A week after dealing with Anathasia's issues with her courses, I, or rather, we—were finally back in my hometown.
The place I'd left behind over seven months ago.
I stepped out of the house.
It was a humble one. No second floor, just a simple ground terrace. Half wood, half brick. Nothing fancy by any stretch of the imagination.
But it was home.
I spread my arms, breathing in the air of the province. The house sat just a few meters away from the barangay road, close enough that I could spot people passing by without trying.
"Coconut trees… green grass… kids running around," I nodded to myself, pulling my arms back and crossing them over my chest.
"Man… that's nostalgic."
"It's nice," Anathasia said, taking a seat on the chair near the door.
"Peaceful. Quiet. And the air's refreshing."
I glanced back at her, a small smile tugging at my lips.
"Right?" I said.
"The city's nice and all, but if we're talking about the perfect place to unwind—"
I stepped off the terrace and into the thin cogon grass surrounding the house, barefoot.
"This place definitely takes the cake."
Birds chirped in the distance. The loud buzzing of cicadas filled the air as the sun sat high in a clear blue sky.
Though—
That didn't exactly mean it was all that pleasant.
Sweat slid slowly down my temple as I turned back toward Anathasia. She tugged at her shirt, fanning herself lightly.
"It's nice, but…" she murmured, casually manifesting a cold drink in her hand.
"It's scorching hot…!"
She gulped it down before conjuring a fan. The empty bottle she tossed aside dissolved without leaving a trace.
"I knew it'd be hot," she said, fanning herself with the white fan's ornate edges fluttering.
"But goodness, this is…"
I paused, arms still crossed as I watched her.
"Hmm…" My brows furrowed in thought.
Then an idea came to me.
"Hey, Athy," I said, lifting my gaze toward her.
"There's actually a river nearby. We could bathe there to ease the heat—if only a little."
"Let's go."
She shot up from the chair. The sweater pants and loose shirt she'd borrowed from me were instantly replaced with shorts and a tank top.
"…That was fast," I muttered, brushing past her.
"Either way," I added, "we should prepare some snacks and other things before going."
It took a little over a few minutes before everything was set.
And as usual, I ended up carrying most of our things.
The route to the river, however, wasn't exactly ideal.
At first, we walked along the roadside. Aside from the occasional passerby glancing our way, nothing much happened. Though Anathasia's presence naturally drew attention. Her white hair and that subtle, otherworldly air she carried made it inevitable.
Then came the bushes.
A dense patch of undergrowth blocked the path. But Anathasia walked through it without slowing down. The bushes parted unnaturally at her approach. Some bent away.
Others simply ceased to exist.
After that came a steep hill.
She paused.
Looked at it.
And with nothing more than a glance, the slope collapsed inward. Flattening itself into an uneven stretch of ground.
I stopped walking.
…Good thing there's no one else around, I thought.
But that hill disappearing is definitely going to cause problems later.
Ten minutes of silence followed.
Just the sound of dead leaves crunching beneath our feet and birds chirping somewhere overhead.
When we reached the riverside, I gently hung our things on a low branch not too far from the water.
"Athy…" I said softly, walking over to her.
She was staring at the river like it was a lifeline.
I paused, then sighed, unwrapping a candy and popping it into her mouth. She accepted it without hesitation, lips parting slightly.
"Next time," I said, "maybe let's restrain ourselves from deleting hills just because they're inconvenient, okay?"
She stayed quiet, sucking on the candy before mumbling around it,
"It wahs in sha way."
As she walked toward the river, her clothes dissolved away. Leaving only her shorts and enough dignity for me to look elsewhere.
"Sho I got rid of it."
My voice flattened.
"You're literally eating your own words."
I sighed, shaking my head.
"Also, please mind your clothes. I'm still a hormonal teenager, just so you know."
She didn't listen. She simply walked to the river's edge, dipping her feet into the water before sitting down.
I grabbed one of the towels from the bag and followed, draping it over her shoulders before turning my gaze to the flowing river instead.
The gentle sound of running water filled the silence as I sat beside her, letting my feet sink slightly into the cool current.
Then—
Not even a minute later, voices drifted over from upstream.
A group, by the sound of it.
I stiffened.
…They sounded familiar.
Anathasia was the first to glance toward the direction the voices were coming from, the same path we'd taken earlier.
A minute later, a group emerged from between the trees. Mostly people I recognized. Faces I'd known since elementary. The guys wore only shorts, the girls whatever they'd thrown on for the heat.
It took them a moment to notice us sitting by the river.
Anathasia shot them a glance. Not the quiet, soft one I was used to, but something sharper. Cautious.
"Ah—it's Kyle!"
One of the guys stepped forward. James. Someone I'd known since grade school. We'd drifted apart in high school after he transferred, but he was still the same. Loud, friendly, the type who could ease an awkward room just by existing in it.
I smiled and waved.
"Hey," I said. "Long time no see."
"Years!" He laughed, then paused, looking me over. "Damn… I always thought you looked kinda low-key girly, but sheesh—"
"Alright," I cut in quickly. "Let's not go there."
He only grinned before his gaze shifted past me.
The rest of the group fell quiet.
Anathasia sat beside me, white hair cascading down her back, a towel draped loosely over her shoulders. Just enough to hide, just enough to reveal smooth, fair skin beneath.
I felt it then.
That familiar, uncomfortable weight settling in my chest.
I caught the hesitation in James's eyes, and in the rest of them too. A line of familiar faces.
The same people who'd once made me believe no one would ever want me for anything other than how I looked.
"So…" James started, forcing a light tone. "Who's the girl?"
He tried to sound casual. He didn't quite manage it.
"Oh, she's—"
Anathasia stood.
The towel slid off her shoulders as she turned to face them, white hair catching the light. She smiled. Polite, composed.
A practiced smile.
"Anathasia Dunaleff," she said.
Then, without hesitation:
"Kyle's girlfriend."
The air shifted.
I froze. I hadn't expected her to declare it herself, certainly not like that.
Glancing at the group, I caught a spectrum of reactions: surprise, disbelief, and on more than a few faces… jealousy.
And then there was her.
Leah.
The girl who had helped pound the idea of being unwanted into my head.
For reasons I couldn't immediately understand, guilt and regret flickered across her face as she looked at Anathasia. Then her gaze shifted, landing on me.
The atmosphere grew heavy despite the clear skies. Even James seemed at a loss for words.
As if driving the final nail in, Anathasia tilted her head. The practiced smile softened, deliberately innocent.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, everyone," she said, bowing her head just slightly.
Silence stretched.
Anathasia made it clear she wouldn't be pulling any punches. Not with the way her presence carried a quiet, unmistakable menace beneath it. One the group could feel even from a distance.
It was a challenge.
Say something.
Of course, I knew she was aware of my past. She'd said it herself. That she'd watched over me since I was ten.
Like some twisted version of a guardian angel.
I just hadn't expected her to be… this active.