Initial Search: A Familiar Presence

The bell for the afternoon period echoed all through the corridors, sending the students into a frenzy as they began heading back to their classrooms.

Raphael slipped into the pack of students, finding his way back to his classroom 2-C for his next period, World History.

As he casually entered the same room, he looked up and saw familiar faces: Feyline, Antonio, and Alexis. They were huddling in a corner, probably chatting about something interesting as they kept snickering and whispering.

Raphael grabbed his seat, the one located at the back corner with an empty seat in front. Somehow, the peace made him more comfortable than being in the spotlight.

A few minutes later, another teacher with a sleek bun and a thick frame of glasses came in without any casual talk, not even recognizing Raphael's presence. "Page 187. Meiji Restoration. Assume you read it."

A low groan grumbled throughout the room, followed by a scurry of chairs and shoes as they returned to their seats.

As the lecture dragged on, dry and boring about industrialization, a folded note skipped onto Raphael's desk. He looked down with curiosity and opened it.

Hey mystery boi. Spill: rich kid? runaway? idol trainee? — Antonio

Raphael glanced sideways to check Antonio's direction. He met his gaze with a playful grin, eyebrow raised. Feyline peered slightly from behind, smirking.

Why are they so interested?

Raphael didn't wait any longer and scribbled onto the note: Just homeschooled. Nothing crazy. His hand reached out to the nearest person and passed it.

Excitedly, Antonio unfolded the note and read its contents. As expected, he huffed and followed with a sigh, as if their thoughts had been shattered, then he scribbled once more and passed it over again.

Boring. We'll change that.

The note contained a tiny, crude drawing of a stick-figure doodle—a tall guy with messy hair labeled as "Mystery Boy."

Raphael's lips curved slightly, almost a real smile.

This is just stupid. He thought quietly.

Somehow that interaction made the class feel less dragging and boring. Raphael didn't expect to get to know new people this easily, as he never really tried approaching people without the context of befriending them, for connections with encouragement from his family.

Before he knew it, the teacher had ended her session, and the silence of the room filled once more with chatter and laughter.

"You got any interest in acting ?" Antonio approached him as he sat in the empty seat across from him. "You could be an actor with your looks."

"Not really," Raphael said honestly.

"You should try. Sometimes, the looks are a plus." Antonio gave his shoulder a light clap, a friendly gesture. "Think about it. We get to prance around in costumes. Sing songs and perform on stage!

"Antonio, you don't have to force him to join." Alexis butted in, crossing his arms. He didn't want to bother Raphael once again with Antonio's continuous barrage of nonsensical talk.

In Raphael's mind, he has been thinking about ways to find Elena in this vast place. It seemed like a jungle to him with all the buildings and facilities. His eyes darted to the window, casually looking for any signs, while these two students conversing near him just passed through his ears like nothing. Then, something struck him with interest.

"Yeah. It's free time right now tho... wanna go for a tour?" Feyline also chimed in with an interesting proposition.

That idea beamed with intrigue across his resting look as he glanced back at them. "It seems like you know the answer." Alexis nudged Antonio as he suddenly recalled his recent introduction this morning.

"Well then, Raphael. I am Antonio the Explorer at your service," he stood up and curtsied theatrically.

"Would you like to explore the Cafeteria, School Gym & Pool, Study Hall & Library, or the Courtyard Garden?" he asked as he laid out a map of the school, highlighting these locations.

"Wow. You came in prepared." Feyline was amazed.

"Antonio the explorer is always ready to do his tour guiding duties," he wiggled his brow. Raphael glanced over the vast area encompassing the school's grounds. It was bigger than he initially thought. His attention was drawn to the gym and pool area with Elena's image lingering in his mind.

Bright sunny summer afternoons bathed her sun-kissed skin as she waddled and splashed around the lake near the estate. Raphael has a fondness for that memory, especially her smile and laughter.

She used to enjoy swimming. Perhaps I could find her over there.

"Pool? " Raphael pointed out with his finger. His stomach churned a bit, not sure if it was the excitement or nervousness.

"Alrighty! Off we go to the Gym and Pool!" Antonio pranced around in a circle like doing a dancing jig before exiting the room.

"We don't have to follow him like that, right?" Raphael asked in embarrassment.

"Nah, you don't have to. It's just Antonio's way of keeping things interesting." Alexis assured him while Feyline was just holding out her laugh.

The quick pace of his group reached the other side of the wing, where the gym is located across the pathway. Right a few blocks, a wide rubberized oval track stretched across the area.

"This is the oval running field." Antonio introduced. "Here, athletes with feats that can match running horses, tread all over this place. If you are interested in joining, the school has a track and field team."

"That's nice." Raphael gazed over the vast field with a slight bit of attentiveness. He clearly wasn't interested in this place.

"Yeah, the school's team is pretty popular. The student council president is one of the key players." Antonio continued.

"Yeah, Drew Harland is someone you should take note of." Alexis chimed in.

As they walked further, Raphael could smell a strong drift of chlorine and a familiar sound of splashing waters. His feet quickened their pace as he approached the wire-lined fence just beside the oval field to observe the surroundings.

A whistle blew from the pool with a man wearing a cap, calling out for them to prepare for a dive. As the next whistle blew, the rows of students clad in wet one-piece suits dove into the waters and swam across the pool like a race.

The team was deeply focused on practice. Girls cut through lanes with strokes as water parted around them. The boys' team on the farther side did pull-up drills on the deck. In the shallow end, the coach timed sprints with a handheld clicker.

Raphael's gaze settled on one swimmer standing at the edge with a towel draped over her shoulders, dirty blond hair tied in a low bun, slightly damp, aquamarine eyes scanning the surface as if zoning out. She had an athletic frame, sun-kissed skin tone, posture straight but somehow tense underneath. Something about her drew Raphael's attention.

Before he could think any further, a hand clasped his back, which distracted his attention.

"Yo, you interested in looking over the thicc girls in the pool?" Antonio teasingly asked.

Feyline and Alexis followed behind with a chuckle.

"You left us behind. What is in it for you here?" Alexis curiously questioned.

"Ah... sorry. I am just curious about pools," he calmly replied.

"Well, pool is full of buttload of ass--" Antonio continued to tease before he got a slap on the back by Alexis.

"Knock it off."

While the two bantered, Raphael looked over once more to the poolside, thinking about the female figure.

Not Elena. Couldn't be. Elena had a short dark blue ponytail and olive-green eyes.

Meanwhile, the girl by the pool turned her head slightly, and her profile was captured in the sunlight. For a heartbeat, her gaze drifted toward the wire-lined fence along the perimeter of the pool, where the shaded roof cast a slight shadow of students chatting nearby.

Raphael stood frozen.

Did she notice him? If she did, she just looked straight past them.

Afterwards, she pulled her swimming cap and put on her goggles, adjusting it in a comfortable position before diving into the clear sky blue waters.

On the deck, a tall blond with broad shoulders and a carefree smile patiently waited for her to resurface. He said something low and teasing; she came up laughing as a reaction. Although it seemed like a forced one, as it didn't quite reach her eyes. He draped an arm around her shoulders like a code that she is taken, or a gesture for a boyfriend to claim his special someone, while his eyes casually darted in Raphael's direction.

Raphael just watched silently amidst the banter behind.

He stepped back, thinking that his presence could be distracting or give other ideas to anyone in the pool. He motioned his group to proceed to the next area.

"Let's get over to the next."

Across the pool, Yana Hawliet broke the surface again, catching her breath in the air. Edmund was still talking about grabbing an early dinner after practice and the upcoming meet, but her pulse thrummed in her ears.

She felt a different sensation among the bunch of students hanging out in the area. It was like a wave of lingering familiarity.

Her fingers clenched under the water as she thought about that night when all things crumbled upon her.

She'd changed her hair, her eyes, her name, even dated Edmund to prove that she could bury the past as well as distract herself to focus on her studies, duties, and swimming.

There he was.... Raphael Kiersten.

He looked different than before, taller, sharper, still carrying that quiet gentleness across his face like she once remembered.

A ghost in her past that she left behind, the girl she once was. Now, he has come to look for her.

But she couldn't let him find the truth.

Edmund tugged her arm gently. "Hey. You zoning out again?"

"Yeah," she lied, forcing the smile back on. "Just thinking about splits."

She dove under once more, letting the water engulf all over her head as she quietly thought about the man in her past. A haunting sensation set in deep inside her despite the calming waters' surroundings.

He was close.

He watched her back.