To be honest, Lucian’s constant pestering was eroding the last bit of good feelings I had for him. I took a big sip of coffee and changed the subject: “Did you and Judy have a good time last night?”
I was curious about what kind of relationship Evelyn and Judy had now.
“Of course!” At the mention of this, Evelyn’s face lit up with joy, her smile impossible to contain. “We had a wonderful night together,” she added, her expression tinged with happiness and a hint of shyness. She seemed to be reminiscing about what had happened the night before.
Her expression reminded me of how I felt after my encounter with Kael. The next day, I often had that same look on my face.
“Judy, good morning! You’re up so early?” Evelyn’s gaze shifted to behind me, toward her room. I turned and saw Judy walking out of Evelyn’s room. She had clearly just woken up, her hair a mess and her clothes wrinkled. Yet, she still looked incredibly handsome. Rubbing her eyes, she greeted me politely.
“Yes, I couldn’t sleep without you by my side,” Judy replied.
Evelyn ran over and hugged Judy. She was petite, while Judy stood a head taller. Judy leaned down and kissed Evelyn. They looked so perfect together, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.
Judy wasn’t in the same major as us, and she had no morning classes. After breakfast, she left, while Evelyn and I headed to class. Today, we had a lab session where we were supposed to dissect animals. The subject was a rabbit, used to observe the internal systems of mammals. This was a standard dissection experiment for zoology students.
However, when I picked up the rabbit and placed it on the lab table, ready to begin, I noticed its eyes staring directly at me. Lab rabbits were usually New Zealand whites, with white fur and red eyes. We had used rabbits as subjects before, but for some reason, this one looked terrifying. Its eyes seemed fierce, glowing red, like the monster with red eyes. Its expression wasn’t cute like a normal rabbit’s-it bared its teeth, looking almost menacing. Even though it was the subject, it felt like I was the one being experimented on.
In that moment, my heart seemed to stop. I screamed and threw the rabbit away, sending it flying toward the podium. Evelyn, who was beside me, rushed over and hugged me. “Are you okay, Seraph?” she asked.
“I saw the monster. That rabbit looked just like it,” I said, trembling, my eyes fixed on the rabbit. My right hand was in my pocket, gripping my gun. I felt like I might pull it out and shoot at any moment. But would others see me as the monster?
Everyone around me, except Evelyn, was looking at me strangely, just like Rebecca had that day. But I knew I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t!
The teacher walked over to the rabbit I had thrown and picked it up to examine it. After a while, he turned to me. “Seraphina, are you feeling unwell? You seem stressed and tense. Maybe you need some rest.”
“No, I’m fine,” I gasped.
“But look, this is just a rabbit,” the teacher said, holding it up for me to see. From a distance, the rabbit looked completely normal-white fur, red eyes-but it no longer had that monstrous aura.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Why don’t you go rest for now?” the teacher suggested kindly.
I looked at Evelyn, who nodded. “I didn’t sense anything unusual. Maybe there are too many rabbits here, and their scents are mixing, making it hard to distinguish,” she said.
Great. I felt like I had messed everything up. I hated that inexplicable monster. Could a werewolf turn into a rabbit? Impossible. I’d never heard of such a thing.
I left the classroom, feeling like everything was falling apart, just like my miserable life. I was just an ordinary person who wanted to live a peaceful life. Why did I have to go through so much hardship?
I didn’t know where to go until someone called out to me. “Nerd, didn’t expect to see you here!” The sharp voice interrupted my despair. I turned and saw two girls. They were impeccably dressed, their faces heavily made up, and reeked of sweet perfume. They looked at me with disdain, like princesses looking down on a beggar.
I recognized them-they were Vivienne’s friends, the ones who had bullied me before. I hadn’t expected to run into them at school.
“Look at you, such a country bumpkin. How dare you just show your face around us?” one of them, with two braids and red eyeshadow, taunted. She started walking toward me.
I adjusted my glasses and took a step back. This was school; surely they wouldn’t do anything too extreme. But seeing how deserted the area was, I felt a surge of fear. It would be easy for them to corner me.
Damn it. I had wandered into such a secluded spot without even realizing it.
Suddenly, the girl with braids lunged at me, aiming to slap me. I dodged. The other girl, with red hair, was waiting on my other side. She grabbed me. She was tall and strong, and when she held me, I couldn’t move.
Damn it! I felt utterly hopeless.
“Haha, we got you! Time for a little punishment. How dare you flirt with Kael, you shameless bitch!” the braided girl sneered, walking up to me. She extended her sharp nails, ready to scratch my face.
“Looks like your wounds healed quickly last time. This time, I’ll make sure your face is ruined, you ugly freak!”
As her nails came toward my face, I could feel the rush of air. My heart tightened. No, I couldn’t let them do this to me again!
A thought flashed through my mind. I struggled with all my might and somehow broke free from the redhead’s grip. Then, I kicked the braided girl with all my strength.
Bam-she was sent flying, landing two meters away.