[Always read A/n at the end.]
Sunny groaned as he stepped out of the bathroom, dragging a hand through his hair.
"Did I really just hide… in the bathroom?"
Cassie's teasing had done a number on him, sure — but locking himself away like a sulky child? Not his proudest moment.
Still. At least the mirror didn't laugh at him.
Sighing, he made his way back to the garden.
Hopefully she hasn't wandered off.
His thoughts trailed off the moment he turned the corner.
Oh.
Cassie hadn't wandered off.
She was standing with someone.
Thankfully it's a girl...wait! what am i being thankful for??
Wait. Who's that?
The girl was tall. Pale skin. Short white hair. Gray eyes like silver glass. She wore the standard academy uniform, but somehow made it look custom-tailored. Regal. Untouchable. Like the kind of girl who'd appear in movies as the elegant villainess that could kill you with a stare — and probably had.
Sunny's steps faltered.
Whoa. Okay. Beautiful. Also terrifying.
And yet… something tugged at him. Not the usual kind of awe or awkwardness.
No — it was something deeper.
Familiarity?
A vague sensation rippled through his core. His Attributes whispered like a breeze down his spine.
You've seen her before.
But where?
Her eyes locked onto him.
And then… they widened.
Only slightly — but enough for him to catch.
Sunny frowned.
Man, I know I'm not exactly handsome, but that seems a bit much. Do I have something on my face? Or…
Wait. Did he do something?
I don't think I've ever pissed off anyone with white hair. Maybe gray once. Or blue? No. That was a wig. Right?
He finally reached them, clearing his throat.
"What, did you really go off and make friends with another Sleeper?"
Cassie turned toward him, crossing her arms with a huff. "You're the one who stomped off first, remember? And i even fell down just now, my legs hurt."
Sunny winced. Guilt: 1. Sunny: 0.
Cassie turned slightly and gestured between them.
"Anyway… this is Nephis. She helped me earlier. She's a Sleeper, too."
There was a beat of silence.
Sunny glanced at Nephis, wary. Gave her a nod.
"Uh, thanks, I guess—"
She moved.
One step.
Two.
And now she was standing uncomfortably close.
Sunny stiffened. Okay, what the hell. Personal space? Anyone?
Her eyes bore into his. Her face was so close he could count the individual eyelashes. She smelled like cold wind and something metallic. Not perfume — more like steel and snow.
Her tantalizing lips didn't do anything to quell the warmth rising to his cheeks.
And she didn't just invade his personal space rather she seems to have conquered it, and was waving her flag on the top.
She stared.
And stared.
And said, in the flattest, most emotionally bankrupt voice imaginable:
"You are Sunny. My Sunny."
.
.
.
…What?
Sunny blinked.
What??
His brain promptly tried to reboot itself.
This was not the dreamy kind of "you're mine" boys fantasized about.
There was no romantic blush, no playful smile, no flirty glint in her eye.
She said it like she was reclaiming a lost umbrella.
You are mine. I left you somewhere. Now I've found you again. Prepare for storage.
Sunny took a cautious step back.
"Um… I am Sunny, yeah. But… what do you mean your Sunny?"
He forced a smile. "Could you, uh, clarify that a little?"
"…Actually, have we met before?"
From behind him, Cassie's voice dropped a full ten degrees.
"Yeah, Nephis. Do explain."
Gone was the warmth from earlier. In its place was something clipped. Tight.
Nephis didn't even glance her way. She either didn't notice, either didn't care or both.
"I know you," she said simply. "Six years, three months ago. I met you. Do you not remember?"
Sunny's stomach turned.
Six years. That was—
The tunnels.
The escape.
The fight.
The words.
He stared at her, suddenly unsure of everything.
Meanwhile, Cassie's lips pressed into a thin line. Her fingers twitched slightly at her side.
Yeah, Sunny thought, swallowing hard.
This day just got a whole lot weirder.
Now that Sunny really looked at her — the sharp angles of her face, the cold poise, the way her gray eyes scanned like an echo of memory — yeah.
She did look like her.
No.
She was her.
Only...
I am pretty sure that her hair was black.
He frowned. "Um… if you really are that girl… then, as far as I remember, your hair was black."
Nephis didn't blink.
"It changed," she said simply. "After my first Nightmare."
Sunny nodded slowly. The words were bizarre — almost dreamlike — but they made too much sense. Too much to argue with.
Of course it changed after the Nightmare.
Everything did.
Then, without meaning to, without thinking even, Sunny said something strange. Something buried deep. Something that didn't feel like it belonged to this world anymore.
"Do you remember what you said to me," he asked quietly, "when they took you away?"
Nephis tilted her head, her eyes steady, thoughtful. For a second she didn't respond.
Then, in that same lifeless voice, she began:
"Do you know why you are so wary and cruel, Sunless? Why you're not kind? It's because—"
"—You are weak," Sunny finished.
His voice was barely a whisper.
The world seemed to still for a second.
Cassie blinked, her brows pulling tight as she glanced between them.
Sunless?
She hadn't heard anyone call him that before.
Nephis, however, looked… calm. Almost at peace. As if hearing him repeat the words had stitched something closed inside her.
Sunny didn't feel that.
He felt the echo of old pain. Of an old fire that had burned him so early, he'd never noticed the scars until now.
He looked away.
Then, unexpectedly, it was Nephis who spoke next — her voice as calm and cold as still water.
"Do you remember what you told me," she asked, "just before I was taken?"
Sunny blinked.
And then, as if the words were carved into him, he answered without hesitation:
"You lost today, and you'll lose tomorrow. Not because you're weak… but because you're naive. Too kind. And don't—"
"—Have the will," Nephis finished softly.
A long silence fell between them.
They stared at each other, like twin ghosts stumbling upon a reflection of a past life.
Then, Sunny… smiled.
A real one. Not sarcastic. Not bitter. Just… honest.
And Nephis — the cold, emotionally muted statue of a girl — actually smiled back.
Faint, barely there. But unmistakable.
"You remembered," Sunny said, still grinning a little.
"So did you," Nephis replied.
They stood there for a second longer — frozen in a moment, suspended in something deeper than nostalgia, older than words.
Cassie, meanwhile, looked between them with inner turmoil and a silent scream trapped in her throat.
What… is happening right now?
Why did it feel like these two had just reunited after thirty years in a war zone?
They're teens...and what with the cool sounding philosophical words??
Then she felt it — something subtle in how they stood. Not like strangers. Neither like friends.
Enough was enough.
Cassie cleared her throat — loudly. "Um. Sunny? Nephis? It seems like the two of you know each other from before?"
Her smile twitched at the corners. "Care to fill me in?"
Sunny turned toward her, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Well… it's a long story."
"Yes," Nephis added, her tone somehow managing to be both indifferent and oddly nostalgic. "And long ago."
Cassie raised an eyebrow.
"I've got time," she said sweetly. "And ears."
Sunny opened his mouth to respond—then paused.
Because honestly?
He wasn't sure how to explain.
Or if he even could.