"What''s his name again?" Eric asked, moving closer to Noel.


    rmed, Hera quickly reached Noel''s side. Eric nced at her questioningly. Noel''s student identity card with his name and photo printed hung around his neck where anyone could see the words written in bold capitals. Yet, Eric didn''t bother checking it and instead asked her. Could he be any more arrogant? Hera resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gave him Noel''s name anyway.


    Sliding his hands into his pockets, Eric nodded before addressing the other boy.


    "Noel, you survived because," Eric said and paused to point his finger at Hera, "She wanted you to. But it''s not over yet. You''ll pay for what you did when the timees," he concluded.


    Letting out a tired sigh, Hera perched on the grass.. Crossing her legs, she watched Eric leave.


    Meanwhile, ra was hiding behind the building and waiting for Hunter to disappear from her view. As soon as he made it to the new building, she sighed in relief. She came out from her hiding ce when Michael and Danny joined Hunter. Holding a water bottle in one hand and a few cubes of ice wrapped in a handkerchief in another, she rushed towards Noel and Hera.


    Eric had his head bent and waszily walking, kicking the harmless grass in between. He seemed lost in thought when someone crashed into him, making him falter. Scowling in annoyance, he lifted his head tosh out at the culprit.


    In her hurry to reach Noel as soon as possible, ra couldn''t see Eric advancing her way and bumped into him. The collision forced her to lose her bnce, and she fell, the water bottle slipping and rolling over on the grass.


    Eric frowned in confusion before it registered who had bumped into him. He was about to help the girl to her feet. His hand was in mid-air, pausing its motion when Eric recognised ra''s surprised pale face. He retracted his hand immediately, the frown on his face soon morphing into a disgusted scowl, anger dominating the softness in his blue eyes once again.


    He was surprised to see the girl there out of the blue, and then it clicked when he noticed the water bottle and the littered ice cubes on the ground. Grinding his teeth in anger, he whipped his head around to look at Hera. It didn''t take him much time to connect the dots. Noel and ra were together in this, and Hera''s ignorance had paved the way for them to manipte her.


    Hera sucked in a sharp breath when she met with Eric''s re. She instantly lowered hershes, breaking eye contact. She cursed ra for being so careless and adding more to her trouble. Eric shifted his focus back to the girl at his feet. Crawling on the grass, she collected the ice cubes into her handkerchief before grabbing the water bottle.


    Eric took a step closer threateningly when ra stood from the ground. "What dirty game are you ying this time?" he asked, his sharp tone demanding an answer. ra took a step back in rm, but she managed to hide her fear. Forcing a smile on her face, she faced him. "Whatever it is, it can''t be as dirty as yours," she countered. Eric''s eyebrows rose in surprise at her response. She knew he didn''t expect her to talk back, let alone be this daring.


    "Gone are the days when I used to cower in fear. You can''t scare or hurt me any more than you already did because I have nothing left to lose this time," ra admitted, her voice filled with resentment. "And you all will pay for what you did," she swore before she walked past him. Clenching his fists, Eric watched while she covered the distance to reach Hera.


    Hera, however, kept her head down, not daring to see what expression Eric wore on his face. She knew he would be as furious as Hunter. They both hated ra with all their might. A few secondster, when Hera lifted her gaze to nce at him, Eric turned away. Kicking the grass using unnecessary force to vent his anger out, he marched towards the new building.


    "What did he say?" Hera asked ra, who was busy helping Noel remove his zer. "Doesn''t matter," ra muttered her reply. Her fingers made quick work of undoing the buttons of his shirt. She winced at the bruises forming all over his torso. "You''re so badly hurt, Noel. We need to go to the infirmary," she stated. Noel shook his head in refusal. "It''s nothing, don''t worry," he said in assurance.


    ra red at him in disapproval but agreed to his request when he pointed out it would attract more attention, and he would get into more trouble if the news travelled around. Hunter wouldn''t be happy if he reported against him. Hera pursed her lips and kept quiet while they both conversed. They were speaking as if she wasn''t there.


    Unscrewing the lid, ra offered him water. Noel took the bottle from her hand with a thankful smile and gulped a few mouthfuls of water, easing the soreness in his throat. Hera observed with keen interest while ra held the ice on his bruises to soothe the pain and tended his wounds by putting band-aids wherever needed. She winced every time Noel hissed in pain.


    Hera was surprised to see the concern etched on her face. She seemed to be hurting as if she could feel the other boy''s pain. Her eyes shone with unshed tears before they rolled down her cheeks. They appeared to be too close, too caring and too familiar. She was touching his naked torso without any hesitation or awkwardness as if they were intimately familiar.


    "Who is he to you?" Hera blurted the question before she could second guess. "How do you know him? Why are you so worried about him?" she pressed, demanding rifications. ra scoffed before ncing briefly at her. "Not that it''s any of your business, but to answer your question, I''m worried and concerned because I''m human," ra said in a taunting tone. "Unlike your boyfriend, who represents inhumanity," she spat the words out indignantly.


    Hera flinched at the harsh tone.


    "It''s in human nature to help the person who is hurting," ra muttered, going back to tending Noel''s bruises.


    "Why do you put up with him, though?" Noel asked Hera. Thetter frowned, eyebrows scrunching together as she processed the meaning behind his words. "She''s right, you know. He''s a monster in the human form," Noel stated, supporting ra''s judgement. Hera chuckled, shaking her head in dissatisfaction, but she didn''t say anything in her defence. She let them speak their minds as she wanted to know where their intention would lead.


    ra wanted to help and save Noel from Hunter. She couldn''t live with the guilt that she did nothing to protect her brother. That was why despite being terrified of Hunter, ra came forward, offering to help the unfortunate boy. ra pointed out that if she hadn''t brought Hera in time, Hunter would''ve surely hurt Noel beyond repair.


    "Why do you love him so much, Hera? What do you see in that monster?" ra asked. "Why don''t you dump his stupid ass already?" she demanded, sounding too frustrated and desperate. Hera studied her face, trying to understand her point of view. She neither could deny her usations nor could she me her for hating Hunter, not after what he did to her brother. Hera was yet to make sure if Nathan really died or not.


    <em>''Why would ra lie about her brother''s death, though?'' </em>


    Hera couldn''t understand.


    Noel stressed how Hunter and his friends treated Hera. Hunter couldn''t stand it when Hera insulted his friends. Noel voiced his concern about how Hera would never be Hunter''s priority. "You always put him above everyone and everything. He alwayses first in your heart, but what about him, Hera?" Noel questioned. Hera felt her legs numbing, so she stretched her legs. She was sitting in the same position for too long, cutting the blood cirction.


    Hera chose not to answer his question. She knew she was Hunter''s priority too. Didn''t he prove it a while ago by agreeing to her demand? Hera didn''t think much about it. She didn''t need to. When it came to each other, both Hera and Hunter knew the depth of their feelings. They knew where they stood in each other''s lives. Hera didn''t need anyone''s approval or character justification certificate.


    "Noel, I came here to help you, but it doesn''t mean I''m letting you brainwash me into believing everything you say. I''m not stupid, you know," Hera said much to Noel and ra''s objection. "I warned you many times to stay away from Hunter''s friends, but you chose not to listen. And don''t think I don''t know your true motive, Noel," Hera stated, fixing him with a hard stare.


    She told him how she knew he nned everything with Adide to create misunderstandings between her and Hunter. She was aware that Noel had all the intention to break them up. Noel shrugged, not at all denying the usations. "I never hid anything from you, Hera. You knew from the beginning that I wanted to hurt your boyfriend. I want revenge," he stated without any hesitation.


    "Whatever, Noel," Hera said, "Don''t use me for your selfish reasons. If you want revenge, go for it directly instead of ying dirty games. I''m sure you and Hunter can deal with it like adults," she advised.


    However, what Noel said after that, made Hera speechless.