Chapter 2

2.

I had always been told that transferring to another university was a difficult task, but apparently, it didn't applied to Claire.

She had submitted a transfer request merely two days ago. However, all the formalities were done and she was right here. The normal process would take at least a month. How could this even be possible?

"Claire is truly exceptional! Anyone would expedite the process once they know it's related to this talented, gentle and beautiful girl. After all, who wouldn't wish to have her in their school?"

...... Since when being gentle and beautiful became factors to consider in transferring?

Kaelyn cradled her face, her eyes shining with admiration.

"She's truly adorable. I had no idea that she would pick up my pen for someone like me."

Listening to her giggling, I gave her cheek a gentle pinch. "Kaelyn! I bought those pens! Why didn't you show any gratitude to me?"

Kaelyn clung to my arm, being coy with me. "Oh, Stephanie, don't be jealous. I just think she's nice. But she can never take your place in my heart!"

"You promise?"

"Sure. I give you my word!"

However, it was even stranger than the situation with my parents.

Kaelyn clearly hadn't had any interactions with Claire before, but now she admired Claire immensely.

"Stephanie! I never expected you to be so insidious! Why did you pour water to Claire's seat?? Thanks to you. Claire fell and hit her thigh! Listen, if anything goes wrong, I swear I'll kill you!

Kaelyn angrily yelled at me as soon as I entered the classroom, leaving me completely confused.

Behind her, numerous students surrounded Claire's seat, comforting the poor victim while casting angry glances at me.

"It's not Stephanie's fault. She didn't mean it. It's just me being careless."

Claire murmured and seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Like a spark, her thoughtful words lighted up the fury of her puppets.

"Claire, you're too kind! She did that intentionally!"

"Exactly! It's well known that she has envied you since the day you met."

"She must has been planning this for a long time! She can't accept the fact that Claire is better than her. Guess jealousy does warped a person's mind."

"Jesus, what a bitch."

No need to say a word, Claire was just sitting there with flowing tears. She was well aware that others would stand up for her as always.

I was totally shocked for the thing I had never done, "Are you out of your mind? I've just arrived! How could I have possibly committed the crime if I wasn't there? What's more, the seats are randomly assigned. Think about it! How could I know which seat was hers?

My persuasive words seemed to work, but not for long, sadly.

"It doesn't matter at all. We just want to know why do you plot against Claire?"

"How could you do that?"

...

Their unreasonable accusations didn't bother me. What terrified me was an assumption. I felt a chill down my spine.

None of them seemed like themselves today.

We usually didn't talk much, but friendly to each other. The majority of us were not acquainted at all. We were just some strangers who shared the same class. In terms of the professor, he was a respected elder, known for his punctuality and adherence to rules, never late before.

But now, class had started nearly five minutes ago, and he still didn't show up, yet no one seemed to notice.

Everyone acted like some fervent follower, rallying around someone they'd known barely, baselessly accusing me of the things I'd never done. This is abnormal.

I examined Kaelyn, who once had been my closest friend.

The badge she loved so much and had been eager for lay on the floor, She pinned it to her pink fluffy pencil case, which now lay on the floor, trampled with a glaring shoe print. It had been kicked around and now lay at her feet, but she hadn't picked it up or even noticed it.

I took two steps back, scanning their faces-each one filled with the same expression of anger.

Without their own free will, they seemed like marionettes being manipulated.

Driven by fear, I left the classroom immediately.

"She's running away!"

"She doesn't matter. We should check on Claire first!"

"Stephanie didn't mean it. Please, for my sake, don't make it hard for her." Along with Claire's gentle voice. What a hypocrite!

"Claire, you're too kind. She's getting off easy!"

"Ahem... I know you're all looking out for me..."

As I walked further away, their voice of fanaticism gradually faded, which made me feel as if I was an outsider.

I sat in the corner of cafeteria. It was class time, and far from lunch hours, so there were only a few people around.

Realizing this was actually my first time playing truant, I put on a bitter smile.

I didn't know what to do or even who I could turn to. I stared at the number on my phone, hesitating for quite a while, but eventually dialed it.

He answered right now.

"Stephanie? What a nice surprise!"

As soon as Shawn's voice reached my ears, I chocked up.

"Shawn, what do you think of something like magic and spell? I never believed in these things before, but the recent events have changed my mind."

Noticing the tremble in my voice, Shawn clearly panicked.

"What happened, Stephanie? They are just some elements from fairy tales. Can you believe that there is a fairy willing to collect your loose tooth? Just relax. Tell me about it. Things will always work out in the end."

I wiped away my tears and managed to explain everything that had happened recently that didn't make sense.

Shawn was silent for a moment after listening, then sighed.

"You should have told me earlier, Stephanie. You must be feeling really overwhelmed."

His concern made my nose tingle, and I almost burst into tears.

Finally there was someone who would lend me a shoulder. At home, my parents treated me as if I were an enemy. At school, my best friend turned against me and became hostile.

As the others, fabricating accusations against me would be their job.

Sometimes I even wondered if it really were my fault. Maybe I really did those things but forgot, believing I was innocent. Otherwise, why would so many people resent me?

Or perhaps this is the real life, and those past peaceful and happy times were just my imagination. Maybe I had been gradually influenced by a mental disorder, and now that I am seeing the real world, am I actually cured?

On the other end of the line, Shawn seemed to sense my agony.

"Don't overthink it. Your parents love you, and Kaelyn has been your best friends for years. How could they easily be turned against you? From my perspective, everything was good until she moved in. She's definitely the crux. We've grown up together, so the happy life of past is not your illusion. "

He gently comforted me, "Remember, do not digest the distress all on your own. I got your back. I'm coming back in a few days. At the same time, I need you to stay strong for me. Can you do it?"

I sniffed and responded, "Yes."

Having someone to share the burden had made me much better.

Although I hoped Shawn to be here with me, I didn't want him to have any contact with Claire.

I was terrified that he, like Kaelyn, would be affected and regard me as a bad seed. I had absolutely no idea how to deal with such strange situations, and I had been avoiding Claire as much as possible. However, within just one week of her joining the school, she still created a huge mess for me.

Such eerie things made me both frightened and panicked, even helpless.

While I trusted my bond with Shawn, I was profoundly worried if Claire's "charm" worked on him as well. Considering even my parents couldn't resist it, I'm afraid Shawn stood a snowball chance in hell.

After all, he's the only person I can talk to about this. If he also turned against me, I might be completely broke down.

Since that call, I hadn't gone back to school or home. Instead, I booked a hotel as a shelter for a few days, wishing that staying away from Claire would ease my distress.

I planned to work part-time during the day and stay at the hotel at night, leading a regular life without having any interaction with those people, in the hope of clearing my mind.

But like a haunting ghost, whenever I worked at 7-Eleven, Claire and her followers would show up by coincidence. When I worked at the mall, I would run into my parents shopping, of course, with Claire.

Confronted with their mock and judge, I couldn't bear it anymore. To tried some public exorcism rituals, like crucifix and garlic, and even silverware. None of it worked, unfortunately.

My reckless action fanned the flame, only intensifying their hostility towards me. It also backfired and got me blacklisted by the mall. As a result, nobody dared to hire me for part - time jobs because of my infamous reputation. Moreover, my limited savings were running out due to the purchase of those items.

Therefore, I simply holed up in the hotel, and survived with the cheap instant noodle.

Avoidance might seem cowardly, but sometimes it's the only way to cope with the situation. At least it enabled me to break free from the state of despair and provided me with time to deeply consider my dilemma.