Chapter 11: Whispers Beneath the Surface

Chapter 11: Whispers Beneath the Surface


Bella’s POV
“Something happened a few weeks before your accident,” I said casually.

“One of the scholarship students died in the school pool. The surveillance camera shows you were with her at the edge of the pool right before it happened... though the rest of the footage is missing.”

“What!?” Elena exclaimed, with wide eyes.

“The school’s still investigating,” I added with a heavy sigh. “They’re trying to find the killer.”

“So how are they going to find the culprit? To clear Elee—”
She paused, then corrected herself,
“I mean, my name?” she asked, looking genuinely curious.

I paused for a few seconds. That wasn’t like her.
“El... you never really cared about all this stuff before. What’s going on?” I asked, frowning at her change in attitude.
Her eyes shifted.

“Just forget it,” I said quickly, brushing it off. “It’s probably just some random person trying to get attention.”
“It’s already been swept under in public,” I added, pulling my drink closer and drawing from the straw.

“But still, we can’t let it go just like that!” She said, “We need to know the real person who pushed her into the pool.”

I waved it off dismissively.

“I heard your hockey team’s playing against Adrian’s next week,” I said, glancing at Emris.
He nodded gently, blinking.
“I’ll be there to cheer you on then,” I giggled.
.“But first—can you come with me to a designer store later?”
“When is that?” he asked.
“6 p.m.”
“Alright,” he responded, smiling at his phone before standing up and walking out.

I leaned back into my chair with a sigh. “Now there’s another scholarship student in trouble.”
“What do you mean by that?” Elena asked, amused.
I looked at her for a long second. 

“I really hope your memory comes back soon, Elena,” I said, slapping the table gently.
“Elena... Emris plays around with poor girls on scholarship,” I muttered. “I mean, he sleeps with them like it’s a hobby. And it’s annoying really.” 

“Wow.”

“Let’s go to business class,” I said, rising to my feet with a stretch..
She nodded, and we both headed out together.


In the private hall, Elena bent over and whispered,
“Why aren’t all our classmates here?”
“This is for the top ten wealthiest students,” I whispered back.

Just then, Lucien and Kade walked in.
I immediately grabbed my phone and checked my reflection on the screen—lip gloss still intact and my hair still perfect. 

“Okay,” I whispered, exhaling softly.

I’d always had a soft spot for Lucien, though he never noticed me. His father owned one of the biggest tech companies in all of Europe.

About five minutes later, Adrian walked in, followed by Zane.
I turned to Elena, about to mention that Zane was in class today, since he rarely showed up, but her eyes... her eyes were on Adrian. She was staring at him softly.

I blinked my eyes, confused.
Since when did Elena look at Adrian like that?
I just shook my head.
Maybe I was just seeing things.


“That’ll be all for today,” Mrs. Anderson said as she stepped out of the class.

I turned to Elena, “I’m going to a designer store with Emris at 6. Do you have any plans?
“Zane and I are having dinner.”
“Oh, that’s true. See you tomorrow,” I said, walking toward Emris to ask if he could just drive us there instead of calling my driver.

I was trying to keep my phone back in my  purse when I collided with someone—Lucien. And his phone fell to the ground.
“Sorry,” I muttered, bending quickly to pick up his phone. I held it out to him, and as his fingers brushed mine and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. He didn’t even look at me—just took it and walked off with Kade and Adrian.

I reached Emris’s table, still shaky and grabbed his shoulders for support.
“Wait... did Lucien make you this way?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gave him a look.

“When will you get over that guy? He doesn’t even notice you, Bella.” 

“Shhh!” I quickly hushed him, glancing around the room.
He looked away with a tight face.


At exactly 6:30 p.m., Emris pulled up in front of the fashion house. I stepped out, the dress I’d been thinking about all day already on my mind.
Inside, I went straight for the evening collection as the sales assistant greeted us warmly.

I started pointing to the gowns I wanted to try. I held up a champagne-colored one. Emris sat quietly, scrolling through his phone.
“What do you think?” I asked.

He glanced up. “Yeah, that one’s... fine.”
“Just fine?” I laughed. “You’re horrible at this.”
He gave a small smile and went back to his screen.

As I stepped into the changing room, I slipped into the dress and then turned to face the mirror. It hugged my body in all the right places.

Lucien will be at the party, I reminded myself. He has to see me.
I turned slightly, imagining the way he might look at me if he noticed me for once.
When I stepped out, Emris looked up quickly... then looked away just as fast.

“You don’t hate it, do you?” I asked, wondering why he had taken his face away so quickly.
“No,” he said, clearing his throat. “It’s nice.”
I nodded, already turning to check the fit again.


We left the store just as the sky began turning dark. 
Emris helped me with the dress bag, and made sure it was safely tucked in the back seat, handling it gently, almost like it meant something to him too—and that’s exactly why he was my best friend.

As he drove, I turned towards him.
“Elena’s been acting differently today,” I said, as he glanced at me for a second. “She’s asking about the dead girl... like she wants to solve it. That’s not like her.”

“I really hope she gets her memory back soon,” I sighed.

“You worry too much, Bella,” Emris responded. “Do you know what it means to lose one’s memory? She’s not herself yet—but she’ll come back. That, I’m sure of.”

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside her had already changed for good.