Arc 1 The: invisible girl: CHAPTER 2 The Beginning of the Game

CHAPTER 2

The Beginning of the Game

Kai POV

I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Which was irritating.

Rain blurred against the rooftop lounge windows while the others talked around me, but their voices faded into background noise the longer I stared at the city lights outside.

Yuna.

Even her name lingered annoyingly in my head.

Most people at Aether Academy were predictable.

They wanted attention.

Money.

Popularity.

And whenever they talked to me, they always looked nervous.

But her?

She looked at me like I was mildly inconveniencing her day.

I still couldn't decide if that was insulting or interesting.

Maybe both.

"You're staring into space again."

I glanced sideways.

Damien Cross smirked from across the couch while lazily spinning his phone in one hand.

Around the lounge, everyone else looked equally relaxed.

Noah was throwing a basketball into the air repeatedly.

Eli was upside down on another couch for some reason.

Lucas typed calmly on his laptop.

Ren sat near the speakers with headphones around his neck.

Jace quietly drank coffee beside the window.

Typical night.

Unfortunately, the conversation immediately shifted back toward her.

Again.

"I still can't believe she rejected Kai," Eli laughed.

"Twice," Noah added.

Damien leaned forward slightly.

"So she's actually real."

I sighed quietly.

"You people are dramatic."

"No," Noah grinned. "This is entertaining."

Jace frowned slightly.

"Maybe leave her alone."

Damien immediately scoffed.

"Why? Because she's shy?"

"Because she clearly wants nothing to do with us."

For a second, the room went quieter.

Then Damien smiled slowly.

That expression usually meant trouble.

"That's exactly what makes it fun."

I already knew where this was going.

And honestly?

Part of me was curious too.

Damien leaned back against the couch casually.

"Let's make this interesting."

Lucas finally looked up from his laptop.

"Whatever you're planning, no."

Damien ignored him completely.

"Whoever makes her fall first wins."

The room fell silent.

Rain tapped softly against the glass walls.

Noah snorted immediately.

"That's stupid."

"Scared you'll lose?" Eli teased.

"Please," Noah scoffed. "I could make her like me in two weeks."

"You'd probably scare her away first."

"Shut up."

Jace rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"This sounds like a terrible idea."

He wasn't wrong.

But somehow—

nobody actually disagreed.

Because the truth was...

we were all curious.

About her.

About the quiet girl who walked through school like none of us existed.

About the way she looked more comfortable alone than most people looked surrounded by friends.

About the fact she never tried impressing anyone.

Especially us.

Damien's eyes moved toward me.

"What about you, Kai?"

I looked back toward the rain outside.

Honestly?

I didn't care about winning.

But I did want to understand her.

And that alone was already dangerous.

"Do whatever you want," I answered calmly.

Eli grinned immediately.

"That means yes."

"No," Lucas sighed. "That means Kai lacks self-awareness."

Noah suddenly stood up.

"Alright then."

He spun the basketball once on his finger.

"Game starts tomorrow."

Jace looked genuinely concerned now.

"You guys are unbelievable."

But nobody stopped.

Because somewhere between curiosity and boredom—

the line had already disappeared.

And none of us realized yet...

that we were about to ruin our own lives first.

The next morning—

Rain still covered the academy.

I walked through the front gates while students immediately moved aside.

Normal.

Annoying.

Expected.

Then—

I noticed her.

Standing near the vending machines beneath the covered hallway.

Alone.

Again.

Yuna held a canned coffee in one hand while reading a book with the same focused expression she always had.

Completely unaware of the people secretly staring at her as they walked past.

Or maybe—

she just didn't care.

I slowed slightly without meaning to.

Then she looked up.

Our eyes met briefly.

And immediately—

she frowned.

Like seeing me had inconvenienced her morning.

I almost laughed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Then before I could say anything—

she turned around and walked away.

Avoiding me.

Again.

And for some reason—

that only made me want to follow her more.

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