After Aurex left the amphitheater, the silence he left behind was the silence before a storm. Eyes were on me; I was seen as a victim, a hero, or a fool—no one was sure which. Luna's dull anger, Cassius's analytical appreciation, and the worried looks of Ella and Felissia waiting for me at the threshold... They were all momentary photograph frames in my mind.
And then, the silence of my group was broken.
"Great," Vispina hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You burned us all just for your own ego."
Before I had a chance to respond to her, Haence, a tall, skinny boy from Confluxia whom I knew was standing at the back of the group, stepped forward. His face was contorted with anger. "'Useless members'? Is that how you sold us out in front of the professor? You're the one who's going to lose, Octavian Corvus. As long as I know you see us this way, I have no intention of helping you."
This was a reaction I had expected. But before I could respond, I saw Felissia, who was standing next to me, quietly step forward.
"But... but why?" she whispered, her voice trembling but her words clear. "Why don't you help just to prove you're not useless? This is a chance for all of us."
Haence turned to Felissia and a cruel smile appeared on his face. "Look who's talking. Is this being said by that stupid Felissia? The girl who asked teachers the simplest questions over and over when we were in Confluxia and still didn't understand, is she giving us advice?"
All color drained from Felissia's face, as if she had been slapped. Just then Ella stepped between her and Haence. "Know your place," she said in an ice-cold voice.
Haence's gaze had now turned to Ella. "Are you her guardian angel too? What, are you advocating for her now after Octavian?" Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Marcus standing next to Luna; his face was pale, he was clenching his jaw but had frozen without being able to say anything. He was just watching, caught between loyalties.
That old, familiar anger inside me was beginning to surface. I felt fire rising in my veins. I was just about to open my mouth and say those poisonous words that would silence Haence when Luna intervened.
Her voice was calm and constructive, like a perfect peace ambassador. "Friends, please," she said softly, raising her hands in a soothing manner. "Why don't we try to stay calm and do what we can? This tension doesn't benefit anyone. If Octa fails, our friendship with him will be damaged. Marcus and I don't want this." As I listened to what she said, I noticed Marcus standing next to her shifting uncomfortably, averting his gaze from me. He was aware of how fake these words were but chose to remain silent. Luna turned her gaze to the others in the group, especially Haence. "Also, remember, you might need him someday."
This was masterful manipulation. She had combined threat and promise in the same sentence. My anger subsided for a moment, giving way to cold analysis. Luna was trying to control the situation.
I took a deep breath and regained my composure. "Luna is right," I said, taking care to make my voice as calm as possible. "Let no one be stressed any further today. I'm not demanding anything from anyone. I'm just making a request for us to meet in the library after classes on Monday. This isn't coercion, just a request. Come and listen to what we can do at least. The rest is up to you."
Haence laughed mockingly. "I won't take part in such a ridiculous plan." As he was about to turn around and leave, I saw that Felissia couldn't stand it.
"Are you... are you still affected by that incident?" she shouted after him, her voice full of pain. "Why won't you grow up anymore?"
Haence froze where he stood. He slowly turned around, the expression on his face now not just anger but pure hatred. "Shut up," he hissed. "Don't mention that incident again!" He threw the thick Calculus book in his hand toward Felissia.
Everything happened at once.
My mind stopped thinking. As the book spun in the air, my body reacted before I did. I took a step forward and jumped, kicking the spinning book hard with the outside of my foot. The book changed direction like a bullet, hit the wall at the end of the corridor, and fell to the ground.
There was absolute silence in the corridor.
I slowly turned to Haence. "I didn't like that style of yours at all," I said, my voice ice-cold. I started walking toward him.
Just as I was about to reach him, I felt Cassius grab my arm. "Wait," he said in a calm voice.
"What?" I growled, not taking my eyes off Haence.
Cassius said nothing. He just took off his coat and extended it toward my waist. "What are you doing?" I said, not understanding.
"While trying to be cool wearing fabric pants," he said, his voice completely expressionless, "you didn't realize you tore the back with the impact of the kick, did you?"
I paused. There was a moment of silence. Then from behind, first a giggle, then irrepressible laughter. Even Luna had covered her face but you could tell she was laughing from the shaking of her shoulders. In the middle of the laughter, for a moment my eyes met Marcus's. On his face, contrary to Luna's triumphant smile, was a strange mixture of pain and shame. That momentary look was like a memory of that old friendship we shared despite all the tension between us.
I felt my face burning. Haence's angry face had given way to astonishment, then absolute embarrassment. At that moment, in everyone's eyes in the corridor, I wasn't a hero or villain, just a fool with torn pants. And this had broken all of Haence's anger and resistance.
Cassius tied the coat around my waist. "Better now," he said with a satisfied expression.
Haence looked like he had never been so humiliated in his life. He averted his gaze from me, looked at the ground. "Monday," he muttered. "I'll give you a chance." Then he turned around and quickly walked away. The other three "useless" members silently followed him.
We were left in the corridor. Luna gave me one last look of disappointment and dragged Marcus away with her. Marcus hesitated for a moment, seemed like he was going to say something to me, but then bowed his head and silently followed her.
Gaius patted Cassius on the shoulder and laughed. I was still in shock from what had happened. Having my pants torn was embarrassing, yes. But at that moment, when I saw the grateful expression on Felissia's face and that worried yet proud sparkle in Ella's eyes, I realized it wasn't that important.
Cassius, as if he had done the most normal thing in the world, said, "Sometimes the best move is the most unexpected one," and started walking.
At that moment, I understood once again that this impossible task couldn't be solved with intelligence alone.
We were the last people left in the corridor after the chaos. While I was fidgeting with Cassius's coat tied around my waist to camouflage the tear, he was shivering in his thin shirt, saying, "I'm completely frozen." Without thinking for a second, I took off my own coat and offered it to him. He thanked me with a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude and put on the coat. He and Gaius left without waiting any longer.
When they disappeared at the end of the corridor, the silence they left behind was almost ear-scratching. The chaos and adrenaline burst of seconds before had now been replaced by a throbbing embarrassment and a strange three-person silence. In the middle of the corridor, Ella, Felissia, and I were like three wrecks washed ashore after a storm, not knowing what to do. Everyone had left, but it felt like hundreds of eyes were still wandering over us.
The silence was broken by Ella in her usual gentle tone. "Should we... have a coffee?" Her voice was still trembling slightly from the effects of what had happened.
Felissia immediately jumped at it like reaching for a life preserver. "Yes, please! I'll treat!" she said hurriedly. This was her way of thanking; she was trying to materialize the gratitude she couldn't express in words with a cup of hot drink.
The idea was perfect. The idea of getting away from this corridor, from this place stained with memories of what had happened, as soon as possible was wonderful. But there was a small, rather obvious problem. I helplessly spread my hands to both sides and pointed to Cassius's coat wrapped around my waist with a bitter smile. "That would be great," I said. "But... you're aware of the situation, aren't you? Right now I'm literally showing my underwear."
I felt my cheeks catch fire. Felissia's eyes widened in horror and she immediately averted her gaze elsewhere, her face had become beet red. However, Ella, after overcoming her momentary surprise, took a step toward me with a determined expression on her face.
"Wait," she said, her voice calm and clear.
Without giving me a chance to understand what was happening, she rose on her tiptoes and plunged her hands into my hair. She gently tousled my hair that I had carefully styled in the morning, letting a few rebellious strands fall on my forehead. "What are you doing?" I asked in bewilderment.
"Camouflage," she murmured, completely focused on her work. She stepped back and examined her work. Then she reached out and unbuttoned the top button of my shirt and slightly turned the collar to the side. She grasped my arms and carefully rolled up my shirt sleeves to my elbows.
"Ella?" I asked again, my bewilderment growing.
"Just a second..." She took down her small backpack and carefully pulled out a folded black, sporty cardigan. She untied Cassius's coat from my waist and handed it to me, then carefully tied her own cardigan around my waist. Its tighter and more flexible fabric hid the tear much better than the coat.
She stepped back and looked me up and down. "Messy hair, open collar, rolled-up sleeves and a sports cardigan tied around the waist..." she murmured, as if she had solved a complex equation. Then she looked into my eyes, her cheeks slightly pink. "Now no one will think this was an accident. They'll just think this is your style."
At that moment, words ran out. An electrically charged, intense silence formed between us. We were both embarrassed at the same time, for the same reason. Even Felissia was watching us both in bewilderment, not knowing what to say.
When we took refuge in the dim and warm atmosphere of the small cafe just outside the campus, the tension on me finally began to dissolve. Felissia had kept her word and bought each of us a foamy hot chocolate. For a while no one spoke; we just took refuge in the warmth of the cups that surrounded our hands and the peace of being away from the noise of the outside world.
"I... apologize on behalf of Haence," Felissia finally said, breaking the silence. "Normally... I mean, I don't like talking about the past but..." She paused, clearly searching for the right words. "You should understand him. When we were in Confluxia, we were both in a special mathematics program. Haence was smarter than all of us but... he hated asking for help. Once, he got stuck on a big project and out of pride didn't say a word to anyone. He struggled alone for weeks and finally failed. From that day on, teachers looked at him as a 'problematic genius who wastes his potential.' The word 'useless'... I think it reopened that old wound."
Even sharing this much was a big step. I looked at her gratefully. "Thank you for telling me this, Felissia."
She bowed her head, her voice turned to a whisper. "You... you don't think I'm stupid, do you? Because I constantly ask questions..."
I leaned toward the table, taking care to make my voice as clear and serious as possible. "Are you stupid for asking about something you don't understand? This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life. Real fools are those who don't even realize they don't understand or are afraid to admit it. You are brave."
As soon as I finished my words, Ella also jumped forward. There was sweet anger on her face. "Don't," she said, her voice both warning and compassionate. "Don't ever call yourself stupid again, understood? This really angers me. Octavian is right, you are very brave."
I couldn't help myself against Ella's sincere and protective reaction. With an impulse from within, without planning or thinking, I reached out and gently stroked her head.
She froze for a moment, then looked at me with flushed cheeks. With fake seriousness, she whispered, "Hey, you're the one ruining the serious moment."
I smiled. "I was thinking the same thing," I said. "I'm serious."
This small moment had melted the last ice between us. On Felissia's face appeared a sincere and sparkling smile that I hadn't seen for weeks.
"So," Ella said after a while, her gaze becoming serious again as she turned to me. "What are you going to do now? This project... really seems impossible."
I took a deep breath. The steam from the chocolate in my cup was floating in the air. "I don't know," I said honestly. "But I need to try first before giving up, right?" I forced a smile on my face. "Besides, I have a guess about who's behind this trap, and that alone gives me a reason to fight."
Felissia's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You're not talking about Aurex, are you?"
I shook my head from side to side. "Aurex is the one who set up the chess board, yes. But there's someone who arranged the pieces in front of him: Luna."
Ella wasn't surprised; it seemed like she too was suspicious of something. "How did you come to this conclusion?"
"Probabilities," I said. "First, the group list. If we don't count Marcus, everyone in the group is either directly Luna's pawn or people who are annoyed with me. Such a coincidence can't happen. Second and most importantly, timing. Do you remember that last week Aurex said he would 'think about' these groups? Luna disappeared as soon as the lesson ended. It lasted maybe two minutes. I now understand what she did in those two minutes: she went to Aurex and presented him with this 'entertaining' project idea."
I took a sip of my hot chocolate. "Aurex just wants a clever opponent, he wants to play games. Luna will do anything to win. When their motivations combined, this perfect trap emerged."
A heavy silence fell over the table as the cruelty of the plan was realized.
"So," Felissia's voice trembled with worry. "Do you have no chance at all?"
I looked first at her, then at Ella. That worry on their faces, that sincere support... It gave me a strength that Aurex's cold, calculated trap could never provide.
"Maybe not," I said, but there was now a new determination in my voice. "But I'm not alone anymore."
That evening, as I returned home, my mind was still like a battlefield. But what echoed in that battlefield was no longer just Aurex's mocking laughter or Luna's poisonous whispers. Among that noise was also the warmth of a cup of hot chocolate warming my palm, Felissia's grateful smile, and the unforgettable memory of Ella's fingers touching my hair. The project was still impossible. The group was still a wreck. But for the first time, even though I didn't have a plan for how to rise from this wreckage, I had a reason to rise.