Amy pulled her dark hood lower, praying the thick wool would block out the midday glare. In a world where a single sun-kiss could reveal your deepest secrets—and turn your hair into the glowing silver of the forbidden class—the daylight was her greatest enemy. But as the crowd surged forward in the market square, a sudden hand snagged her sleeve, ripping the hood away. The golden light hit her face.
Just as she was about to be exposed, someone covered her, and only her face was lit by the sun. As Amy looked up, she found herself staring into the eyes of Justin Morello—her enemy since childhood, and her rival in every class.
Amy's POV:
But something was different about him this time. He didn't care about us being enemies anymore. Justin's usual arrogant grin was completely gone. His hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me deep into his shadow.
"Don't move," he commanded quietly, looking over my head at the surrounding crowd. "If you change color here, you won't make it out of this square alive."
My heart was beating really fast, and I looked away. I could feel him smirking when I looked away. "Jerk," I said in my mind. But somehow he seemed to read my thoughts when he said, " I will deal with you later, princess. But for now, walk faster, but don't be suspicious."
We walked until we were out of the crowd, and I immediately pushed him away from me. How did you find out about my hair? I asked him while glaring. "That's for me to know and for you to figure out", he said.
Ugh, why is he always such a jerk?
"You're going to tell me, Justin," I said, stepping closer to him, refusing to back down. He leaned against the brick wall, looking completely unbothered. "I'll tell you under one condition, princess. You're going to help me pass the upcoming Academy trial, or I'll let the sun catch you tomorrow."
What the? No way Justin Morello, my rival, is asking for help? "Tss", pathetic. I said.
But seriously, why are you asking for help when you can do it by yourself?
He didn't answer, but he kept pacing back and forth for some reason, and I got annoyed and started to walk away until he called my full name "Amy Voldek Duke", and when I looked in the back, he was on his knees.
Did he just kneel? I wondered to myself, confused and surprised by his actions.
Something is wrong. I started walking back to him, but he was still kneeling. I didn't know what was going on, but this isn't the Justin I know.