WILLA
I only stayed in the infirmary a little longer before asking to return to my dorm while I waited for further instructions from the headmaster.
I was confused about everything that had happened. I had no idea what I was supposed to do or what direction to take next. But with Verah's help, who had indeed returned just as she promised, I managed to leave the infirmary.
Now I was in a room that clearly belonged to someone who lived a very different life from mine.
It was spacious and well kept, filled with soft daylight streaming through a large arched window draped with light curtains.
Beneath the window sat a wooden study desk with a computer, stacks of books, and a corkboard above it pinned with photos and notes. Nearby stood a wardrobe with neatly hung clothes.
A large bed with white and grey bedding sits on the other side of the room, beside a small nightstand with a lamp and books. A soft rug covers part of the wooden floor, and small plants and decorations make the space feel personal.
It was exactly what I had always imagined my room would look like. But the best I had ever been given was a small attic space.
In the Bakers' household, my room had been more like a closet. Too tight. Too hot. And I had never been allowed to complain.
They gave Rachel all their attention and love, which often made me wonder why they had chosen to adopt me in the first place.
"Did you check the Howl today?" Verah asked, pulling my attention away from the wall where the name Elyse was written in a neat cursive.
I sat on the queen-sized bed in the unfamiliar room, staring blankly ahead.
"Earth to Elyse!" Verah snapped her fingers right in front of my face.
I flinched and looked at her.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her brows knitting together. "Do you want to go back to the infirmary?"
I swallowed and shook my head.
But the truth was, I wasn't okay.
How could I explain any of this to her? How could I tell her what was running through my mind without sounding completely insane?
I had thought that if I slept, I would wake up back in my real life.
But now… it felt like this was the reality my mind had decided to trap me in.
I shifted slightly on the bed, meeting her gaze as she continued to study me.
"You're acting really weird," she muttered.
I forced a small smile but said nothing. She wasn't wrong.
I wasn't Elyse.
Elyse Maddox, as the name on the wall claimed.
I was just Willa.
The girl without a last name.
"Anyway," Verah continued, waving a hand dismissively. "You're probably still concussed, so the confusion is normal."
Then her eyes lit up.
"But you need to bring out your phone right now, because you are the talk of the entire school."
Her voice shifted instantly from worry to excitement.
"Phone?" I whispered, blinking at her.
As far as I knew, the only phone I had ever been allowed to use in the Bakers' house was the old landline in the living room, and that was only for important things.
Not that it mattered much. No one ever called me anyway.
So I had never really minded not having a personal phone like Rachel, who changed hers every school term.
"Duh," Verah said, rolling her eyes.
She pointed toward the nightstand beside the bed.
I turned my head.
Sitting there was a phone tucked neatly inside a pink pouch.
An iPhone 17.
Of course.
This academy already looked expensive enough. I had seen it from the structure as we passed the main campus, but I didn't have enough time to observe it properly since Verah had practically dragged me to the dorm.
It made sense that the students here carried phones that cost more than everything I owned combined.
I didn't reach for it.
Verah did.
She grabbed it and shoved it toward me.
"Unlock."
"Unlock?" My voice came out strained as I stared at the phone, refusing to take it from her.
Right now, it wasn't the shock of holding something that expensive.
It was the lock. I had no idea if it used a password or facial recognition.
Either one would expose me immediately.
What would they do to someone pretending to be another person here?
Hopefully they didn't hang people.
"Come on," Verah urged.
I started shaking my head, pushing the phone away from me. But before I could avoid it, she tapped the screen and lifted it toward my face.
A sharp click sounded.
My breath caught as a triumphant grin spread across Verah's face.
"Unlocked," she grinned at me. "And don't worry, I'll read every one of them if you don't want to."
Unlocked?
H…how was that possible?
No. I shook my head. That couldn't be right. Verah must have done something when she turned on the phone.
"Elyse is back!" Verah announced, her excitement still obvious.
I didn't respond. I had nothing to say.
Instead, I watched her reaction as she scrolled through the phone. Then I noticed the sudden change in her expression.
She scoffed and pushed the phone toward me. This time, I didn't look away.
I stared at the screen she had been reading. The platform looked like a strange mix of Réddit and X, yet somehow different.
My eyes moved from the interface to the messages rapidly appearing on the feed.
"Did Elyse seriously just say she's a virgin?"
"Someone recorded that moment. I refuse to believe what I just heard."
"Pretty sure half the combat house just choked on their drinks."
"Is this a joke or did she hit her head harder than we thought?"
"Maybe the infirmary wiped her memory."
"That auditorium scene from last year is still burned into my brain. Five on one."
"I can't wait to see Elliot's reaction. Best part of my day, hahaha."
My cheeks burned as I read each line, my eyes widening while I tried to process what they meant.
"This is 2026, for the goddess's sake," Verah huffed. "When will people start minding their own damn business?"
She snatched the phone from my hands when I didn't respond and turned it off.
"No need to read that crap again," she muttered. "I thought something meaningful had been posted. It's nobody's business if you decide to lose your virginity in the most fashionable way ever."
I was stunned by her words.
I had always believed my virginity was tied to my dignity. Or maybe that belief only existed because I had never been desirable in the first place. I had been the school outcast, after all.
At Ridgewood Academy, there was always a new story every week about who had lost theirs.
The popular kids made it seem normal, like something everyone eventually did. And anyone who still held onto it was considered irrelevant.
I supposed things weren't much different here.
Verah flipped her hair back, her eyes sparkling as she turned toward me. The anger she had shown earlier was gone, replaced with an excitement I couldn't quite understand.
"It's great that you're back now," she said brightly. "Tomorrow is going to be perfect. I've been wondering how we'd pull off the event without you!"
"What's happening tomorrow?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Verah paused and stared at me, her brows lifting in confusion. For a moment, we simply looked at each other.
Then she snickered.
"You play too much," she said, nudging my shoulder playfully.
But I wasn't playing.
I truly had no idea what tomorrow was supposed to be or why she seemed so excited about it.
And judging by the way she looked at me, Verah clearly believed I already knew.