The third morning of Aria at St. Clair Academy arrived beneath a pale, reddish sky—a color that seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be bright or overcast. The air was still cold when Aria stepped out of the Valleria family car. Her black hair fell neatly, her face expressionless, her body calm as if the world did not touch her.
But today, people's gazes were different.
If during the previous two days Aria had only been the subject of gossip because of her cold beauty and her status as the "missing child," this morning there was something else in the air.
Sharper whispers.
"She's here…"
"That's Aria."
"They say she's really aggressive."
"Poor Selena, having a 'sister' like that."
Aria did not stop.
Did not change her pace.
She simply walked past them all, almost like a long shadow cast by the school building onto the ground.
She only noted it mentally:
the first rumors had appeared faster than she expected.
---
On the other side of the courtyard, Selena Hartmann—with her blonde hair gleaming neatly in place—stood surrounded by her friends.
Her uniform looked stunning, her face adorned with a gentle smile that seemed natural, though it was entirely fake.
Nova Laurent, female, 16, short dark hair, an imitator type.
Irene Voss, female, 17, pampered and dramatic.
Riko Tanaka, male, 16, a Japanese student who always carried a camera.
Hugo Davenport, male, 17, an arrogant basketball athlete, easily influenced.
They surrounded Selena with obvious curiosity.
"Selena, I heard Aria was really cold to you. Is that true?"
"She never smiles, does she?"
"You're so kind to still help her yesterday."
Selena lowered her head slightly.
A thin sheen of tears appeared at the corners of her eyes—tears that would never fall, yet were enough to make others feel sympathy.
"I… maybe Aria just needs time to adjust," she said softly.
"I can't hate her. She's… part of our family."
Nova immediately patted Selena's shoulder.
"You're too kind. If it were me, I'd already be furious."
Selena smiled faintly.
"I don't want her to be misunderstood. She's been through a lot of difficult things…"
All of it was false.
All the students saw it as sincere empathy.
Not one of them realized that every sentence was bait.
"So Aria is cold because of her past?"
"Hm… that's sad, but if she's rude to Selena, it can't be ignored."
Selena neither denied it nor confirmed it.
She simply stayed silent—
the most effective form of agreement.
Within five minutes, the rumor had spread across the entire front courtyard.
Aria was cold to Selena.
Selena was incredibly patient.
Aria was impolite.
Selena was the victim.
Even though—
Aria had not spoken a single sentence that day.
---
When Aria reached her locker, she opened the metal door slowly.
Something fell to the floor.
A piece of paper.
Aria picked it up.
Neat handwriting, but mocking in tone:
"This is a school, not an operating room. Try acting like a normal human."
Aria stared at the paper for three seconds.
No more.
Then she crumpled it and threw it into the trash.
Her expression did not change.
But from afar, someone saw everything.
Claire Willis.
The sixteen-year-old girl bit her lip, her expression shifting from hesitation to unease.
Because she knew Aria had done nothing to deserve that treatment.
---
In class, the whispers grew louder. Aria remained seated at the back. She opened her book, her gaze calm and flawless.
But the other students were far more focused on Aria than on the lesson itself.
Then Riko whispered to Hugo,
"I heard Aria snapped at Selena."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, Selena was really sad yesterday."
Hugo nodded, believing it completely without verifying anything.
Claire, seated to the side, began to dislike the direction of the conversation.
She looked at Aria. Aria seemed not to hear it.
Or perhaps she heard everything and simply did not care.
When Teacher Morgan entered, the atmosphere quieted.
Morgan surveyed the class, then his eyes landed on Aria.
Something was different.
The other students seemed to be targeting her—and Morgan did not like that.
"Please open page forty-two," Morgan said.
The class followed his instruction. Aria immediately began writing her math notes.
Yet some students still whispered. Morgan shot them a sharp look.
"Focus on the lesson. Not gossip."
The reprimanded students fell silent. But Morgan knew—something was happening beneath the surface.
Aria continued writing.
But Morgan could tell from the movement of her shoulders—slightly stiff.
Not much.
Not obvious.
But enough for a perceptive teacher.
---
During break, Claire gathered the courage to approach Aria.
"A-Aria… may I sit here?"
Aria glanced at her briefly.
"…It's fine."
Claire sat down slowly, like someone afraid the chair might break. She held her water bottle tightly, trying to steady her breathing.
"I… I heard some rumors about you…"
Aria closed her book.
"Yes."
"A-Are you okay?"
"Not important."
Claire fell silent.
But from Aria's tone, she understood something.
That Aria was not unhurt.
Aria simply did not consider the pain worth acknowledging.
Claire looked at Aria's pale hands.
"If you need help, I can—"
"Too much talking."
Claire immediately lowered her head, her face flushing. Yet she did not leave.
Aria looked at her briefly.
"…But thank you."
Claire looked up. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Alright…"
Aria returned to reading, fully focused.
In the small corner of Claire's heart, something arose that she could not understand.
Somehow, she wanted to stand on Aria's side.
Even though she did not know why.
---
But not all students were like Claire.
In the back corridor, Selena was waiting.
She saw Claire walk briefly with Aria, then return to class.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Someone's starting to side with her…" Selena murmured.
She did not like that.
Selena had to act before Aria became something else at school—
something uncontrollable.
Selena approached a group of students near the vending machine.
Irene asked, "What's wrong, Selena?"
Selena smiled gently, as if nothing were amiss.
But her words were carefully measured.
"I hope… Claire doesn't get too close to Aria. Aria is fragile. I'm afraid Claire might misunderstand something."
Nova reacted immediately.
"You mean Aria might get angry at Claire?"
"No, no," Selena said quickly.
"Aria is just… bad at expressing herself."
But Nova and Irene had already translated those words into their own interpretations.
"Poor Selena…"
"Aria is causing trouble again."
Selena smiled faintly.
She did not need to say much.
Others would build the story for her.
---
At the end of the day, Teacher Morgan called Aria again.
"Aria, a moment."
Aria stopped.
Morgan stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"I've noticed the atmosphere in class has changed. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Aria looked at Morgan without blinking.
No emotion.
No fear.
No complaint.
"No."
Morgan knew it was not true. But he also knew Aria was not someone who could be pressed.
He tried another approach.
"Alright. But know this… your teacher is on your side. If something happens, I want you to tell me."
Aria remained silent.
It was not a promise.
Nor a refusal.
Just… silence.
Morgan sighed, deciding to let her go.
---
When Aria left the classroom, rumors had already spread to every corner of the corridor.
"Aria is rude."
"Aria is arrogant."
"Selena is so patient dealing with her."
"I heard Aria even talked back to a teacher."
Aria walked through it all without the slightest reaction—without even an expression.
The other students grew bolder because Aria did not respond.
Aria's silence made the rumors grow.
Her silence allowed people to write their own versions of the story.
Near the school gate, Selena watched from afar.
When their eyes met—
Selena smiled.
Not the sweet smile she usually wore.
This smile was soft and subtle, but her eyes were far darker.
The smile of a predator who knows her prey will not fight back.
A smile that seemed to say,
"This is only the beginning."
Aria looked at her without emotion, then
got into the car.
Selena stood still.
The afternoon wind blew her blonde hair, but that small smile did not fade.
Today, Aria's reputation shifted.
Tomorrow, Selena would ensure more than that.
Because to Selena—the adopted child raised as Aria's replacement—
once her position even slightly wavered…
Aria had to be destroyed.