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Chapter Three: Fragments of Fire
Eva sat in the cafeteria with her tray untouched, trying to focus on her food. The laughter of other students swirled around her like a storm, but her appetite had slipped away the moment her eyes collided with his. She hadn't meant to stare, hadn't wanted to recognize him. Yet there he was—blue eyes, unreadable face, sitting with his friends as if last night hadn't existed at all.
Her fork clinked faintly against the tray. She forced herself to stab a piece of fruit, to chew, to pretend. He doesn't matter. Not here. Not now.
And then he stood.
Kai rose from his table without a word to anyone, sliding his chair back in the quietest scrape. He didn't rush. His movements were controlled, purposeful, as if he had decided long before that moment that he was leaving. An unfinished sandwich sat abandoned on his tray, the cap twisted tightly onto his water bottle. In one hand, he held an ice cream bar still sealed in its wrapper, fingers curled neatly around it.
Eva's breath caught before she could stop herself.
Her eyes tracked him as he moved through the cafeteria. His posture was relaxed, but there was something about the way people naturally shifted aside when he walked by. He didn't demand space—he simply seemed to carry it with him.
She watched him until the door swallowed his figure whole. Only then did she blink, realizing her tray was still full. Her chest tightened with a strange mix of disappointment and relief.
Almost immediately after, the bell rang.
Chairs scraped back, trays clattered, voices swelled as the tide of students poured toward the doors. Eva gathered her things slowly, her thoughts already drifting ahead. Back to class. Back to normal. Yet normal felt like a word she couldn't reach.
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When she stepped into the classroom, she froze.
He was already there.
Kai sat at his desk, his head resting on his folded arms as though the weight of the world pressed down on him. From where she stood, she could only see the edge of his face, hidden behind the curtain of his dark hair.
Something in her chest stirred. Not sympathy, not curiosity—something stranger, heavier.
She slipped into her seat, trying not to make it obvious that her eyes had lingered. The teacher's voice soon filled the room, notebooks rustled open, pens scratched against paper. Slowly, the rhythm of class steadied her heartbeat.
But Kai remained unmoving.
Every now and then, she caught the subtle lift of his shoulders, the quiet breath leaving him. He wasn't asleep—she could tell by the tautness of his posture, the way his hands curled slightly against the desk. He was awake, but elsewhere.
The day went on like this, lessons blurring together, the minutes dragging. And then—suddenly—he moved.
Without warning, Kai straightened, his chair scraping back abruptly. The sound startled more than one student. He gathered a thin stack of notes with swift, precise movements. Not his bag, not his books—just those few pages.
Eva blinked, her pen frozen in mid-sentence.
He walked up to the front of the classroom, every step sharp with urgency. The teacher looked up in mild surprise as Kai bent close, murmured a few clipped words, and without waiting for permission, turned on his heel and strode out the door.
Silence clung to the room for a moment. Then, as though on cue, whispers erupted.
"Where's he going?"
"Did something happen?"
"He didn't even take his stuff—"
"Probably skipping again."
Eva sat stiffly, trying to steady her thoughts. A knot formed in her stomach, questions pressing at the edges of her mind. Where was he rushing off to? Why so suddenly?
She shook her head quickly, forcing her pen back to the page. It wasn't her business. He was just a boy with blue eyes, and she had no reason to chase answers.
And yet, the ghost of him lingered in her mind as the lesson dragged on.
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When the bell finally rang, Eva slipped her books into her bag with deliberate calm. She had just zipped it shut when Lily appeared at her desk, bouncing with energy as always.
"So, how's the new girl settling in?" Lily chirped, sliding into the empty chair beside her without invitation. "Met anyone interesting yet? You know half the guys are already staring, right? I swear, people act like they've never seen a transfer before."
Eva smiled faintly, more out of politeness than amusement. "It's fine. Just trying to find my way around."
But Lily barely paused to breathe. She launched into a stream of chatter about teachers, assignments, friend groups, the latest gossip. Eva nodded when appropriate, offering small responses, but her thoughts kept straying elsewhere.
Still, there was comfort in Lily's easy presence. The girl's words filled the air, leaving little space for Eva's restless mind. By the time they reached the front doors of the school, Eva felt lighter, if only slightly.
Lily insisted on walking her to the bus stop. She talked the whole way, pointing out shortcuts, nearby shops, stories about classmates. Her voice was bright against the fading afternoon sun.
When they reached the stop, Lily glanced at her watch. "Oh, my route's that way. You'll be fine, yeah?"
Eva nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Lily."
"Anytime!" With a wave, Lily bounded off in the opposite direction.
Moments later, Eva climbed onto her bus, pressed her forehead to the window, and let the city blur past.
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Home was quiet.
The living room greeted her with stillness, curtains drawn, the faint hum of the refrigerator seeping from the kitchen. Her mother wasn't home yet. Eva dropped her bag by the door, exhaling into the emptiness.
But stillness wasn't what she wanted.
Her thoughts were too loud, circling back to blue eyes and sudden exits. She needed a voice other than her own.
So she crossed the short distance to the neighboring apartment and knocked.
The door swung open, and warmth spilled out. Serena stood there, hair tied loosely, her smile instantly brightening the hallway.
"Eva! Finally. I was hoping you'd stop by."
Eva stepped inside, and the familiar comfort of Serena's space wrapped around her—the faint smell of vanilla candles, books stacked haphazardly on the coffee table, music humming softly from a speaker.
They sank onto the couch, and before Eva could second-guess herself, the words spilled out.
"Serena… I saw him today."
Her friend tilted her head. "Him?"
"The boy. From the bar." Eva's voice dropped, urgent. "The one who was watching when Tio—" She stopped, breath catching. "It's him, Serena. He's here. He goes to my school."
Serena blinked, stunned into silence.
Eva continued, her words tumbling faster now. "I didn't expect to see him again, not ever. But I walked into class and—there he was. He looked right at me in the cafeteria. And later, in class, he just… stormed out. No explanation, nothing. People whispered, but no one really knows. I don't understand him. I don't even know why I care."
Serena reached over, resting a hand gently on hers. "Eva… maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe he's nothing more than what he was last night. A boy you noticed. A boy who noticed you."
Eva shook her head fiercely. "No. It's more than that. It feels like he's everywhere. Like I can't escape those eyes. I keep remembering the way he looked at me—like he saw me. Not just the mess with Tio, not just the party. Me."
Her voice cracked, softer now. "And I don't know if that terrifies me or…"
She trailed off, unable to finish.
Serena squeezed her hand. "Then take it slow. Don't let him into your head too fast. If he's important, you'll know. And if he's not—he'll fade, like everything else."
Eva nodded, but her chest was far from steady.
Because deep down, she already knew he wouldn't fade.
Not Kai Black.
Not the boy with the blue eyes.
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