From somewhere to the side, I heard someone let out a low whistle.
"Stop staking a claim on a student from our class, Solar President," Miro said with a wide grin, clearly enjoying the tension.
Percy's usually bright blue eyes, always glinting with some kind of cheerfulness, sharpened. The change was subtle but unmistakable—sunlight turning to flame.
He narrowed his gaze, first at Miro, then at Signos.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have her helping you while she's still soaking wet. Unlike you, she might actually get sick from this."
I frowned, suddenly tired.
Sure, I might trip over air and cause minor property damage—but I'm not that fragile.
Before I could speak—before I could even decide whether to be defensive or offended—Signos replied calmly, "She didn't help me. She helped us. That's different."
I shrugged off the two blazers I'd been given, holding each one in my hands—Percy's still-warm gray jacket that smelled like sunlight, lined in blue, and Signos's red-lined one, clean-smelling one. I handed them both back.
"Just so you know," I said, not bothering to soften my tone, "I'm the one who caused all this mess."
Percy blinked, visibly surprised.
Like... he'd forgotten he took the full brunt of one of my disasters too. He was here too—right in the middle of it—when I dominoed the whole mess into existence."
I glanced at Signos too. From this distance, the bridge of his nose no longer looked red. He met my eyes—still fiery, still intense. Not burning, but something colder, deeper. A fire that could freeze.
"But I didn't mean to cause trouble," I said quietly, honestly. "And since I did, I'm just… grateful they were here to help me clean it up."
I looked down.
It was the first time anyone had actually helped me own up to one of my disasters. Usually, I was alone—picking up scattered papers while people whispered behind my back, mopping up the soggy remains of a science experiment doused by fire extinguishers, throwing away a bottle I'd tripped over, brushing my hair after a fight I never meant to start.
But these people—these people I'd only met last night—hadn't laughed. Hadn't judged. Hadn't run away from whatever kind of chaos clung to me like static.
Even Matilda hadn't scolded or snapped. She'd just… done what she does. Kept the peace. Held the line.
And Signos? Still quiet. Still watching me like he was waiting for a fight—but never walking away.
"I'm a Lunar student now."
The words came out steadier than I expected. Real.
Nyra. Silas. Miro. Matilda. Even the rest of them. They'd treated me like I belonged. Like I wasn't just a walking disaster zone. Like I wasn't alone.
Clap.
I turned. Of course it was Miro again—grinning wide, clapping slow and dramatic like I'd just delivered a presidential address.
Then came the others—Kyan with his crooked grin, clapping like it was a comedy show. Anthon gave a small, approving nod. Kael clapped too, though he looked confused, probably still figuring out why we were clapping.
Matilda stood with her arms folded, head tilted, as if reevaluating me. A faint, brief smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
And somehow, even with my slightly damp blazer on my shoulders, still facing detention—I felt warmer than I had all day.
***
Eventually, they let me go first.
Percy didn't argue much, just sighed like someone who's already filed this chaos away in his mental 'deal with later' folder, and gently took his blazer back from my hands. But before letting me slip away, he made a point of telling the others—particularly Matilda—to let me go back to the dorms early. "The cleanup's basically done," he said, tone firm but not unkind. "Let her change, at least."
Buddy system rules still applied, though. Thou shall not wander alone—even in the morning. So Kael was assigned to walk with me.
Not that I minded. Kael didn't talk too much unless he had something to say. Which made him the best kind of companion right now.
As we entered the elevator—thankfully not one soaked by sprinkler-induced flooding—I glanced back.
Signos and Percy were still talking. Their postures stiff, like swords sheathed but not forgotten. The others had completely abandoned what was left of cleanup duty, leaning around the trash bags in clusters, chatting now like we hadn't just nearly reenacted a natural disaster drill.
"Will they be alright?" I mumbled, eyes still lingering on the two contrasting figures—blond and blue, dark and red—facing off like day and night politely pretending they're not in orbit around the same star.
"They will be," Kael said with a breath of a laugh. "Signos and Percy might look like polar opposites, but they actually get along well enough."
"Well enough?" I repeated, arching a brow at him.
"Well…" Kael grinned, rubbing the back of his neck and ruffling his auburn hair. "As well as they can, anyway."
The elevator hummed softly as we ascended.
I realized then—the others, the Lunar boys and Matilda, hadn't even been there when the fire broke out. When the food went flying. When the entire cafeteria flooded itself.
They were dry. Whole. Probably smelled like soap and sanity.
Unlike me. Unlike Miro.
We were only sort of dry now after hours of hauling trash and wiping down tables in half-wet clothes.
I should've felt embarrassed again. But I didn't.
Not exactly.
Instead, for a few brief moments, in the hum of the elevator beside Kael, I felt calm down, my adrenaline winding down.
I was just about to ask Kael something when the elevator doors slid open.
I glanced at the floor indicator—it wasn't the ground floor yet.
When the doors parted, a man stood there. Middle-aged, glasses, neatly parted dark hair. He blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly.
"Oh! Sir!" Kael perked up immediately.
The man—clearly a teacher—stepped inside and gave Kael a brief nod.
"Hi, Kael. What are you doing out here in the middle of the day?"
He glanced at me and added, "Ah, you're with the new student."
I straightened a little. "Careina Dione, sir. Transfer student to Lunar Year One. Uh… nice to meet you... sir?"
"Alan Slova," he replied with a polite nod. "Math teacher for the Solar classes. I also handle some Lunar classes from time to time."
I returned the nod, trying to seem less awkward than I felt.
Kael leaned forward slightly, his tone hopeful. "Sir, are your classes done?"
Mr. Slova's smile faltered—just a little—as something more serious crossed his face.
"Yes, I'm heading back to the faculty office," he said. "I'm going to ask the uh... 'monitors' to check more areas. See if they can find any trace of the students still missing."
At that, I felt something cold settle over me.
Right. Kael's sister was missing. But it wasn't just her.
There were others, too.
When the elevator dinged again, we all exchanged quiet goodbyes. Mr. Slova walked off toward the faculty wing, while Kael and I started heading west, toward the dorms.
After a moment, I risked a glance at him. His shoulders had slumped again.
"…Do you think he can help? With your sister?" I asked, carefully.
Kael glanced over and gave a tired smile. "Yeah. He's actually the teacher in charge of the case. He keeps us updated when there's news. Helps pass along information."
He paused, and for a heartbeat I could feel how heavy the silence was before he spoke again.
"…But it's already been a week. Since Kylie disappeared."
He looked away. "She's in third year of middle school."
I bit my lip.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but when things like this happen, the most suspicious person tends to be the one with all the information—the one who relays it to everyone else.
Kael must've noticed my expression.
He sighed, still wearing that tired smile.
"He's not someone bad," he said, like he'd rehearsed it a dozen times already. "I know it might seem like he's hiding something or not telling us everything, but trust me—we've already checked everyone. And no, he's not the type who would hurt a student."
I blinked at him. "How can you be so sure?"
Kael's smile didn't fade, but there was a flicker of something sharper behind it.
"The chairman wouldn't let anyone dangerous into this school."
I frowned.
…What does that even mean?
The chairman let me in.
Didn't I just cause a full-on disaster in the Lunar Dining Hall?
I glanced at him again. He wasn't looking at me. His jaw had tightened, lips pressed thin.
I could hear the slight gnash of his teeth.
I winced. Poor enamel. Definitely going to be sensitive teeth if he keeps that up.
"Besides," he muttered, barely above a breath, "nobody can lie to us."
I blinked again. "…What?"
"But it's been a week," he continued, his voice sharp again, bitter. "And Signos hasn't helped yet."
His face darkened at that, and for a moment I was reminded of him in the classroom—struggling with Kyan to get to Signos, desperate and on edge.
I was caught in my thoughts when I realized he had exhaled, long and slow.
"Anyway," he said, trying to sound lighter, "how are you? Weird welcome for your first day, huh?"
…Huh?
What does he mean? This is my normal.
Actually—this is better than normal.
Because here, people talk to me.
Without already having formed their opinions from gossip or viral posts.
Without whispering behind my back or staring too long.
I haven't even seen anyone use their phones here.
Do they even have internet? Maybe they don't know about those posts…
About me.
About the schools I've been in before.
The floods.
The fires.
Those weren't even new on my list of offenses.