Chapter 2

Normally, I would eat the stuff I brought from home in class. I didn’t live with my parents, so I made lunch myself. I tend to make my food the night before, so I didn’t need to wake up early in the morning. All I had to do was pack it. But today, I didn’t have time to pack my lunch. I hadn’t eaten out in a while, so I decided to just go to the cafeteria.

I set aside my biology textbook and tidied my desk.

“Ian, do you-” When I looked up, Ian was no longer there.

He had stood right next to me, facing backward, along with many other boys and girls. I thought something had happened, but then I remembered that Neila had moved to the empty seat behind mine. They all surrounded her, like loyal subjects surrounding their queen, their eyes brimming with curiosity. Nadia didn't seem to mind this extra attention; she's probably used to it.

“Nadia, Nadia! Do you have a bodyguard?” one of our classmates asked.

“Not always.” Nadia laughed. The interaction continued, with Nadia answering many of the questions our classmates had for her.

“When are you doing your next project?”

“Sorry, that's a secret.” She clasped her hand, an apologetic smile on her face.

“You deal with a lot of secrets, huh?”

“Definitely. She must have a list of all future projects.”

“I don't know about that, actually. I just know about the projects I'm currently working on.”

“Eh? They don't even give you clues?”

“Nope.” Nadia shook her head.

Ian, along with our other classmates, seemed engrossed in the conversation, so I decided to head to the cafeteria on my own.

What should I eat…

I looked around. Our cafeteria had several stalls offering various kinds of food. I had tried the western food here, honestly not a fan of it. Maybe I should try something local-

I feel someone poking my right hand. I turned around. Carol Eranam, a close friend since middle school, stood behind me with her usual soft smile. She had long black eyes and pretty brown eyes.

“It’s uncommon to see you here.”

“Yeah… I woke up late today.”

“Huh… That’s rare.”

I nodded. I was surprised myself. I had experienced nightmares before, but they woke me up before my alarm, not after.

“Just a bad dream…”

“Is it that dream?”

I nodded. I had told her about the fire dream before. I didn’t really care about my other dreams, but the fire dream was different. I had experienced that event myself, so I saw it less of a dream and more like a flashback.

“Maybe it’s a sign from the universe.”

“Why do you and Ian have the same opinion?”

Carol chuckled. “You never know. The girl that you rescued might be in this school.”

Carol looked around. Our school had a lot of students, more specifically, a lot of girls. I could count two, six, no, at least twenty girls in the cafeteria. There were tables filled with just girls, and other tables had them mixed with the boys. I guess her being here wouldn’t be that surprising.

But that event happened in Solo, my hometown. While people from there sometimes come to Jakarta or Surabaya, I doubt they would go this far for high school. In this regard, I would call myself ‘unique’. If anything, it had been a long while since I last went there. Most of the memories I had about my childhood over there had faded, and I knew more about this city than the place I was born in.

“I wonder how it feels to be that girl…” Carol put a finger on her chin, looking up. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Probably forgotten. I’ve also gotten over it, but I don’t want to experience something similar ever again.”

It was scary. Flames all around you, smoke obscuring your vision and making it difficult to breathe. You didn’t know if you could escape. All you knew was you had to run. That was all I thought about back then. Get out.

“Didn’t you say you carried her like a princess?”

“What are you implying?”

Carol closed her eyes. “A knight in shining armor, coming to rescue a princess stuck in a castle, burnt by a dragon. Despite the fire growing around them, that fearless knight came to the princess’s rescue. He ignored his own safety. When he reached her, he pulled up the visor on his helmet. You can see his clear eyes and his warm smile, and then he whisked you away to safety.”

“That’s… a detailed description.”

She opened her eyes and grinned. “I don’t know. What if I told you I experienced something like that before?”

“I’ll laugh, probably.”

“Meanie.”

It was our turn to order. My parents sent me money, but that didn’t mean I could just splurge endlessly. I still needed to save.

“What are you ordering, Harto?”

“I don’t know…”

Here in Eteralia, we have a mix of students. Some came from wealthy families, others came from regular ones. As such, I would consider the prices… midrange level. They weren’t expensive, but not cheap like the food you would find in street-side shops. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave school during the day. So, despite the one-hour break period, I could only choose the food provided in the cafeteria.

“If you’re worried about money-”

“Thank you, but I’ll decline.”

Carol pouted. Her family came from the ‘wealthy’ category. They have been kind to me. And not just her family. Unlike me, Carol had a job. Financially, they had no issue. They treated me countless times. But, ultimately, I couldn’t continue relying on their kindness. I needed to be capable of surviving on my own.

“Can I get the bakso, please?” I went for the safe choice. The cashier nodded.

“With mi or bihun?”

“Rice.”

We Indonesians couldn’t eat noodles without rice, despite the two of those things being carbs. That was simply the nature we were born with. I scanned the QR code and paid for my meal.

“For me, I want mi ayam.”

“Alright.”

It didn’t take long for our food to come out. We took it to an empty table. With her chopsticks, she mixed the noodles and began eating, starting from the small chicken slices at the top.

“By the way, do you know anything about Nadia?”

Carol paused and looked up at me. “Which Nadia?”

“Are there more than one?”

She pulled out her phone, typed in something, and showed me her screen. The search box showed the word ‘Nadia’ with a ton of different results below. Not all of them were people. There were organizations, terms, and even book titles mixed in.

“Nadia… Nadia… Oh, right, Nadia Handayani.”

“Aah, her.” Carol nodded. “The one that played Lily, right?”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s her.”

Lily’s character and the show she came from are very popular. I didn’t watch live-action stuff, and I still knew her. There’s a reason why our class went into a ruckus after my classmates saw her.

“I know her. I’ve talked with her before. Why?”

“She transferred into my class.”

Carol fell silent, staring at me. She seemed as surprised as we were this morning. I assumed Nadia hadn’t told her.

“Lucky…” Carol murmured, averting her gaze.

“Eh? Not really.”

It wasn’t like I’m going to talk to her about anything. At most, we would do some school tasks together.

“I’ll just watch from the sidelines. It’s not like I’m a fan of the show.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Carol pouted.

“Then what did you mean?”

Carol didn’t elaborate. Instead, she continued slurping her noodles. Her reaction made me curious. She never mentioned liking the show. Heck, she mainly dabbled in animation. I couldn’t remember her ever discussing anything live-action related. She knew some Indonesian celebrities, but she didn’t seem to be a fan of any of them. She wouldn’t consider herself lucky for ending up in the same class as Nadia.

“Why would you consider me lucky?”

She didn’t respond.

“... You’re hanging me dry?”

All she did was nod.