Chapter 1
As I was scanning my ticket, my phone suddenly lit up with a text from five years in the future. [Don't go to Northbridge. Pick another city.
[Charles doesn't want you and Susan at the same school, so he's taken you on eight train trips these past few days, but not once to Northbridge.
[In three days, he'll pose as your family and tell the school you gave up your spot willingly, backing you into a corner.]
I stared at the ticket to Northbridge I'd secretly bought.
My breath caught as I watched Charles Sterling running toward me. "Why?"
When Charles heard my voice, he froze for a moment, then sighed, "You caught me after all. Yeah, I did it on purpose."
His eyes were full of pain. "Last week, I had a dream about my future self, five years from now.
"He told me that if you went to the same school as Susan and me, it would get her killed. I couldn't take that risk."
I grabbed his collar, my hand shaking. "So, you decided to wreck my future?"
Charles suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, so strong that I could barely breathe. "Wendy, you gave Susan a home. Are you really going to stand by and watch her die?
"You're so talented. You'll shine no matter where you go. Please, give her this chance."
The scorching sun above made my head spin.
It took me a while before I pulled back from him. "Fine, I won't go."
I'd originally been guaranteed a spot at Baywin University, but I took the Northbridge University exam for him.
This time, I was giving up the admission spot, and I was letting Charles go.
*****
Charles kept his eyes on me for a long time, and when he finally saw how calm I was, he seemed relieved. "I'll come see you at Westlley University as often as I can."
He forcefully pressed the admission letter against my chest. "Susan's had a tough life, with no family to lean on. I want to protect her. Sorry about that."
I glanced at the train's final destination.
Westlley was the one place Susan Nash would never set foot in.
She was super sensitive to dust. Even a little bit would set off her allergies.
If Charles wanted me as far away from them as possible, then I'd do exactly what he wanted. I would head all the way to Baywin, the farthest place from them.
"Alright, whatever you say," I said.
He seemed satisfied with my answer, but stood there, not moving. "Wendy, you're being really off today. You're not secretly planning to run off to Northbridge University without telling me, are you?"
He cupped my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Please, don't go. I'm begging you."
I could hardly believe how meek he sounded, my heart twisting at the sight.
Charles had always been the golden child, the one every parent pointed to as the perfect example.
He grew up surrounded by admiration, and he never had to lower himself for anyone.
But now, he was scared because of some absurd dream.
When I was still stunned, Susan walked up with her suitcase. She gave me a nervous look, but her lips curled into a sarcastic smirk. "Charles, is Wendy coming with us?"
I stared at her. She was in her spotless white dress, flashing that confident smile. It was like she belonged to a different world now.
I met Susan back in middle school.
She was a special transfer student, quiet and withdrawn.
Growing up always depending on others, she became a people-pleaser, always doing chores and errands for classmates.
I couldn't stand seeing her get used like that, so I helped her get paid back for her errands and invited her to live with my family.
Now, she was getting more and more confident. When she stood next to Charles, they looked so right together.
My voice was tight with emotion. "Charles, if you want to protect her, why do you have to ruin my future?"
"What's up? Didn't you always say you wanted to visit Westlley? Now's your chance." Charles rolled up his sleeve, revealing the faint ring of a scar around his wrist, which was almost faded now.
That scar was from when I bit him as a kid.
Back then, my asthma had me on the brink.
Charles skipped school to visit me. When he saw how much the injections hurt, he offered me his hand to bite.
His wrist was bleeding, but he never frowned. Instead, he stroked my hair softly. "Wendy, don't be scared. I'm right here with you."
He was twenty now, and he'd been looking out for me for eighteen years.
That scar had faded away, and Charles's protection was gone, too.
As the air grew thick with tension, Susan suddenly let out a startled cry. "Wendy, why did you put roses in my bag? You know I'm seriously allergic to pollen."
Charles immediately scooped her up and walked off. "This has nothing to do with Susan. If you're mad, take it out on me. Don't you dare mess with her right under my nose. There's no way I'm letting you go to Northbridge.
"Go to Westlley like I told you. I'll come visit every month. But if you don't listen, you can forget about ever seeing me again."
He walked off without a backward glance, never hearing what I said. "I'm the one who won't ever see you again."