Sarah pulled back from her hug just slightly to look up at Roselle. “There’s the real Roselle, that’s you, and then there’s the… not-so-real you. I don’t know how to explain it, but one of you isn’t quite right.” She raised a weak hand and gestured vaguely in the air.

  Roselle looked curious. She was about to ask more when the doctor finally stepped forward in a state of bewilderment.

  “I’m… I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it’s clear that Sarah is stable for now.” He looked between Roselle and Sarah. “She was supposed to be asleep for a few more hours but…”

  Sarah suddenly clenched her fists and shifted from a tired look to raising her fists up. “There’s no way Roselle would hurt me,” she declared with conviction. “She’d never—”

  But then… Sarah’s face twisted in confusion. Her breathing hitched. Her hands, which had been gripping Roselle just moments ago, loosened slightly. A flicker of darkness crossed her eyes. Sarah’s face paled. Her pupils shrank. Her grip on Roselle’s sleeve became rigid.

  “No…” Sarah whispered.

  Her eyes darted wildly. She squeezed Roselle’s arms tightly.

  “No, no, no—” Her whispers turned into desperate murmurs, then into quick, panicked gasps.

  The doctor stepped forward briskly. “Alright, that’s enough.” His hands moved swiftly to assess Sarah. “I think it’s safe to say that while she’s awake, she is not actually stable enough for a full conversation.”

  Mrs. Anderson took a sharp breath and placed her hands on her younger daughter’s shoulders. Mr. Anderson’s fists tightened again.

  Sarah’s rapid breathing grew more erratic. The fear in her eyes deepened.

  The doctor turned to the group. “You may all be visiting, but as you can see… she’s not ready for this.” He shifted his attention back to Sarah. “Sarah, listen to me. You’re safe. Look at me.”

  Sarah’s breaths remained uneven, but her gaze flickered toward the doctor.

  “Deep breaths,” he instructed. “In… out…”

  Roselle watched as Sarah struggled to steady her breathing under the doctor’s guidance. The fear in her best friend’s eyes, the way she recoiled at something unseen—it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Roselle slowly stepped out. Mrs. Anderson gently guided her younger daughter out of the room, and Mr. Anderson lingered for only a moment longer before letting out a deep sigh and following.

  Once they were outside the hospital room, an uneasy silence settled over the group.

  Mr. Anderson exhaled heavily and turned toward her with a dimmed out fire in his eyes“…Kid,” he muttered while rubbing the back of his neck. “I—” He stopped, sighed, and started again. “I owe you an apology.”

  Roselle blinked in surprise.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” he continued in a rough tone, “but after seeing Sarah just now… I know you didn’t do it. She trusts you. Hell, she loves you. I just… I need to find out who really did this.”

  Roselle nodded and spoke lightly when she responded. “Yeah… me too.”

  But inside? Inside she was fuming. Her fists curled at her sides as her mind seethed. ‘How dare they.’

  Whoever had done this nearly got her body slammed through a building!’I don’t know who the hell you think you are… but when I find you? Ohhh…when I.FIND.YOU!’

  Roselle’e blue eyes darkened slightly. ‘You’re going to regret ever using my face!’

  The world around Roselle shifted. The hospital, Mr. Anderson’s apology, Sarah’s trembling form—it all faded into the depths of her subconscious.

  Her mind drifted to the past week. The suspension dragged on with each day weighing on her more than the last. When the weekend arrived, she was informed she would be allowed to return to school next week.

  And now, Sunday had arrived.

  Roselle found herself standing at the edge of a sunlit beach. She looked down at her attire. A flowing flower-patterned dress covered her frame. Beneath it, a yellow shirt clung to her.

  Everything felt light though. Too light. Roselle quickly lifted the hem of her dress, peeking underneath.

  Her face immediately flushed red as realization struck: She didn’t put on anything else!

  No underclothes. No swimsuit. Nothing. She clamped the fabric back down.

  “What the hell was I thinking when I left the house?!”

  Roselle’s whole body tensed as a strange sensation crept up her. ‘Someone’s watching me…’

  Slowly, she turned her head. Off to the side, standing near the shore where the waves gently lapped at the sand, was a boy.

  His short, neatly combed hair framed his face perfectly and his strikingly clear green eyes gave a glow under the sunlight. There was a spark of curiosity in them.

  Roselle blinked. ‘Oh no. Did he…?’

  Her mind flashed back to just moments ago when she had lifted her dress.

  "Uh oh."

  She just flashed him, with no underwear on! Her entire soul nearly left her body. Her thoughts spiraled into pure chaos. ‘Do I run? Pretend nothing happened? Act natural? Oh god, what’s the protocol for this?!’

  After a moment of panicked deliberation, she made her choice.

  With forced footsteps (and an internal scream echoing in her head), she took a deep breath and awkwardly marched toward the boy.

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  ‘Alright, Roselle, you got this. Just play it cool. Or… Oh god, what do I even say?!’

  After approaching, she could see the curiosity in his eyes deepen. Roselle swallowed hard. She opened her mouth.

  …Nothing came out.

  She panicked, So, naturally she shouted the first thing on her mind—

  “I SWEAR THAT WASN’T ON PURPOSE!”

  Roselle boomed across the entire beach with her eyes shut. Seagulls in the distance scattered in alarm.

  Roselle’s soul left her body again once she opened her eyes.

  The boy blinked at her before his lips curved into a small smile. “Ah,” he said casually. “So, you’re Roselle.”

  Roselle, still mentally screaming stiffened. “Huh?”

  The boy placed a hand over his chest in an almost graceful manner. “My name’s Harty. We’re in the same class.”

  Roselle squinted at him, trying to recall if she had ever seen him before, to no avail.

  Harty tilted his head. “You don’t recognize me, huh? Well, I guess we never really talked. But I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Roselle tensed slightly. “You heard about me?”

  Harty let out a soft chuckle. “I mean, it was kind of hard not to. News about you getting expelled spread like wildfire.” His spoke light, but there was an underlying sincerity in his tone. “I didn’t believe it, because from what I’ve heard, you’re one of the nicest people in class.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Nicest in class?’

  Harty placed his hands in his pockets with a smile.” You know, some people are too quick to believe the worst about others. I’d rather take a chance and believe in your innocence first.”

  Roselle just stared at Harty with slight awe.

  Harty’s confident face faltered for the first time. A faint pink dusted his cheeks. “Ah… sorry,” he muttered while averting his gaze. “That probably sounded really weird, huh?”

  Roselle blinked but after a second, she let out a small laugh. “No, no, it’s fine. You weren’t being weird at all.”

  Harty exhaled in relief with his calm smile returning. “Good, because I was about to bury myself in the sand if I made things awkward.”

  Roselle giggled at the mental image.

  Harty’s face turned serious. “Listen, I know this might sound crazy since we just officially met and all…” He hesitated for a moment, then straightened his posture and locked eyes with her. “But I want to help you clear your name. I know it’s probably frustrating for you, trying to prove something when people have already made up their minds.” He let out a small sigh. “ But that’s where I can help you.”

  He gave her a confident grin. “See, I’m actually a detective! …Well, in training.”

  Roselle tilted her head. “Detective in training?”

  Harty nodded eagerly. “Yep! It’s like chess—figuring out the moves, predicting what’s next and making the right calls. I know you don’t have a reason to trust me yet, but how about a lunch meeting tomorrow? We can strategize and maybe checkmate this mystery together.”

  Roselle felt warmth creep into her chest. It had been so long since someone had genuinely believed in her.

  Roselle was transported from that memory to the fateful next day, when she returned to school after the incident with Sarah.

  Once Roselle walked into the school building, She saw students Students, both girls and boys, were going about their business, opening their lockers and chatting with friends; however, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and turned to glare at her.

  Teachers passing by wore the same disapproving glare that the students did. She tried to quickly move to reach her own locker despite the uncomfortable scrutiny.

  Roselle's friends soon approached her while she stood at her locker, and she mustered a faint smile “Sup, girls!”

  However, they didn't return her greeting, and instead, they simply looked at her with stern faces.

  Roselle began to sweat. "Uuumm… Why are you all looking at me like that?"

  Her friends exchanged glances but continued to maintain their unsettling silence. Slowly, they began to close in around her.

  "Seriously, what's going on? Why are you all acting like this?"

  Roselle’s unease grew. Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure standing a distance away—her friend with short red hair.

  She stood with her arms crossed a distance away. Her sharp eyes flicked from Roselle to the group. Her face had what looked like anger on it.

  She doesn’t like this either, but she wasn’t moving.

  Roselle’s chest tightened. ‘She’s hesitating… but why?’

  Before she could dwell on it, the sharp click of heels striking the tiled floor cut through the tension like a blade.

  “Now, what exactly is going on here?”

  Principal Haverly approached, making the students shriek. Her gray-streaked afro gave her an even more intimidating air.

  Haverly’s eyes landed on Roselle’s so-called friends. “Unless you all have forgotten, college policy does not allow congregating in the halls like this during class hours. Should I start handing out suspensions?”

  The students quickly shuffled away, grumbling. The red-haired girl still stood there for a minute, but she finally left to class afterwards.

  Roselle let out a sigh of relif.

  Principal Haverly fixed her sharp gaze on Roselle. “You should get to class as well, Miss Roselle.” She glanced at a clock on the wall. “And I suggest you move quickly. You’re already two minutes late.”

  Roselle paled for a moment. She quickly fumbled with her locker and grabbed what she needed before speeding off down the hall.

  Roselle settled into class. The homeroom teacher was a man with yellow spiky hair who appeared somewhat out of shape. He shuffled into the classroom 3 minutes later than Roselle! The man had a stack of papers in hand. He let out a loud yawn and stretched his arms while making his way in front of the class, which was noisy due to student’s discussion.

  "Alright, alright, settle down, everyone," he mumbled while the noise died. "Uh, let's see… What chapter we were on last time? It doesn't really matter, right? Yall smart kids remember. So just do the next chapter and let me sleep today."

  Some of the students exchanged glances among themselves while others opened their textbook.

  "Oh, right!" The teacher exclaimed with a seemingly forced enthusiasm. "We have a special guest today! Sarah is back in class, everyone! Let's all give her a warm welcome!"

  The students responded with a small applause at best.

  Sarah quietly took her seat beside Roselle with movements slower than usual. Her yellow hair was tied up in a ponytail, though it wasn’t as neat as it always was.

  Roselle studied her carefully. Sarah still looked a little pale. Roselle leaned in slightly and whispered, “Are you okay now?”

  Sarah nodded once.

  Roselle let out a breath and gave a smile. “I’m glad.”

  Another nod from Sarah.

  Roselle fidgeted with a pen. She wanted to say more but she told herself, ‘She’s still recovering. Don’t pressure her.’

  At the sound of a bell, class ended. The teacher woke up and let out a yawn. He glanced at the stack of papers he placed on his desk and picked them up. He then flipped through them lazily before sighing.

  “Oh, right,” he scratched the back of his head. “Uh… There’s gonna be a test on Friday or something…”

  Groans and sighs spread through the classroom from upset students.

  The teacher continued, “Honestly, I don’t even know why I have to give out tests, but your asses are getting one. Pass or fail, I don’t really care.”

  A few students exchanged bewildered glances.

  “But,” he added while wagging a finger lazily, “if you wanna get out of this college and become, I dunno, working adults, ya gotta pass it.” He shrugged. “So, yeah. Good luck with that.”

  Roselle sighed and shook her head.’ Just my luck. As if I didn’t have enough to deal with already…’

  Roselle made her way towards the classroom door. Once she reached outside, she heard Sarah's calling out to her "Roselle, wait up!”

  Roselle stopped in her tracks. She turned to see her best friend, looking a little unsteady.

  Sarah offered a small, hesitant smile. “Roselle… do you wanna eat lunch together? “

  Roselle could see the struggle in Sarah’s posture, the way her hands clenched slightly like she was trying to hold herself together.

  ‘She needs me.’

  But then—

  Harty.

  She had already promised to meet him for lunch. He wanted to help her clear her name. This could be important.

  Roselle was caught between two choices: Sarah, her best friend—the person who needed her comfort and presence right now, and Harty, her potential ally—the one offering her a chance to fight back.

  Roselle gave a miserable look and asked herself, ‘What do I do?’

  Project Mage