"Wait. Not just yet. It needs to get into your system. It needs to start working."

"It started, alright. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" Elena was cursing uncontrollably.

She started rolling on the floor, hugging herself, but nothing eased the distress.

Maya tried to comfort her by placing a hand on her shoulder, but Elena jerked away.

"Get away! Just get away."

"I want to help," Maya said, feeling helpless.

Gritting her teeth in pain, Elena managed to utter, "Open… the… window… NOW!!"

Maya stood by the window, ready to open it. If this didn't work, she would simply expose Elena to the sun, ending her life. Maya was terrified—she felt like she was about to kill her friend. She counted to three to help Elena brace herself, but Elena remained preoccupied, desperately rubbing her aching skin.

With a fearful squeak, Maya opened the window, letting in the light.

The rays touched Elena's skin, causing her to scream in agony. The light burned her, just like the time she had experienced in the basement.

Maya felt immediate regret and tried to close the window before the damage went too far. However, Elena wedged herself between Maya and the window, pushing her away. She embraced the harsh light streaming through the dormer window. Fully exposed to it, she twisted in anguish.

'Was she trying to kill herself!?'

Elena fell to the floorboards, on the patch illuminated by morning rays, covering her mouth to muffle her screams.

Seeing Elena's determination, Maya fully committed and opened all the blinds, allowing light to flood in from every side of the attic. Though the sunlight burned Elena's skin, it wasn't killing her—somehow.

Maya had hoped this would be one, unavoidably painful, but short moment. However, it took hours.

For the entire day, Elena was drenched in agony without a chance for a break.

Maya was suffering with her. She had no way of helping Elena. Forbidden from touching her, she could only provide her with damp towels to cool her off.

Ultimately, they moved her to the bathtub, where the cool shower helped soothe her burning skin. They lined it with pillows to muffle her agonized moans. As Elena struggled through her pain, they did everything possible to provide her relief. Meanwhile, Leo stayed close, offering what comfort he could to Maya.

"Although I was sceptical at first, watching over her while you weren't here, she does seem genuine and committed," Leo said. "I thought she'd start scheming behind your back but all she did was scour those books for you."

It was a given. Maya trusted Elena.

When the sun finally set, the torture ended. Elena passed out from exhaustion. Maya left her to sleep in the bathtub and locked the door; this would be Elena's resting place for now.

Maya was pale and haunted. She hadn't eaten a thing the whole day. Despite her exhaustion, she dragged herself downstairs, hoping a small snack might settle her nerves or at least clear her mind.

In the ground-floor kitchen, she sat hunched over the table, trying to nibble at a tea biscuit. But she had no appetite despite being starved. When she wasn't occupied by thinking about the next step, her thoughts would become quite gloomy.

"Are you okay, Maya? You look so pale."

The voice made her flinch. Maya looked up, startled, to see Jenny approaching with a concerned expression.

"I'm just a little bit under the weather," she muttered.

"Oh, I hope you get better soon," Jenny offered a soft smile, then hesitated. "I guess it means you won't go to a pyre if I invite you?"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Maya blinked slowly, disoriented. "What pyre?"

"You know, since the attack happened, there hasn't been an official report or funeral for the lost students," Jenny explained, her tone more serious now. "A group of us decided to hold a small wake ourselves. Nothing big—just saying a few words, lighting a fire, and remembering our lost friends."

Her gaze dropped for a moment, her expression tightening. Maya wondered if Jenny had lost someone close.

"So I thought to invite you too," she continued gently. "To burn a token to honour Elena, at least."

Maya stiffened.

"Elena?" she echoed, confused.

"Yeah." Jenny gave her a tentative look. "I know many people didn't like her, but I know you cared. So I wanted to give you this opportunity. So you can grieve with all of us, together."

"Elena isn't dead," Maya blurted.

Jenny's eyes widened. "She's not…? I… well… Sorry. I assumed…" She faltered, visibly thrown. "No one has seen her since that night." She cleared her throat. "Usually, people who disappear don't return, Maya. I understand you're in denial," she added gently, trying not to sound patronizing.

Maya sat up straighter. "I'm not in denial. She's upstairs right now. She's been sick, but she's certainly alive."

Jenny stared at her, clearly unsure how to respond.

"Oh… Then, my apologies. I genuinely didn't know."

"Yeah. No worries." Maya managed a weak smile. Her chest felt lighter. For once, saying Elena was alive didn't feel like a lie. "Actually, I should go check on her."

🜺🜺🜺🜺

Maya raced up the stairs, heart pounding, and burst into the room. She crossed to Elena's side and shook her gently.

"There's a small funeral happening! We should go. People think you're dead!"

Elena groaned, rubbing her eyes. Her skin still held a reddish hue from half-healed burns.

"I am," she mumbled, voice hoarse.

"This is a great opportunity," Maya said quickly. "A small group of people to acclimate you—so it won't be as shocking when you return to school tomorrow."

Elena went still at her words.

"Who said I was returning to school?" she asked, her voice low.

"You are." Maya folded her arms, speaking with forced conviction. "This has gone on long enough. The Headmistress's breathing down my neck. You just need to show up and everything will be resolved."

Elena sat up slowly, her expression hardening. "Maya. I don't want any of this."

Maya's defiance cracked. She reached out, gently brushing Elena's sleeve. "Do it for me… please."

🜺🜺🜺🜺

With no other choice, Elena was dragged outside.

When they arrived at the funeral gathering, people were already delivering speeches and tossing mementos into the fire. Elena kept her hood up and stayed close to Maya.

Maya had never seen someone so terrified of their own existence.

They stood in quiet contemplation in front of the flames that rose high. Maya observed Elena as she stared into the fire, something about the image struck her as familiar, but she couldn't place why.

"What are you thinking about?" Maya asked.

Elena took time before speaking. "Rarely does anyone have a chance to attend their own funeral," her voice was quiet and devoid of emotion.

Yet, Maya's heart sank. "This is not your funeral," she stated firmly.

Wishing to grab Elena by the shoulders to get it through to her, Maya awkwardly held back, worried her healing burns could still be hurting.

Elena looked at her with a strange expression. However, it quickly changed when she noticed Keith in the distance.

Their eyes met, and Keith almost fell off a chair. His expression bore shock and… fear.

Despite Elena's longing to speak with him, his reaction gave her pause. Their last encounter was deeply etched in their memories.

Quickly gathering her resolve, Elena left Maya's side and headed toward him, only to be intercepted by Andrea and Linda who appeared out of nowhere. To everyone's surprise, Linda immediately pulled her into a hug.

"We thought you were gone," Linda said, her voice filled with relief and genuine affection.

But on Elena's face, there was only shock mixed with complete and utter panic. She was trying to push Linda away while craning her head as far away as possible.

Feeling a hint of panic herself, Maya rushed to catch up.

Noticing Elena's discomfort, Linda let go of her. "Sorry. I forgot you aren't big on hugging."

While Maya greeted their friends, Elena tried to look behind them, but Keith had already seized the opportunity to escape. She sighed quietly in resignation.

Perhaps Maya was at fault here for not telling their friends Elena was okay, but lying to them felt equally bad as dragging them into the mess.

Andrea eyed Elena suspiciously. "Have you lost weight? Something seems different about you," she said.

Elena didn't answer but simply shot Maya a glance, as if mentally telling her to deal with this, and walked away toward their dorm building.

Maya stood still, caught between the comfort of her friends and the retreating back of the person she'd nearly lost. Maybe she had dragged Elena out of the dark… but not all the way back yet.

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