Claire brushed her hair in front of the mirror. Today, she wanted to try a new style — with bangs framing her face.
"Hmm, looks okay," she murmured to herself.
Suddenly, Bryan appeared behind her, reflected in the mirror, startling her.
"Bryan! You scared me!" she scolded.
"Hehe, just pranking you. Look at you, all dolled up!" he teased.
"Ugh, noisy. Go downstairs already. You haven't had breakfast yet, right? We're leaving in ten minutes."
Their mom's voice echoed from below, calling Bryan to come down. Sighing, Bryan trotted down the stairs and headed for the dining room, grabbing a burger from a plate and munching on it greedily. Their mom was also busy preparing lunchboxes for both Bryan and Claire.
"Claire, aren't you going to have breakfast?" their mom asked as Claire came downstairs.
"I already did, Mom. I made myself a sandwich earlier. You were still busy in your room, so you didn't see me eat."
"Oh, good girl. It's nice to see you taking care of things on your own."
"Of course! Your pretty daughter's got to show some progress!"
Her mom beamed with pride at how much Claire had grown. That morning, their mom drove both Claire and Bryan to school, since the driver was off sick.
At school, there was a special event today — Market Day. Some of the 10th and 11th graders were running stalls as part of their project. Because of this, Claire could arrive a little later, and classes would end earlier around noon.
By 10 AM, students were already crowding around to buy snacks from the stalls set up along the walkway leading to the sports field. Teachers, parents, and even seniors joined in. Claire wandered from stall to stall, forgetting she'd meant to tell her mom not to pack her a lunchbox today.
As she reached out to buy something, someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. Turning around, she saw it was Sam.
"Hi, Claire," Sam greeted.
"Oh, hey Sam. You're here too?"
"Of course, it's Market Day, after all."
"I thought you'd still be at PE. Didn't your class have gym today?"
"Yeah, but we finished early."
"By the way, let's just meet at the library later, okay?"
"Sure, after school?"
"Yeah, around one. I've got music club first."
"Sounds good. The library should be quiet anyway. A lot of students are leaving early."
"I'll head there straight after."
"Okay."
Sam gave a small wave and walked off as some friends called him over.
Claire treated herself to her favorite cupcake, nibbling on it as she strolled along. She ran into Vienna, who spotted her mid-bite.
"Claire, you bought something?"
"Yeah, this cupcake. Want some?"
"No thanks, I already got a couple of roasted milk teas earlier. Still full."
"But it's really good! You sure you don't want a bite?"
"Haha, really, Claire. I'm stuffed."
Vienna leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice.
"Actually, Claire, I wanted to tell you something. I couldn't say this in class."
"Why? What's up? You sound serious."
"Just... if Tasya asks you to go somewhere with her, say no, okay?" Vienna's tone was cautious, almost anxious.
"Oh... got it. I'll turn her down. Thanks for the heads-up, Vienna. You're actually really kind."
"Don't say that. We used to be close, remember? Maybe your kindness rubbed off on me."
"Heh, I'm still working on that. I used to be pretty awful, you know."
Vienna smiled thinly, understanding the weight behind Claire's words. They chatted for a while longer until the clock struck eleven, and Claire headed back to the music room for her club session.
Music class always made Claire feel at ease. She loved singing and was skilled at playing her favorite instrument — the piano.
From afar, someone was watching her. Claire felt it — that prickle on the back of her neck — but when she glanced around, she couldn't be sure.
"Focus, Claire," Mr. Brook, her music teacher, reminded her gently. She nodded and tried to concentrate on her piano, though the image of someone in a black cap and mask watching from the window lingered in her mind.
At noon, her session ended. She grabbed lunch and quickly wrapped up some assignments, eager to avoid homework later. By one o'clock, she felt relieved — tasks done and ready to meet Sam.
In the library, Claire chose Row G, a quiet, less crowded corner. There, she spotted Sam, hiding behind a history book.
"Sam, are you seriously studying right now?" Claire teased.
"Oh, hey Claire. Done with music club?"
"Yeah. But… something weird happened."
"What is it?" Sam lowered his book, looking concerned.
"I think someone was watching me earlier. Through the window. I couldn't see clearly — they had a mask and a black cap."
"You think you're being followed?" Sam's eyes narrowed.
"Maybe. I don't know. I couldn't get a good look."
"Could be nothing. Maybe they were just passing by," Sam said, trying to calm her.
"Thanks, Sam. Anyway, about our mission… You promised to help me with the stair incident, right?"
"Yeah, I checked the CCTV, but weirdly, the footage is gone. Like someone deleted it on purpose."
"Seriously? That's… suspicious."
"I double-checked. It's really gone."
"So we're stuck now, huh?"
"I even asked around, but no one wants to talk. Everyone's staying silent."
"What do we do then?"
"You have any other leads?"
"Maybe I could ask Vienna."
"Vienna? Who's that?"
"She used to be close to me… and to Tasya. But I'm not on good terms with Tasya anymore. Vienna still talks to her though."
"Tasya, huh? And Diana too, right? So it was Diana who swapped your test paper?"
"Yeah, turns out all these problems are connected somehow."
"Complicated… but we'll figure it out."
"The stair incident still bugs me though. I have no idea who did it."
"Wait, Vienna — isn't she the cheerleader? I think I know who you're talking about."
"Yeah, that's her. You know her, Sam?"
"We met before. She hangs out around the basketball club with Miko."
"Oh, right."
"I'll help dig around too."
"Thanks, Sam."
"Anytime, Claire."
Sam hesitated, then added,
"By the way, you met up with Miko a few days ago, right?"
"Yeah, he returned some gifts I gave him back then."
"That's all?"
"We just talked. I explained we're just friends now. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. He's just been down lately… said you didn't reply to his messages."
"Yeah… I kinda ignored him."
They ended up chatting for another two hours before parting ways and heading home.
As Sam left, he made his usual stop — the hospital — but on the way, he texted someone.
You were stalking Claire earlier, right? In the music room? Be more careful. I think she noticed.
Ten minutes later, he got a reply:
Yeah, I was there. Had some business at school and just happened to see her.
Sam quickly typed back:
Try not to be so obvious next time, Randy. Or our plan's gonna fall apart.
Randy responded:
Got it. Won't happen again.
Sam got home a little after nine. After finishing his homework, he flopped onto the couch and let the TV play in the background.
But his mind wasn't really on the screen.
He leaned back, exhaling a long sigh. Vienna, huh… I think I've met her once.
His fingers tapped against the armrest, thoughts already spinning. If he wanted to help Claire, he'd need to get closer to Vienna — earn her trust, maybe get her talking.
Another mission, he thought grimly. Another step deeper into this mess.
But for Claire, he was willing to see it through.