The scent of smoke still lingered in her hair — sweet, sharp, and cruel. It clung to her skin like a scar, invisible but unforgettable.
Nara Aiyen stood barefoot in the ruins of her past. Charred beams groaned under the weight of ash and memory. Once, this was her home. A place of laughter, books stacked to the ceiling, and late-night dreams whispered into pillows. Now it was a tomb — hers.
Three years ago, they killed her.
Not with bullets or blades, but with whispers, betrayal, and a matchstick.
Elite Crest Academy — the school of the powerful, the rich, and the merciless. She had earned her place there on scholarship, a girl from the wrong side of the city with a brain sharper than most and a heart still soft. That was her mistake. She didn't belong, and they made sure she knew it.
They called her a thief.
A liar.
A witch.
When the fire started in her dorm, no alarms went off. The cameras had glitched. The sprinklers failed. And the ones who could've saved her watched instead.She had clawed at the door until her fingernails bled. She screamed until her voice cracked into smoke. When the flames wrapped around her, she didn't just feel pain — she felt betrayal. From classmates who smiled at her by day and laughed as she burned by night. From teachers who turned their backs. From a system that protected the cruel and punished the honest.
But death didn't take her soul.
It traded it.
In the darkness, something ancient stirred. A voice, not hers, yet part of her. A presence that whispered of vengeance, of power, of rebirth. The fire didn't kill her — it baptized her.
And now, three years later, she was back.
Not as the Nara they buried.
But as the girl who remembered.
Her eyes snapped open in a body three years younger — seventeen again — on the morning of her first day at Elite Crest Academy. The calendar confirmed it. Her heartbeat was steady. Her breath fogged up the mirror. This wasn't a dream. She was alive… again.
Only this time, she wasn't naive.
She knew their secrets — all of them.
She knew who set the fire.
Who watched.
Who laughed.
Who helped.
And she would burn them all. Slowly. Quietly. Deliciously.
A knock echoed through her small room. "Nara? You'll be late for school!"She stared into her reflection. Same brown eyes. Same soft curls. Same girl.
But inside her — something else burned.
"I'm coming," she said calmly.
But this time, it wasn't to fit in.
This time, it was for revenge.
Reborn to Burn You All
---
*Chapter Two: Back to the Wolves*
The sun was rising just like it had three years ago—soft, golden, beautiful. But to Nara, it looked like a lie.
She stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up the crisp white shirt of Elite Crest Academy's uniform. The same navy blazer, the same pleated skirt, the same ugly school crest sewn over her chest like a warning label: *You don't belong.*
Three years ago, this moment had been filled with nerves and excitement. She remembered how her mother had saved for weeks just to buy her second-hand shoes that didn't squeak when she walked. How she'd prayed quietly that the rich kids would be kind.
They hadn't been.
Now, as she tied her black ribbon, her hands moved with calm purpose. Every corner of her room, every face in the photos, every creak of the floor — all of it was a déjà vu she couldn't escape. But she didn't want to escape. This time, she wanted to live through it… and destroy everything from within.
She picked up her bag, slid her phone into her pocket, and stepped out of the apartment.
---
The school gates hadn't changed.Tall, iron bars curled like vines, as if guarding some secret garden of power and privilege. Luxury cars lined the driveway — Benz, Lexus, even a Rolls-Royce. Laughter echoed across the courtyard. Boys in polished shoes. Girls in designer bags pretending not to notice them.
But as Nara walked through those gates, something had changed.
*Her.*
She was no longer the shy scholarship girl hoping to fit in. She wasn't the quiet one they ignored until they needed someone to mock. She wasn't a pawn anymore.
This time, she was the storm.
---
"Nara!" a voice called, sweet and fake.
She turned, and there she was — *Rina Okeke*, the same girl who hugged her on the first day and called her "bestie," only to frame her for theft a week later.
"Wow, you made it after all! I heard the school almost replaced you with someone else on the list. Guess miracles still happen." Rina giggled, linking arms with her.
Nara smiled. "Yeah. Miracles… or curses."
Rina blinked, confused, but laughed it off. "You're so weird. Come on, let's find our class!"
They walked together, Rina babbling about dorm gossip and vacation trips. Nara let her talk, her face calm, but inside her mind, she was checking names off a list.
**Rina Okeke — the snake.
Kamsi — the firestarter.Daniel — the one who locked the door.
Mr. Adewale — the teacher who ignored her screams.**
She remembered them all.
And she knew exactly how each one would fall.
---
The first class was Literature. Mr. Adewale walked in, smiling, acting like the beloved teacher he pretended to be. He gave a speech about dreams, respect, and working hard.
Nara stared at him, unmoving.
**You saw me burning and you turned away.
You'll be the first.**
---
Later, during lunch, she sat at a table alone by choice. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria like a camera—mapping friendships, alliances, enemies.
The "Crest Royals" sat in the center: *Kamsi, Rina, Daniel, and the others.* Untouchable. Wealthy. Beautiful. Evil.
They laughed loudly, tossing cruel glances at scholarship students. She remembered the exact day they turned on her. The whisper Rina started. The fake evidence. The Principal who didn't bother to investigate.
This time, she'd be smarter.
She wouldn't confront them. She wouldn't beg. She'd be patient. Slow. Quiet.
They wouldn't even realize they were falling—until they hit the flames.
---
As the day ended, Nara stood outside the school gates once again, the weight of revenge tucked neatly into her smile.
A message pinged on her phone. A name flashed across the screen.*Zayne: "Yo, new girl. You left your ID in class."*
She froze.
Zayne.
The only one who had tried to save her in her past life. The boy who had died trying to help.
She looked up, and there he was — standing under the school tree with her ID in his hand and that same careless smirk.
This time, she wouldn't let him die.
This time, she'd burn the world… but save him first.
--
Nara took slow steps toward him, her heartbeat quickening for the first time that day—not from fear, but something… unfamiliar.
*Zayne.*
Tall, caramel-skinned, dreadlocks tied loosely, uniform untucked like he didn't care for rules—but his eyes were sharp. Sharper than anyone gave him credit for. In her past life, he was just another background blur until everything went wrong. He'd been the only one who noticed her disappear the night of the fire. The only one who ran into the flames.
The only one who didn't make it out.
Now here he was. Alive. Breathing. Smirking like fate hadn't already tried to erase him once.
"You always leave a trail behind?" he asked, holding up her school ID card between two fingers.
Nara took it from him, their fingers brushing for a second. A chill ran through her spine—not from him, but from the memory of his scream echoing in that burning hallway.
"Thanks," she said, slipping it into her pocket.
"You're welcome, mystery girl," he said. "You didn't say much in class."
"I don't have much to say."
He chuckled. "That's new around here. Most girls talk like they're auditioning for a drama series."
She gave him a sideways glance. "Maybe I'm not here for drama."
"Oh," he said, leaning slightly closer, "but I think drama came for you."
Her eyes snapped to his. Was he just teasing… or did he *remember* something? Feel something? Some part of him warning him about her?
"Let me guess," he continued. "You're the quiet, dangerous type. Or just anti-social?"
"Maybe both."
He smiled. "I like that."
She wanted to smile back, but her stomach tightened. This boy—this version of him—had no idea what he was walking into. The things he'd seen last time. The price he paid.
This time, she wouldn't let him pay it again.
"Thanks for the ID," she said, backing away. "See you around."
"I'll be watching," he called after her.
She didn't turn back. She couldn't.
Because for all her fire, all her vengeance… *Zayne was the one person who could melt her resolve.*
And she couldn't afford that.
Not yet.
---
*Back in Her Room…*
Nara opened her journal. Blank pages stared back. She picked up a red pen and wrote the first name:
*Rina Okeke.*
_Lie: Framed me for theft_
_Truth: Caught cheating twice, bribed a prefect, blackmailed a teacher._
_Punishment: Exposure + Isolation_
Next:
*Mr. Adewale.*
_Lie: Ignored the fire alarm_
_Truth: Had a deal with Daniel's father to protect his son at any cost._
_Punishment: Career Destruction_
She kept writing.
Line after line. Name after name. The flames in her chest burned steady, not wild.
Revenge didn't need to be rushed.
It needed to be perfect
*Chapter Three: Poison in Pretty Things*
The halls of Elite Crest Academy always smelled too clean — bleach and fake roses. Like the school was desperate to cover up the rot underneath.
Nara walked in slowly, her bag hanging off one shoulder, eyes scanning every face, every smirk, every whisper. Most students didn't look twice at her yet. That was good. She didn't want attention. Not yet.
She wanted precision.
She wanted blood without the mess.
---
*"Nara! Over here!"*
Rina's voice cut through the air like glitter-coated poison. She waved from a table in the school courtyard where the "Crest Royals" sat — the rich kids, the influencers, the future senators and criminals in blazers.
Nara smiled lightly and walked over.
Let the game begin.
"You're lucky," Rina said, tossing her hair. "Not everyone gets to hang out with us. I mean, the last girl who tried? She cried for days."
*Because you made her life hell*, Nara thought.
But she just sat, calm and cold. "Guess I'm different."
"Obviously." Rina's tone was sweet, but her eyes scanned Nara's second-hand shoes. "Anyway, what do you think about Kamsi's hair? Be honest."
Nara looked at the girl beside Rina — Kamsi, the pyromaniac in disguise. Pretty, bitter, dangerous. The one who'd started the dorm fire… and smiled while doing it.
"It's nice," Nara said flatly.
Rina rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you're too nice."
*Not today.*
She looked at Rina. Really looked.
A phone buzzed on the table. Rina picked it up, laughed, and turned it to show them a photo — a screenshot of a teacher's private messages.
"Mr. Collins is such a creep. This is why I never go to his office alone."
Nara froze.
That's it.
*Blackmail.*
In her past life, Rina had used this same screenshot to force Mr. Collins to change her exam results. The girl who caught her doing it had mysteriously transferred out the next week.
Now, Nara had proof.
Rina never changed her game. She just got cockier.
---
*Later That Day…*
Nara slipped into the library's computer lab. Empty. Quiet. Perfect.
She hacked into the school's shared photo drive — just like she'd learned the hard way in her past life.
She uploaded a copy of the screenshot Rina had flaunted — but this time, she sent it anonymously to the school's Ethics Department, the student group, and three rival cliques who hated the Royals.
A spark doesn't need to be loud.
It just needs to land on the right paper.
---
*The Next Morning…*
Chaos.
The entire cafeteria buzzed like a hive of angry bees. Phones were out. Screens were lit.
"Did you see the screenshot?!"
"They're saying Rina blackmailed Mr. Collins!"
"Isn't she supposed to be suspended?!"
Rina stormed in with sunglasses on and a fake smile plastered to her lips. But her hand shook when she reached for her juice.
Nara watched quietly from a table by the window.
*One down. Many more to go.*
But then a voice whispered behind her ear:
"I know what you did."
Nara didn't flinch. She turned and saw Zayne, arms crossed, eyes curious, lips twitching.
"I saw you in the lab. You're not as invisible as you think."
She blinked. "And?"
"I don't care," he said, leaning closer. "Just don't get caught… and don't drag me down with you."
Then he walked off — just like that.
Nara stared after him, a strange twist in her chest.
She was fire.
But maybe… he was smoke.
And together, they could burn everything down.