Layla's Dream — Part II
The First Day
The dream shifted once again.
Morning sunlight spilled through the curtains of the Skywalker home.
The sound of birds mixed with the distant noise of Symbiosis slowly waking up.
Cars passed outside.
Shopkeepers opened their stores.
Students hurried through the streets in neatly pressed uniforms.
Inside the house...
Layla stood nervously in front of the hallway mirror.
She adjusted her school blazer for what felt like the hundredth time.
"...Does it look okay?"
Elena smiled as she straightened Layla's collar.
"It looks perfect."
Marcus, already dressed for work, looked up from tying his shoes.
"I think someone's more nervous than excited."
Layla immediately crossed her arms.
"I'm not nervous."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Then why have you looked in the mirror seven times?"
Layla blinked.
"...You've been counting?"
"I started after number four."
Elena couldn't help but laugh.
"Our daughter wants to make a good first impression."
Layla looked away, cheeks slightly pink.
"...Maybe."
Marcus gently placed a hand on her head.
"You don't have to impress anyone."
"Just be yourself."
"The right people will find you."
...
A short while later...
The three stood outside the enormous gates of Symbiosis International Academy.
The campus was breathtaking.
Ancient stone buildings stood beside modern classrooms.
Cherry blossom trees lined the walkways.
Students from dozens of different countries filled the courtyard.
English.
Hindi.
Spanish.
Japanese.
French.
Dozens of languages blended together into one lively atmosphere.
Layla looked around in amazement.
"So many people..."
She had never seen a school this large before.
Marcus smiled.
"Symbiosis was built to bring different cultures together."
"Students come here from all over the world."
Elena hugged her daughter tightly.
"Don't worry."
"You'll make friends."
Layla nodded slowly.
"I'll try."
The school bell echoed across the campus.
Marcus smiled warmly.
"That's your cue."
Layla took a deep breath.
"...Okay."
She stepped through the school gates.
Neither she nor her parents realized...
This ordinary morning would become one of the most important days of her life.
...
Inside the classroom, students chatted excitedly while waiting for their teacher.
Layla quietly entered after being directed by one of the staff members.
Almost immediately...
Every pair of eyes turned toward her.
The sudden silence made her freeze.
The classroom door opened once more.
A cheerful teacher entered carrying several books.
"Good morning, everyone."
The class greeted him in unison.
He smiled before noticing Layla.
"Perfect timing."
Turning toward the class, he spoke warmly.
"We have a new student joining us today."
Several curious whispers spread across the room.
The teacher gestured toward Layla.
"Would you like to introduce yourself?"
Layla swallowed nervously.
"...M-My name is Layla Skywalker."
"I recently moved here from Spain."
"I..."
She hesitated before smiling politely.
"...I hope we can all get along."
The room became quiet for a moment.
Then—
A student near the back smiled brightly.
"Welcome!"
Soon another joined.
Then another.
Within seconds the classroom erupted into warm greetings.
"Nice to meet you!"
"Welcome!"
"Hope you like it here!"
Layla felt the nervousness in her chest slowly disappear.
Maybe...
This wouldn't be so bad after all.
The teacher clapped his hands.
"Excellent."
"Layla..."
He looked around the room.
"...There's one empty seat."
She followed his gaze.
Near the window.
Sunlight poured across the empty desk.
She quietly walked toward it.
As she sat down...
A gentle breeze drifted through the open window.
She looked outside.
Students laughed beneath the cherry blossom trees.
Some played football.
Others simply talked with friends.
A peaceful scene.
The kind she had secretly hoped for.
The teacher began the morning lesson.
Hours passed surprisingly quickly.
Mathematics.
History.
English.
Everything felt familiar despite being taught in a different country.
During lunch...
Layla nervously carried her tray outside.
She searched for somewhere quiet to sit.
Eventually she found a bench beneath one of the cherry blossom trees.
She had barely taken her first bite—
"...Mind if I sit here?"
Layla looked up.
A smiling girl with dark hair pointed toward the empty space beside her.
"Everywhere else is full."
Layla smiled back.
"...Of course."
Within minutes...
The two were talking comfortably.
Then another student joined them.
Then another.
The conversation quickly shifted between favorite foods...
Favorite subjects...
And funny stories from home.
Layla laughed more that afternoon than she expected.
For the first time since leaving Spain...
She didn't feel alone.
As the final bell rang...
She looked around the bustling school grounds one last time.
"...Maybe..."
"...this place really can become home."
High above the academy...
The afternoon wind carried cherry blossom petals across the sky.
Far away...
On another continent...
A young boy named Arthur Ravenheart was unknowingly preparing for a journey that would eventually bring him to this very city.
Their paths had not crossed.
Not yet.
But fate...
Was already quietly weaving the first threads of a friendship that would one day change the world.
One week passed.
The days settled into a comfortable routine.
Layla had slowly begun calling Symbiosis home.
She no longer needed a map to find her classroom.
She knew which teachers smiled the most.
Which cafeteria meals were worth waiting for.
Which cherry blossom tree gave the best shade during lunch.
Most importantly...
She had made friends.
Among them was a cheerful girl with light pink hair who always seemed to have endless stories to tell.
Her name was Lola Everhart.
Unlike Layla, Lola had an adventurous spirit that often led her into harmless trouble.
She loved exploring unfamiliar streets after school, collecting odd trinkets from local markets, and convincing Layla to try foods she had never even heard of.
Within only a few days...
The two had become inseparable.
"You think too much," Lola laughed one afternoon.
"And you don't think enough," Layla replied.
The two girls burst into laughter.
Everyone around them had long accepted that wherever one appeared...
The other was never far behind.
...
Another Monday arrived.
Students chatted excitedly before class.
Their homeroom teacher entered carrying a stack of papers.
"Everyone, settle down."
The classroom gradually became quiet.
"We have another transfer student joining us today."
The door opened.
A boy quietly stepped inside.
He looked about the same age as everyone else.
Messy raven-black hair framed a calm face.
Emerald-green eyes avoided the attention now fixed upon him.
His school uniform was neat despite looking well-traveled.
He stood silently while the teacher smiled.
"Go ahead."
The boy nodded once.
"My name is Arthur Ravenheart."
"I recently moved here."
His voice was quiet.
Almost hesitant.
For several seconds...
Nobody said anything.
Layla frowned.
When she had introduced herself only a week earlier, the class had welcomed her warmly.
Now...
The room felt different.
A whisper spread from one side of the classroom.
"...Did he say Ravenheart?"
Another student leaned closer.
"I've heard that name before."
"My parents mentioned it."
"They said that clan disappeared years ago."
Someone else spoke a little louder.
"I heard they betrayed the other clans."
Another voice joined in.
"Really?"
"So that's him?"
The whispers grew.
Arthur remained standing.
His expression didn't change.
He simply waited.
The teacher cleared his throat firmly.
"That's enough."
"Rumors have no place in this classroom."
The room quieted.
Arthur took his seat near the back without another word.
...
The following days were difficult.
Most students ignored him.
Some deliberately avoided sitting near him.
Others stared whenever he walked past.
Layla noticed.
She also noticed something else.
Arthur never argued.
Never complained.
Never defended himself.
He simply endured it.
...
One afternoon, as classes ended, Layla and Lola were packing their bags when raised voices echoed from the hallway.
Several older students had surrounded Arthur near the lockers.
Their expressions were mocking rather than curious.
"So..."
"You're really a Ravenheart."
"I heard your family disgraced themselves."
Another folded his arms.
"My brother said your clan brought shame on everyone."
Arthur kept his gaze lowered.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
One of the boys scoffed.
"Don't lie."
"We also heard you're mixed."
"Half black."
"Half white."
The hallway fell unusually quiet.
Several nearby students looked uncomfortable.
Arthur remained silent.
"I said..."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The boy shoved him hard enough that Arthur stumbled backwards into the lockers.
Books scattered across the floor.
Another student stepped forward.
"You should've stayed wherever you came from."
Arthur slowly bent down and began collecting his books without saying a word.
No anger.
No shouting.
Only silence.
Layla felt her chest tighten.
Something about the way he quietly picked up each book...
As though he had grown used to this...
Made her heart ache.
A teacher's voice suddenly echoed down the corridor.
"What's going on here?"
The older students quickly backed away.
"Nothing, sir."
"We were just leaving."
Within moments, they disappeared into the crowd.
Arthur gathered the last of his books.
He thanked the teacher politely.
Then walked away alone.
Layla watched him until he disappeared around the corner.
Lola quietly stood beside her.
"...That wasn't right."
Layla nodded.
"...No."
"It wasn't."
Neither of them knew the full truth behind Arthur's family.
Neither knew whether the rumors were real or false.
But one thing was already clear to Layla.
Whatever had happened to the Ravenheart name...
The lonely boy who had just walked away...
Didn't deserve to carry that burden by himself.
And without realizing it...
Layla Skywalker took her very first step toward the friendship that would one day define her life.
A week had passed since Arthur Ravenheart transferred to Symbiosis International Academy.
Nothing had changed.
If anything...
Things had only grown worse.
Every morning, Arthur quietly entered the classroom before most students arrived.
Every afternoon, he was among the first to leave.
He spoke only when a teacher asked him a question.
He never volunteered answers.
Never joined conversations.
Never smiled.
To everyone else...
He was simply "the Ravenheart boy."
The whispers never stopped.
"His family betrayed the other clans."
"My parents said the Ravenhearts got what they deserved."
"He's only half-white."
"No... he's mixed. Half African, half European."
"Look at him... doesn't even belong anywhere."
Arthur heard every word.
Yet...
He never responded.
Not once.
...
Layla noticed.
She noticed because she had once been the new student too.
The difference was...
She had been welcomed.
Arthur...
Had been judged before anyone even knew his name.
One afternoon during lunch, Layla sat beneath the cherry blossom tree with Lola as usual.
Lola was animatedly talking about a new bakery she wanted to visit after school.
"...And apparently they make chocolate croissants bigger than my face!"
Layla laughed softly.
"I somehow don't doubt you'd still finish one."
"I'd finish two."
The girls giggled together.
Then Layla's smile slowly faded.
Across the courtyard...
Arthur sat alone beneath another tree.
A small lunchbox rested beside him.
Instead of eating...
He quietly read a worn-out book.
No one approached him.
No one even looked his way.
Almost as though he wasn't there.
Layla frowned.
"...He's alone again."
Lola followed her gaze.
"...Yeah."
"He always is."
Layla hesitated.
"...Should we...?"
Lola looked back at Arthur before smiling gently.
"I think you should."
"What about you?"
"I'll come too."
Before Layla could stand—
Three boys walked toward Arthur.
Students nearby immediately grew quiet.
Layla's heart sank.
Not again...
One of the boys kicked Arthur's lunchbox.
It slid across the pavement.
The neatly packed food spilled onto the ground.
Arthur slowly looked up.
"...Why?"
The tallest boy folded his arms.
"Because we can."
Another sneered.
"Maybe Ravenhearts eat off the floor."
Several students laughed nervously.
Arthur looked at the ruined lunch.
For just a second...
His emerald eyes trembled.
Then...
He quietly knelt.
Without saying a word...
He began picking the food back up.
One grain of rice at a time.
One piece of bread.
One fruit.
Layla couldn't move.
She had expected him to shout.
To fight back.
To cry.
Instead...
He simply accepted it.
The tallest bully suddenly slapped the lunchbox out of Arthur's hands again.
It clattered loudly across the pavement.
"You still don't get it."
"We don't want your kind here."
Arthur slowly stood.
His school uniform was dirty.
His hands trembled slightly.
But his voice remained calm.
"...Have I done something to you?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
The bully scoffed.
"No."
"My parents told me everything I need to know."
"They said your clan betrayed humanity."
Arthur lowered his head.
"I..."
"...don't know anything about that."
"Liar."
"My father said the Ravenhearts deserved to disappear."
"And your parents?"
"They ran away, didn't they?"
"Just like cowards."
Arthur's fists slowly tightened.
For the first time...
Layla saw something behind those quiet emerald eyes.
Pain.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Just...
Pain.
Before the bullies could continue—
"That's enough."
Layla's voice echoed across the courtyard.
The entire area fell silent.
She walked between Arthur and the three boys.
Lola followed close behind.
The tallest boy rolled his eyes.
"This doesn't concern you."
Layla met his gaze without flinching.
"It does now."
"You've been picking on him since he got here."
"What exactly has he done to deserve this?"
The boy laughed.
"You don't know who he is."
Layla answered immediately.
"I know exactly who he is."
"He's our classmate."
"And that's enough."
None of the three expected someone to stand up to them.
Least of all the new girl from Spain.
One of them clicked his tongue.
"Whatever."
"C'mon."
The three walked away, muttering insults under their breath.
Only after they disappeared into the crowd did Layla finally turn around.
Arthur was already kneeling again.
Not to fight.
Not to cry.
Simply...
To collect the last pieces of his lunch.
Layla quietly crouched beside him.
Without saying anything...
She picked up the lunchbox and gently dusted it off.
Lola gathered the scattered fruit.
For several moments...
None of them spoke.
Finally...
Arthur broke the silence.
"...You didn't have to do that."
Layla smiled softly.
"I know."
"...Then why?"
She looked at him for a long moment before answering.
"Because nobody deserves to eat alone."
Arthur froze.
Those simple words...
Hit harder than every insult he'd heard over the past week.
Layla handed him the cleaned lunchbox.
"My name's Layla."
"I'm from Spain."
Arthur looked at her.
Then at Lola.
"...Arthur."
"I know."
She smiled.
"Our teacher already told us."
Arthur blinked.
It was the first genuine smile anyone had given him since arriving in India.
A tiny smile slowly appeared on his own face.
Barely noticeable.
Gone almost as quickly as it came.
But it was there.
Lola immediately grinned.
"There it is!"
Arthur looked confused.
"...What?"
"You smiled."
Arthur instinctively touched his own face.
"...Did I?"
Layla laughed quietly.
"You did."
For the first time in what felt like forever...
Arthur didn't feel completely alone.
None of the three realized it.
But beneath the cherry blossom trees of Symbiosis International Academy...
A friendship had just begun.
One that would survive distance...
Loss...
Collapse...
And the end of the world itself.
The days that followed felt... normal.
Wonderfully normal.
For Layla, that alone was enough.
Arthur slowly began sitting with Layla and Lola during lunch while it rained outside .
At first, he barely spoke.
Most conversations consisted of Lola asking ten questions before Arthur answered one.
"So..."
"Favorite food?"
Arthur thought for a moment.
"...Anything my mom makes."
Lola nodded dramatically.
"Excellent answer."
"Favorite color?"
"...Black ."
"Favorite animal?"
Arthur blinked.
"...I've never thought about it."
Lola stared at him in disbelief.
"You've never thought about it?"
Layla burst into laughter.
Arthur looked between the two girls before quietly laughing under his breath.
"...Maybe wolves."
"There we go!"
Lola clapped excitedly.
"See?"
"You're becoming human."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"...Was I not before?"
"You were a statue."
Layla laughed so hard she almost dropped her drink.
For the first time...
Arthur found himself laughing with them.
Not because he was forcing himself.
Because he genuinely wanted to.
...
School gradually became easier.
Students still whispered behind Arthur's back.
Some still refused to speak to him.
But...
It no longer bothered him quite as much.
Because every morning...
Layla waved at him from the classroom door.
Every lunch...
Lola dragged him toward their usual spot beneath the cherry blossom tree.
Every afternoon...
The three walked home together.
The lonely silence that had surrounded Arthur since arriving in India slowly disappeared.
...
One Friday afternoon...
Lola appeared carrying a football.
"We're playing."
Arthur looked up from the book he had been reading.
"...Who is?"
"We are."
"I don't know how."
Lola gasped dramatically.
"...Layla."
"We have another emergency."
Layla smiled.
"We'll teach you."
Twenty minutes later...
Arthur was lying flat on his back in the grass after completely missing the ball.
Lola pointed at him while laughing uncontrollably.
"You kicked the air!"
"I know."
"I saw."
Layla offered Arthur her hand.
"You'll get better."
Arthur accepted it.
"...Hopefully."
Lola suddenly kicked the ball toward him again.
"Less talking!"
"More football!"
The three spent the rest of the afternoon laughing until the school grounds were almost empty.
Nearby teachers smiled as they watched.
None of them had ever expected the quiet Ravenheart boy to laugh like that.
...
As the sun began setting...
The three slowly walked toward the school gates.
Marcus Skywalker was already waiting beside the family car.
The moment he saw Layla...
He waved enthusiastically.
"There's my favorite troublemaker!"
Layla laughed.
"I'm your only troublemaker."
"Exactly."
Arthur watched quietly.
Marcus noticed.
"You must be Arthur."
Arthur nodded politely.
"Yes, sir."
Marcus smiled warmly.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Arthur looked surprised.
"...You have?"
"Layla talks about her friends every evening."
Layla's face immediately turned bright red.
"Daaad..."
Marcus laughed.
"What?"
"It's true."
Elena stepped out of the passenger seat carrying a small container.
"I made extra cookies."
She smiled kindly at Arthur.
"Would you like one?"
Arthur hesitated.
"...Really?"
"Of course."
He carefully accepted the cookie.
"...Thank you, ma'am."
Elena smiled.
"You remind me of someone who forgets to eat."
Arthur blinked.
"...How did you know?"
Layla and Marcus exchanged amused looks.
"Called it," Marcus whispered.
Arthur quietly took a bite.
For a brief second...
He closed his eyes.
"...They're really good."
Elena smiled proudly.
"I'm glad."
Arthur looked down at the cookie in his hands.
It had been a long time...
Since an adult outside his own family had shown him such simple kindness.
...
The following weeks passed peacefully.
Homework.
Exams.
Football.
Laughing beneath the cherry blossom trees.
Life continued.
Almost...
Too peacefully.
...
One rainy evening...
The Skywalker family sat together eating dinner.
Marcus looked unusually thoughtful.
Elena noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Marcus slowly looked toward the rain outside.
"...Nothing."
"I've just..."
He paused.
"...had the strangest feeling lately."
Layla looked up.
"What kind of feeling?"
Marcus forced a smile.
"...Like time is moving faster than it should."
Elena reached across the table and gently squeezed his hand.
"We're all together."
"That's what matters."
Marcus smiled back.
"...You're right."
Outside...
A single raven landed silently on the fence surrounding the garden.
It remained perfectly still.
Watching the house.
Watching the family laughing together inside.
After several moments...
It spread its wings.
And disappeared into the darkening sky.
Far away...
Hidden beyond the clouds...
Something unseen slowly turned.
As though the world itself had begun counting down toward a day no one could stop.
Inside the warm little house...
Layla laughed at one of her father's terrible jokes.
She didn't notice the way Marcus quietly looked at his family.
As though trying to memorize every smile.
Every laugh.
Every face.
Just in case.
One day...
Those memories were all that remained.