“But my mom is certain—”

The driver cut me off, clearly annoyed.

“You believe your mom that much? What is she now, a prophet? Can she predict the future or talk to gods?”

“I… my mom said she’s reincarnated.”

I mustered the courage to say it—but as soon as the words left my mouth, the whole bus burst into laughter.

Everyone laughed—except for the driver.

He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, expression unreadable.

“Little girl, where are you from? Who are your parents?”

I hesitated before replying truthfully, “My father is Austin Connor, and my mother is Lia Grayson.”

The driver let out a low, ambiguous chuckle.

He shot me another side glance, then shrugged.

“Alright, alright. Go back to your seat. I promise you won’t die today. Just sit tight and relax!”

I nodded and quietly returned to my seat, though my heart was anything but calm.

He might have sounded confident, but as the bus merged onto the highway, everyone fell silent.

A heavy tension filled the air.

Somewhere in the distance, faint sounds of rockslides echoed down from the mountain.

All eyes were locked on the road ahead.

The driver slowed the bus as we approached the stretch my mother had warned about.

Then—boom—a thunderous crash.

A large rock came tumbling down the slope.

The driver slammed the brakes. The bus screeched to a halt—barely stopping in time, just inches from the boulder.

Still visibly shaken, the driver wiped sweat from his brow, shot me a quick look, then climbed down to check the road.

He moved the rock himself and got back on board.

The tension in the bus had doubled.

No one said a word, but the fear lingered in every breath.

Luckily, the rest of the highway passed without further incident.

I exhaled in relief and finally remembered to check my backpack.

As I rummaged through it, I realized something horrible—I had forgotten to bring a pen.

Clutching my bag, I walked back up to the driver.

“Sir,” I said timidly, “I forgot my pen. When we reach town… could we stop somewhere so I can buy one?”

He frowned, clearly displeased.

“Why are you so careless? Everyone else comes prepared. You, on the other hand, keep forgetting things.”

I dropped my head, lips trembling, on the verge of tears.

The driver sighed.

“Alright, alright. I’ll take you to buy them when we get there. But next time, make sure you’re prepared. If you forget anything else, I’m not helping you again. Got it?”

“Yes,” I whispered and returned to my seat.

The bus later stopped in front of a small roadside store, and the driver led me inside.

As I browsed the pens, I didn’t expect to see him.

Peter Sebastian—the class monitor—walked in.

Surprise flickered across his face the moment he saw me.

“Camila? What are you doing here?”

Caught off guard, I quickly hid the two dollars in my hand and walked up to him, embarrassed.

“I forgot my pen… Peter, could you lend me some money?”

Peter was known in our class as the “little rich guy.” He was smart, polite, and completely doted on by his family. His parents gave him more pocket money than he could ever spend.

His ears turned red as he quickly dug through his backpack for money.

After fumbling around for a moment, he pulled out a red bill and handed it to me.

“Is this enough?”

Before I could respond, someone called out his name from the bus, urging him to hurry.

Peter’s cheeks flushed even deeper. He shoved the bill into my hand and ran for the door.

“I—I’ve got to go, Camila. See you in college!”

I looked down at the hundred-dollars note in my hand and couldn't help the bitter smile that tugged at my lips.

College? Did I even stand a chance of making it there?

I walked over to the counter and placed the pens down.

Then I glanced up at the driver beside me.

“Sir, can I buy a case of drinks too?”

He was in the middle of an animated chat with the store owner, but both of them froze when they heard my request.

The driver blinked.

“A whole case? What for?”

“It’s way too hot, and my classmates have been waiting on the bus for ages,” I said. “I want to treat them to some drinks.”

The driver raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. Instead, the store owner leaned across the counter, eyeing me curiously.

“You got enough money for that?”

“I do.”

I pulled out the hundred-dollars bill with an innocent smile.

“My mom gave it to me before I left—just in case.”

The driver and the store owner exchanged a quick, silent glance.

The store owner nodded and pointed to the corner of the shop.

“The water’s over there. Go get it yourself.”

I shook my head.

“Sir, can I have a cardboard box? I want to buy the ones in the refrigerator.”

He bent down, grabbed an empty box, and tossed it over to me.

“Thanks!” I said quickly, and ran to the fridge to start filling it with cold drinks.

As I packed the box, I overheard the store owner whispering to the driver behind me.

“You think this girl’s genuinely kind-hearted, or...?”

The driver lit a cigarette and let out a soft chuckle.

“Who knows? Every year there’s always someone who thinks they’re clever—until they realize it was all for nothing.”

They both laughed quietly.

My hand froze mid-air. I glanced back but said nothing. Then I dropped the last two bottles of soda into the box.

Back on the bus, I walked down the aisle, handing out drinks.

“Sir,” I said to the driver, offering him a cold soda, “thank you—for taking me to buy a pen and for driving us here.”

He looked at me, didn’t say a word, then reached into the box and grabbed a different bottle.

I gave an awkward smile and continued passing out drinks to the other students.

The rest of the ride was calm—until we neared the exam site.

Suddenly, the driver’s face turned pale. He slammed on the brakes.

In the front seat, Maria Quinn leaned forward.

“Sir, what’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.

The driver gritted his teeth, hesitated a moment, then said,

“Nothing.”

He restarted the engine, but less than two minutes later, he pulled over again and unbuckled his seatbelt in frustration.

“Stay in the bus. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He jumped out of the vehicle and disappeared into the woods.

I looked away, letting my gaze fall to the digital clock on the dashboard.

2:20 p.m.

When the driver returned and climbed back into the bus, the timing was—perfect.

We entered the city, the streets growing denser, the traffic heavier.

As we turned onto Maple Road, red lights blinked from all directions.

Without hesitation, the driver stepped hard on the accelerator.

I gripped the front seat tight, my eyes fixed on the countdown clock flashing on the screen.

Here it comes!

A red sports car came out of nowhere—screeching past from the side.

The sound of metal grinding.

A sudden jolt.

Glass exploded from the front windshield, shards flying everywhere.

Even though I’d braced myself, I was still thrown forward by the impact. My body slammed into the front seat, hard.

My head buzzed. I gasped for air.

As the world slowly came back into focus, I stumbled to my feet and moved toward the front.

The driver was slumped over the wheel, blood trickling from his forehead.

I shook his arm—nothing.

Quickly, I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Luna Madison, her arm bleeding, hurried over to me in a panic.

“Camila, is the driver dead? What do we do?”

I sneered.

“Better if he is.”

The bus went completely silent.

All eyes turned to me, wide and stunned.

I ignored them, pushed past Luna, and climbed out through the shattered window.

Outside, a crowd had already gathered.

Strangely, no one looked surprised.

They caught me gently as I dropped down and quietly set me aside.

No one knew exactly what had happened inside the bus, but people standing outside were waving at the students by the windows.

“Kids, jump! We’ll catch you!”

I stepped away from the crowd, phone in hand, typing a quick message. Then I quietly slipped to the edge of the scene.

Somewhere behind me, someone was calling the police.

I knew that if I stayed and waited for them to arrive, they’d definitely send me straight to the exam hall.

Glancing back at the girls still trapped in the bus, I let my phone fall to the ground—and ran.

Time was running out. I had to get out of this town before anyone realized what I was really doing.

Using the leftover money from Peter, I flagged down a taxi.

The driver took one look at me and smiled, “Heading to the college entrance exam, miss? I’ll get you there fast.”

My hand froze mid-motion, just as I was about to shut the car door.

I glanced at him—then bolted.

Startled, the driver jumped out and chased after me for a few steps, shouting my way.

When I didn’t turn around, he gave up and hurried back to start the engine again.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, ducking into a nearby alley.

I could hear him behind me, cursing and making a phone call as he gave chase.

I dove behind a trash can and crouched low, pretending to be a beggar. My heart pounded as people passed by.

“I heard a student taking the college entrance exam went missing,” one passerby said. “Now the entire town’s police, firefighters, and volunteers are out looking. It’s a huge operation!”

“Did the student get kidnapped?” another asked. “Human traffickers are getting out of hand these days!”

The town was being searched from top to bottom.

I moved through the city, constantly switching hiding spots. I had close calls—too many.

I knew I couldn’t keep this up for long.

Taking a gamble, I made my way into the mountains.

Woodstock had eighteen villages, and if there was one thing it didn’t lack, it was mountains. Endless stretches of rugged terrain, spanning thousands of miles.

But the townspeople were quick to respond. I hadn’t even been hiding in the mountains for three hours when I saw their searchlights.

From my position up high, I watched the long line of lights weaving through the woods below. Quietly, I pulled a thin flashlight from my backpack—no thicker than a finger—and used it to guide my way down.

No one knew that while they searched the mountains, I was already slipping back into town.

The trash cans were disgusting, but I needed food. I had to keep my strength up if I wanted to survive.

Just as I was digging through one bin and pulled out half of a baked donut, a familiar voice called from behind me.

“Camila?”

My whole body went stiff.

I turned slowly. Luna stood there, her face frozen in disbelief.

I narrowed my eyes and pulled her quickly into a nearby alley.

She was limping. Her leg must have been injured at some point and she struggled to keep pace.

Once I was sure no one was nearby, I let go of her hand.

“Why are you here?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you be at the exam hall?”

But Luna didn’t cry like she used to. She looked different now—sharper. Her bottom lip trembled as she bit it, a flicker of resentment in her eyes.

“What about you, Camila?” she shot back. “Why didn’t you take the exam? Why did you run?”

I couldn’t answer.

She grabbed my arm, her fingers tight with desperation.

“Do you know that your parents—and mine—have been arrested? They said... they said it was all because of you. That you stole Mr. Jasper’s phone. That you took his stuff...”

“I didn’t.”

I yanked my arm away and cut her off.

“Luna, they’re lying to you.”

She stared at me blankly, her eyes filling with tears.

I sighed.

Given everything that was happening, I knew I couldn’t let her go back.

“Luna... do you trust me?”

We’d grown up together. Luna had always relied on me, believed in me. There were hardly any secrets between us.