Chapter 20 *

Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Back to Normal
Angelina's POV

I ran all the way down the mountain, not encountering a single soul along the way.

It wasn't until I reached the base of the mountain, where the wide road was illuminated by streetlights, that I finally stopped.

I still hadn't fully processed why Caelan had let me go so easily. To anyone else, my performance back there might have genuinely seemed like that of an innocent, harmless girl. But to Caelan...

He definitely saw through my act.

The question was—why did he let me walk away even after seeing through it? That thought lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.

I'd already met up with Logan and Zion.

On the drive home, Logan and Zion wouldn't shut up about tonight's race. I listened quietly to their excited chatter, but inside I felt nothing—to me, it was just another race.

When we got home and ran into Leo, these two immediately started hyping me up in front of him, adding their own dramatic flair to the story.

Leo got so worked up he literally started whooping:

"YES! HELL YES! That's insane! You're amazing, sis! I knew racing was in the Sterling blood!"

I said nothing, just gave Leo a look. Sterling blood? Well, at least he said "our family" this time instead of taking all the credit.

"Alright, we delivered her safe and sound. We're gonna head out."

Seeing his buddy so pumped up, Zion was genuinely happy too. But it was getting late. He clapped Logan on the shoulder. "We should bounce."

"Yeah, drive safe, guys."

"Will do. See you tomorrow."

After Logan and Zion left, Leo and I finally walked through the front door.

Leo was still wrapped in bandages, the most obvious one being the gauze taped across his forehead.

But I knew this was something that absolutely could NOT get back to the rest of the family.

Before we went inside, Leo grabbed my arm, his voice dead serious:

"Sis, you CANNOT let Mom and Dad know I got hurt. And definitely don't tell Ethan—if he finds out, he'll snitch for sure. If they know, they'll never let me race again!"

Faced with my brother's plea, I nodded. "Okay. I won't say anything."

Of course I wouldn't. Because I understood better than anyone how much racing meant to Leo.

He loved racing. He wanted to become a professional racer someday.

Dreams. Every teenager has them. Even in my previous life, I'd had my own dream.

And my one dream in that life? To be normal. I'd wanted to grow up in a world without killing, without blood, just... normal.

Now that dream had come true. The feeling was indescribable.

So I wouldn't stand in the way of Leo chasing his.

Leo pulled his hoodie up over his head, using it to cover the bandage on his forehead, and we walked in together.

Grace and Nathan were sitting on the living room couch, deep in what looked like a serious conversation.

The moment they saw us walk in, they immediately stopped talking.

Obviously, they didn't want Leo and me to hear what they'd been discussing. But what they didn't know was that my hearing was far sharper than any normal person's.

Grace quickly stood up. "Oh! You two are home? It's so late—you should head upstairs and get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow."

Leo kept his hood pulled low over his face and bolted upstairs without a word.

I glanced at Grace and Nathan briefly, nodded, and headed upstairs as well.

My hearing was sharp enough that I'd caught fragments of their conversation even before we walked in. Words like "Aria," "changes," "doctor," and "dissociative identity disorder" had floated through clearly.

But I pretended I hadn't heard a thing. I knew they were worried about me. Some things just weren't ready to be explained yet.

The next morning, warm sunlight hit my skin—gentle, not scorching like midday heat.

I finished my usual run around the neighborhood and headed home to grab my backpack.

"Aria, honey, don't forget breakfast!"

Grace rushed out just as I was heading to my car, pressing a warm breakfast burrito wrapped in foil into my hands. "I made extra bacon the way you like it."

I took it, feeling warmth spread through my chest.

When I got to school, homeroom had already started. Ms. Wilson was at her desk doing attendance while most students were either on their phones, finishing homework, or chatting quietly.

I slipped into my seat just as the morning announcements crackled through the PA system.

First period was English Literature. Students were supposed to be reading their assigned chapters of The Great Gatsby, but most were scrolling through their phones under their desks or passing notes. I'd just sat down when Ms. Wilson walked in—unusual, since she rarely showed up during other teachers' class periods.

She must have something important to announce.

Sure enough, Ms. Wilson walked to the front and clapped her hands. "Alright everyone, listen up. I need you to stop what you're doing for a minute."

The classroom fell silent immediately.

I watched her push up her brown tortoiseshell glasses and speak in her usual no-nonsense tone:

"The school board finally approved the outdoor education trip that got postponed last semester. All freshmen will be going to Camp Redwood next week for a week-long wilderness survival program."

She held up a stack of permission slips.

"Rock climbing, orienteering, team building exercises, survival skills—the whole deal. I've got permission slips here. Student council rep, come grab these and pass them out after this period. Anyone with medical conditions that would prevent participation needs to fill out the exemption form on the back. Get them signed by your parents and return them by Friday."

I knew Roseville High's freshmen hadn't done their outdoor ed trip yet. The camp had been under construction for months, so it kept getting pushed back.

Outdoor education was a mandatory program for all first-year students at California public high schools—a week-long trip designed to build teamwork and self-reliance.

The moment Ms. Wilson finished speaking, students who'd never experienced it started cheering like she'd just announced a vacation.

"Oh hell yeah! Finally!"

"Best news ever! A whole week out of this place!"

"Does this mean we're skipping midterms? I'd do this for a month if it meant no exams!"

I listened to the excited shouting around me, my eyes flickering with amusement. They had no idea how exhausting outdoor ed actually was.

"Alright, alright, settle down," Ms. Wilson clapped her hands again, and students immediately quieted. "Stop talking. Mr. Davis will be here any minute for English Lit. Student council rep, grab the permission slips after class and distribute them during lunch."

With the homeroom teacher still present, students immediately started pretending to read, either half-heartedly flipping through pages or making random noises that barely passed as reading aloud—just going through the motions to appease the teacher.

The moment Ms. Wilson left, everyone stopped pretending. The entire class erupted into excited chatter about the camping trip.

The students had just performed a masterclass in "how to change your face in two seconds flat" for me.

I couldn't help but smile slightly. So this was what the normal high school life I'd always longed for looked like—students being students.

During the break between second and third period, Emma came over to return the money she owed me, looking uncomfortable the whole time.

Maybe my threat last time had actually worked. She handed over every dollar she'd borrowed from the original Aria, down to the last cent.

People really were bullies to the weak and scared of the strong, I thought coldly.

Third period was Spanish class.


I'd just come back from the bathroom when I passed by the third row of desks.

The girl sitting there—Seren Calloway—suddenly knocked her phone toward the edge of her desk.

Clatter.

I caught the movement in my peripheral vision. Her iPhone was about to hit the floor.

Seren looked up, putting on an act like I'd bumped into her desk, ready to make a scene:

"Oh my God! Can't you watch where you're going? You almost broke my phone—"

Her voice cut off abruptly.

I knew Seren's little game. Pathetic. I didn't even look at her, just reached out and caught the phone mid-air with perfect timing.

I tossed it back onto her desk and gave her a cold smile.

"Nice try. Work on your acting skills next time."

My voice was lazy, contemptuous, like I'd seen through her entire playbook before she'd even made her move.

Seren flinched, shrinking back in her seat.

Ring ring ring—

The bell rang.

Spanish class was next.

Everyone headed back to their seats. I didn't waste any more energy on Seren and walked straight back to my desk. Her little schemes were transparent as glass to me anyway.

Our Spanish teacher, Señora García, walked in right as the bell stopped ringing. She set her textbook on the podium and immediately launched into her announcement with barely contained excitement:

"Okay, clase! Who remembers the assignment I gave you last time?"

I remembered. Last class, she'd assigned a project where pairs of students would have a conversation entirely in Spanish in front of the whole class.

The classroom fell silent first, then students dragged out their response in unison: "Yesssss..."

"Bueno. So who wants to volunteer and go first?" Señora García's sharp eyes swept across the room like a hawk searching for prey.

Predictably, not a single hand went up. No one made a sound.

Just as Señora García's brow furrowed and she was about to start calling on people randomly, Seren's hand shot up.

"¡Señora! I volunteer! I choose to do the dialogue with Aria!"

I raised an eyebrow. Interesting. She wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone.

The entire class froze for a second.

But no one said a word. Everyone turned to stare at me in unison.

Even Señora García looked at me with obvious doubt in her eyes.

I could practically read her thoughts—she remembered I had the worst Spanish grades in the entire class. Making me get up there and have a conversation with another student would be setting me up to fail...

Just as everyone assumed I'd refuse or make a fool of myself, I spoke up, my tone playful and confident.

Inside, I was laughing. Seren's Spanish skills? I could run circles around her in my sleep.

I fixed my gaze on Seren and said coolly:

"You sure you want to do this? Have a Spanish conversation... with me?"

I didn't mention that in my previous life, I'd mastered 7 commonly used languages.

And Spanish? To me, it was as natural as breathing.