“You and Sylas should be friends,” I deadpanned, blinded by the sunlight when I stepped outside.
I shielded my eyes with my hand and squinted, only to find Dalia standing before me, clad in black-and-pink leggings and a matching sweater, with her friend Yasmine by her side, also in sports attire.
“What are you doing here?” she fired at me before I had the chance to ask her the same thing. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
“You’re the girlfriend. He’s always talking about you,” Miguel overshared. “Right, ex-girlfriend sorry, and Levi was helping me… kind of.”
“Or more likely overstaying his welcome. I gave you five minutes in the Pioneer headquarters, not ten.” Tara shoved my shoulder, ignoring me, as she marched toward Dalia and her sister. “Is that your outfit, really? Did you tie your shoes withribbons? It’s sports, not fashion week, and you—” She gunned her eyes at her sister. “Don’t smile like that. It’s not going to be fun.”
“First time she doesn’t criticize me,” Yasmine whispered to Dalia before they exchanged a smile.
“Having a cute outfit is the best motivation to work out,” my little thief added. “I like your military look.”
Tara brought a hand to her forehead. “God, give me strength with this one.”
I was utterly lost—since when did they hang out together? “Did I miss something?”
“We signed up for a cross-country mission, forming a Unifier team, and Tara is coaching us since she won’t be a contestant.” Yasmine at least had the decency to explain.
Well, I wanted to run with Dalia. I could coach her anytime. I could chase her. Hell, I was even better than Tara and—
“Not that this is any of your concern.” Tara glared at me. “Just ignore him and let’s go.”
As I tried to speak, Tara’s commanding voice, reminiscent of a drill sergeant barking orders at new recruits, sliced through the air like a scalpel cutting flesh. I couldn’t decide what shocked me more: Tara embracing team spirit, her sister walking around with a bow on her back like Robin Hood, or Dalia’s apparent penchant for suffering, deriving pleasure from pain. She must have missed me.
“Just so you know, your mouth is hanging open,” Miguel taunted with mocking laughter. “It’s not like you’ll ever get her back.”
“Did you learn that from your suicidal group chat?” I shot back.
“You’re really hard not to hate, you know that?”
“And I don’t give one fuck,” I said. “You should have considered it twice before agreeing to work for me.”
Iorchestrated each day like a rapid and tumultuous symphony. The tempo was relentless between studying, training for the race to win points for the Unifiers, hanging out with Yas, and finding the piece I’d play for my audition.
At six in the morning, Levi’s ribbon was delivered to my doorstep alongside a music title written on a note: “Danse Macabre” from Camille Saint-Saëns. I ripped his note apart, locked the door behind me, and ran into the Unifier forest just before daylight.
I ran through the trees, the world shrouded in shadows. The rhythmic splashing of the rowing team’s oars against the lake’s surface pierced the music playing on my headphones—“Danse Macabre” from Camille Saint-Saëns.
The leaves of the trees shielded me from the rain as the man who had become my perpetual shadow unfailingly joined me in our daily ritual. His unseen presence always followed me through the winding trails.
Chasing me.
Hunting me.
My heart, caught in the throes of adrenaline, clawed at my throat. I would run faster and faster until I’d escape him. My legs felt numb. Emerging from the forest’s depths, I wheeled around, gasping for breath.
Through the tendrils of mist, I caught a glimpse of Levi, his intense gaze fixed upon me. Not one strand of his hair wasmisplaced. A silent exchange transpired before he vanished into the shadows, leaving me with the echoes of our shared morning pursuit.
He always let me win, his psychotic instincts probably getting him off from chasing me, pushing my limits each morning to see how far I’d go.
But I had no doubt that he’d catch me one day, and my heart wasn’t ready for that outcome.
After returning to my dorm for a shower, I made my way to the coffee place and ordered a matcha tea, which I had already paid for because Levi Delombre, my new stalker, had a weird concept of romance. Each moment became a greater struggle to resist him, yet strangely, his presence spurred me to work even harder, as if he had become a part of myself.
After a day of class, I walked through the deserted corridors, my backpack snugly holding my violin case. Footsteps echoed behind me, stirring a faint smile on my lips. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was him. Always with me. Like my own shadow.
Earlier in the evening, I spotted him seated among the science bookshelves in the library. His gaze captured mine, and he never looked away from me for hours. He didn’t try to talk to me. He just stared, just like we did when we were children.
