💔 The Luxury Cage
The air inside the luxury tourist bus was thick with the scent of leather seats and silent, suffocating tension. The group—a collection of teens from the elite Brighton Wisdom academy—was returning from a New Year's trip, but for Gabriella and Jake, the holiday sparkle had long worn off.
Gabriella sat rigid, her perfectly styled brown hair (usually a beacon of cool confidence) feeling like a heavy helmet. She glanced across the aisle.
Jake.
Their eyes locked.
It was an instant, brutal flash of recognition. The kind that strips away all polite pretense and exposes the rotten core beneath. In that moment, behind their meticulously crafted smiles and the whispered 'I love yous' of the past months, they both saw the truth: they had been hiding from each other, using their love as a shield and a blindfold.
Gabriella's breath hitched. Her heart, a usually steady, tactical drum, began to race a frantic, painful rhythm.
"What…" she managed, the single word a tiny, broken gasp.
Jake's expression was a masterpiece of cold, practiced indifference.
"Nothing," he said, his voice flat, staring straight into her soul without blinking. He leaned back against the plush, crimson seat, dismissing her.
Gabriella mirrored him, leaning back, but her mind was a screaming vortex. How… could you do that? The thought was a searing brand. Her eyes, usually a sparkling ice blue, turned a dangerous, fiery red. Tears welled up—hot, sharp daggers of betrayal—but she would not let them fall. Not here. Not for him. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a ragged breath, and slowly turned her face to the window, watching the blur of the passing highway.
Jake watched her back, his own mind a painful, churning mess. He was deeply upset, but his expression remained a stony mask. He let out a silent, painful scoff. She is clear all the time with her revenge. I am the one that fool. He had convinced himself that their love was real, a safe harbor. Now, he knew. He looked at her one last time, a shadow of the girl he thought he knew. Then, he turned sharply to the window. His eyes, usually a warm hazel, were now ringed with a deep, stinging red—the color of a wound that wouldn't close.
Separate Buses, Shared Secrets
🚌 Bus Two: A Calculated Drop
In another luxury coach following closely behind, Lara sat next to her attentive boyfriend, Ronnie. Lara, known for her delicate, slightly vulnerable beauty, was pale.
Ronnie, with his kind eyes and easy smile, handed her a small pill and a plastic bottle of water. "Here, take this."
Lara took the medicine in her hand. She smiled weakly. "You remember it, even if I forget too."
Ronnie grinned, a sweet, comforting sight. "Of course. I'm your boyfriend." He affectionately ruffled her dark, soft hair.
Suddenly, a message buzzed on his phone. His eyes immediately glazed over, fixed on the screen, a wall dropping between them. Lara quickly swallowed the water, holding the medicine. As she handed the bottle back to Ronnie, who was completely absorbed in his phone, she noticed her opportunity.
Without a moment of hesitation, or a single change in her mild expression, Lara dropped the medicine she hadn't swallowed from her hand, letting the small tablet disappear silently into the deep pile of the seat carpet below.
🚌 Bus Two: A Second Chance
A few rows ahead, Selina and Han were sitting together. Selina, tough and sensible, turned to Han.
"Are you still upset because of her?" she asked casually.
"No," Han replied too quickly.
Selina sighed. " when a person is in love, they don't listens to others; they only follow what their heart says. So don't worry. Your sister will understand you later."
Han turned, his face etched with regret. "Why are you still caring about me? Even though I broke up with you, aren't you angry with me?"
Selina let out a small, painful chuckle. "I am so rage with you. I even wanted to tear you apart." Her tone shifted, becoming heartbreakingly soft. "But… I can't. How can I hate the person I loved the most?"
Han's eyes softened, flooded with regret.
"My heart still whispers your name, Han."
He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Sorry, Selina."
She couldn't believe it. Tears finally streamed down her face as she hugged him back fiercely, the pain of the past months melting away in that shared moment.
🚌 Bus Two: The Cold Whisper
In the back, Raina, the school's queen bee and most infamous bully, was scrolling through her phone. A message popped up: Why aren't you replying? It was from Felix.
She didn't reply. She ignored it.
Another message: Are you upset because I told you to apologize to Gabriella?
Raina slammed her phone down on the seat. She tightly crossed her arms over her chest and whispered, her voice low and chilling. "Everywhere is Gabriella. The person I want to remove from my life."
The Ghost of Brighton Wisdom
The next day, back at Brighton Wisdom, the mood was flat after the New Year's trip.
In an unused, dust-filled science lab—a forgotten corner of the academy—Ajax entered cautiously. He was known as the school's resident tech genius and a master strategist.
"No one else," he whispered, checking the empty benches. "Then who gave the mysterious note?" He scoffed. "I think it's a prank."
He turned to leave.
A girl was standing in the doorway, slowly closing the heavy, dark oak door. She turned.
Ajax's eyes widened in stunned recognition. "Lara… you? Why are you here? Is that you who sent me the note?" he asked, completely confused.
Lara's eyes were cold, devoid of their usual soft warmth. She walked near him, touched his shoulder, and smiled—but it was a brittle, fierce expression.
"How are you, Ajax?" she tapped his shoulder lightly.
Ajax's eyes widened again. "Lara…"
Lara smiled, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Do you thought I won't get back my memory?"
Ajax smiled in huge relief. "How?" he whispered.
Lara turned her back, her posture suddenly rigid. "Long story. I will tell you later." Her eyes were fierce now. "I have inquired about Andria." She let the name hang heavy in the air. "She left two days after my accident. I want to find her."
Ajax narrowed his eyes. "For what?"
She turned back. "My pendrive is with her. I gave it to her when I got into the accident. I think… they found out, so they did something to her. I want to find her. You have to do that for me."
Ajax hesitated. "You don't need to find her."
Lara looked up sharply. "She is with us."
Lara's eyes went wide. "Who?"
Ajax scoffed, his face a complex mix of surprise and knowing. "I think it's Gabriella."
Lara stared at him, unable to believe it. "What?"
"I am not sure," Ajax said, walking slowly now. "But I can tell by the way she is targeting Raina."
Lara was confused. "But… How is that possible? She doesn't look like Andria."
Ajax stopped. "You are right. More than that, do you know…" He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Andria was bullied by… Erica, because Raina said it. It happened immediately after your accident. I heard she was severely injured. After she vanished, I knew this news so late. If I had known, I would not let that happen." He looked worried. "I didn't know she was bullied because your pendrive was with her. She has gone through so much because of us."
He paused, a triumphant glint appearing in his eyes. "One month later, Gabriella arrived. She revenged Erica and tortured Raina." He smiled—a cold, tactical smirk.
Lara scoffed, a dark laugh. "That's why she was revenged Raina on the backside of school."
"Wait," Lara cautioned. "We don't know exactly she is Andria. We have to find out. What happened later? How did you become her friend?"
"Later, I had a doubt. Is she Andria? Or if she isn't Andria, I was curious why she is taking revenge against Raina. And I planned to be friends with her by helping her to win the school student president election," Ajax admitted, a cynical smile on his face. "Of course, we need to ally with a person who has common object like us—to revenge Raina." His eyes were fierce.
Lara smiled coldly. "You did great so far." She looked suspicious. "But I don't understand. If she is Andria, why didn't she still hand the pendrive to the police?"
"I need to tell you something," Ajax said, his voice dropping low, his expression grave.
"What?"
"If I was right... she is Andria."
"How?" Lara insisted.
Ajax hesitated, his eyes full of worry. "It's bad news for us too."
Lara got visibly pissed. "Tell me quickly!"
"Few days ago," Ajax whispered, his words slow and heavy, "Raina snatched a pendrive from Gabriella by blackmailing her by her friend's life. She tried to kill Gabriella's friend, Dona ."
Lara got completely outraged. "What? How can she give my pendrive to Raina?"
Ajax spoke in a gentle voice. "She had no choice, so she did."
Lara was utterly enraged now. "She is definitely Andria! Otherwise, Raina didn't get the pendrive from her! Andria has no right to give my pendrive to Raina!"
"Don't get angry," Ajax pleaded.
Lara screamed, her voice echoing slightly in the unused lab. "How could you say that? Did you forget how hardly we got evidence against her? Even our Kevin lost his life too!" Tears of furious grief streamed down her face.
Lara's whisper was ice-cold, the rage solidifying into pure resolve. "I don't care. She has to give back my pendrive."
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To be Continued...
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