The alley swallowed sound.
By the time Kim stepped into it, the noise of the main road had thinned into a distant murmur. The gold-threaded uniform was gone—folded away, hidden beneath ordinary fabric that carried no weight, no recognition.
Here, nothing followed her.
No whispers. No titles.
Just the quiet.
Her steps slowed as the building came into view—paint peeling, walls worn thin by years that no one had bothered to repair. She pushed the door open and slipped inside.
The air hit differently.
Stale. Heavy.
"Kim…?"
The voice came from the bed—thin, stretched, like it had traveled too far to reach her.
"…is that you?"
She shut the door behind her with a soft click and bent to her shoes. One after the other, she slipped them off, placing them carefully into a box tucked beneath the small table—out of sight, out of reach.
Routine.
"I'm home, Mum." Her voice lifted, steadier than she felt. "Where's Dad?"
Her mother lay curled slightly to one side, blankets gathered loosely around her. "He hasn't come back yet."
Kim's jaw tightened.
"Of course he hasn't."
The words slipped out before she could temper them.
A cough cut through the room—sharp, deeper than before.
Kim moved instantly.
Water in one hand. Inhaler in the other.
"Here," she murmured, guiding it gently.
"Thank you," her mother said, a faint smile following the words.
It only made Kim's chest tighten more.
"That's not normal," she said, quieter now but firmer. "We need to get you to a hospital."
The door slammed.
Both of them turned.
Footsteps dragged across the floor—uneven, heavy.
He staggered in.
The smell arrived before he did.
"Who's there—hic—who sent you?"
Kim stepped forward, pulling a chair out of the way before he could knock into it. "It's me."
He blinked, trying to focus.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, the restraint cracking. "Spending money we don't have while she's—"
"Liars!" he barked suddenly, voice breaking apart. "They're all liars—they tricked me—"
"I don't care who tricked you."
The room stilled.
Kim's voice didn't rise again—but it sharpened.
"If anything happens to her…" She held his gaze, unflinching. "You'll answer for it."
She didn't wait for a reply.
She turned and walked out.
Behind her, something shifted—quiet, fleeting.
A glint.
Tsk….bastard
—
At school, nothing showed.
Her posture stayed straight. Her steps measured. Her expression composed enough to pass without question.
Anyone watching would see consistency.
Stability.
They wouldn't see the weight she carried into every breath.
And the one person who usually would—
Wasn't there.
For once, that absence felt… useful.
No questions.
No careful looks.
No chance of the truth slipping out.
"Hey, chipmunk."
Kim turned sharply.
Colton slid into the seat beside her like he'd always belonged there, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
Her brow lifted. "I'm not an animal."
His smile widened, eyes catching the light. "If you say so."
He leaned back slightly. "Where's your friend?"
The question lingered longer than it should have.
Kim hesitated.
This—this was how it started. Small conversations. Harmless questions. The kind that led somewhere she couldn't afford to go.
Not outside those gates.
Not in the world she actually lived in.
Still—
"Home," she said finally. "Sick."
She didn't ask herself why she answered.
"What about yours?"
Colton exhaled, tipping his head back. "He's… a lot."
Despite the complaint, there was something else beneath it—familiar, steady.
Kim caught it.
"Same," she said.
And just like that, the edge softened.
The conversation slipped into something easier—shared complaints, quiet amusement, the kind of understanding that didn't need much explaining.
Time passed.
Neither of them marked when the distance closed.
"Hey, Kim."
She looked up.
"Do you think we'd make good friends?"
The question landed clean.
No joke. No deflection.
For a second, her chest tightened.
Yes.
The answer came fast—too fast.
But it stayed behind her teeth.
Because reality followed close behind it.
Different worlds.
Different endings.
Her gaze dropped slightly.
Before she could answer—
"Tsk."
The sound cut through the space.
Cold.
Familiar.
"What am I looking at?"
Kaiden.
On any other day, the irritation would've surfaced immediately.
This time—
Nothing.
Kim stood.
No words.
No glance.
She walked past him and didn't stop.
Colton watched her go.
Slowly.
Silently.
And if she had turned back—
She would've seen it.
The smile was still there.
But his eyes—
Didn't match.