lucien. "What do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms.
He studied her for a moment, then took a step closer. "I want to know something. Have you really forgotten? Or are you just pretending?"
His question caught her completely off guard. Her breath hitched. "W-What?"
Lushen smirked at my reaction, his gaze intense. "I thought so." Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving her frozen in place.
For the rest of the day, she didn't see him. He had vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared.
---
The next morning, she walked into school half-expecting to run into him, but he wasn't there. The same thing happened the day after that.
"Alright, Callista, spill it," Kristal teased as they sat in class. "What did you say to him? Did you scare him off?"
Margaret giggled. "Yeah, he hasn't shown up since your little lunch date. What exactly did you do?"
She rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a date. And I didn't do anything! He just… left."
"Mhm, sure," Kristal said with a smirk.
But their teasing didn't matter. She was too busy wondering—where had Lucien gone?
When another day passed with no sign of him, she made up her mind. She needed answers, and if he wasn't going to give them to her at school, then she'd find them herself.
That night, she slipped out of the house and headed toward the woods.
The moment she stepped into the darkness, she knew she wasn't alone.
And then, just ahead, standing under the moonlight, was Lucien.