Mira Alonzo learned early how to walk without being noticed.
Head down. Shoulders slightly hunched. Steps quiet enough to disappear into the noise of the hallway.
Saint Elara Academy was louder than she imagined—laughter echoing off polished floors, lockers slamming shut, voices full of confidence she didn't have. Everywhere she looked, students seemed to shine effortlessly, their uniforms neat, smiles practiced, lives perfectly in place.
Mira tightened her grip on her bag.
"Transfer student?" the registrar asked earlier, barely glancing up.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Section H."
That was all it took.
The pause.
The raised eyebrow.
The silent judgment.
Now she stood in front of a classroom door marked SECTION H, her heart pounding like it wanted to run away before she could.
She'd heard the rumors already.
The worst section.
The leftover students.
The class no one expects anything from.
Mira swallowed and slid the door open.
Chaos greeted her.
Someone was laughing too loudly. A boy leaned back on his chair like it might collapse any second. Near the board stood a girl with sharp eyes and arms crossed, clearly trying—and failing—to control the room.
The noise slowly died down.
All eyes turned to her.
"So," the girl said, tilting her head. "You must be the transfer."
Mira nodded, heat rushing to her face.
"I'm Jade Morales. Class president," she added with a grin. "Welcome to Section H. Don't worry—we don't bite. Much."
A few students laughed.
Mira bowed slightly and moved to an empty seat by the window, her favorite place—close to light, far from attention.
As the class returned to its usual chaos, Mira stared outside, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky.
She told herself this would be temporary.
That she'd keep her head down.
That no one needed to know her.
What she didn't know was that this section—the one everyone looked down on—would change her life completely.
And that someone, somewhere in this noisy school, had already noticed the girl who wanted to disappear.