Chapter 5

Sara woke up with a knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach. Today wasn’t just any school day she was going to an elite school, the kind she had only seen on the news, the kind she had once dared to dream of attending. She had wished for this moment so many times… yet never imagined it would come like this.

Not as Sara Johnson.

But as Cara.

Her gaze drifted to the neatly arranged clothes Cara had prepared for her. Elegant. Classy. Far from anything Sara had ever owned. She let out a small sigh and forced a shaky smile.

“Am I going to study… or attend a fashion gala?” she whispered to herself.

Still, this was her reality now at least for the time being. Gathering courage she didn’t feel, Sara slipped into the outfit. To her surprise, it fit perfectly, as though it had always belonged to her.

Taking one last deep breath, she squared her shoulders and headed downstairs, each step pulling her deeper into the life that was never meant to be hers.

Her mother was already waiting downstairs, calm and collected as always. But Cara wasn’t there yet probably still asleep. It was still early, after all.

“Good morning, Mum,” Sara greeted softly.

“Good morning, my child,” Margaret replied warmly. She stared at Sara for a moment and let out a light laugh. “Goodness… you two really do look exactly the same.”

Sara managed a shy smile.

Margaret’s expression shifted as if she had suddenly remembered something important. “By the way… do you know how to drive?”

“Huh?” Sara blinked. “Drive?”

“Yes,” Margaret replied casually, as though it were the most obvious thing. “Cara has her own car, and she drives herself to school every day.”

Sara’s heart skipped. “Oh…”

“Oh my,” Margaret sighed, rubbing her forehead. “How did I forget something this important? She shook her head. “You’ll have to learn soon. The Cara the world knows… drives. So, you need to be exactly like her.”

Sara swallowed and nodded slowly.

Being Cara wasn’t nearly as easy as she had imagined.

It was going to be even harder.

She was driven to school, and the moment she stepped out of the car, her breath caught in her chest.

The school was gorgeous.

Tall, elegant buildings towered above her, the grounds perfectly manicured, fountains glittering beneath the morning sun. Students walked past in designer uniforms and polished shoes, laughing like they had never known struggling in a world of perfect families and perfect lives.

Sara’s eyes lit up in awe.

But the excitement faded as reality quietly settled in.

Nothing here was familiar.

Yes, she had seen Cara’s life. She had watched, listened, memorized… but now it was all real. She had to find Cara’s class, Cara’s locker, Cara’s friends. She had to breathe like her, speak like her… exist as her.

And she didn’t know where to start.

She stood frozen, panic slowly creeping in until suddenly, an arm wrapped warmly around her shoulders.

Sara stiffened.

A girl stood beside her, effortlessly elegant, her clothes just as expensive and stylish as Cara’s. Her perfume smelled of luxury, confidence, and privilege. Then Sara remembered seeing her on Cara’s phone.

It was Maya. Her best friend.

“Girl! I’ve been trying to reach you. Your phone was off,” Maya said with a playful glare.

“I–It… got spoiled,” Sara stuttered.

Maya raised a brow. “The Cara I know could buy twenty phones in a day.”

Sara forced a weak laugh. That was such a lame excuse. We didn’t rehearse this part, she scolded herself silently.

“Anyway, I missed you,” Maya continued cheerfully, already dragging her forward. “Come on! You won’t believe what you’ve missed.”

Maya chatted nonstop as they walked from the gate through the glittering hallway. Students greeted them, lights reflected off glass walls, and expensive perfume filled the air.

And through it all, Sara realized one thing:

Maya didn’t even notice.

She truly believed she was with Cara.

And Sara had to make sure it stayed that way.

When they reached the main hallway, everything seemed to stop.

Heads turned. Conversations paused. Every eye followed them.

Maya lifted her chin proudly, walking as though she owned the place. That was when Sara understood Cara wasn’t just popular. She was worshipped. A celebrity in her own school.

Before Sara could even process it, a girl rushed forward, clutching a glossy fan photo of Cara.

“Can I please have your autograph?” she asked breathlessly.

Sara froze.

Autograph?

Her heart hammered in her chest. She wasn’t used to this attention, admiration, expectations. But people were staring, waiting, whispering. She couldn’t afford to mess up.

So she forced a confident smile, took the pen, and carefully signed the photo with the signature she had rehearsed for days .

The girl squealed like she had just won the lottery and ran off excitedly.

Do they really worship her like this? Sara wondered, stunned.

They finally stopped by the rows of sparkling lockers. There were so many perfectly polished, identical, intimidating. Sara’s mind went blank. She didn’t know which one belonged to Cara.

She watched Maya lean casually near one locker.

Maybe that’s the one, Sara thought desperately.

Before she could embarrass herself further, Maya burst into laughter.

“Seriously? You’ve only been gone a few days and you’ve already forgotten?” she teased. “Your locker is across from this one!”

Sara forced an awkward smile. “I was… tired.”

Maya just laughed it off, completely unaware.

Meanwhile, Sara’s panic grew.

Cara had left out so many important details. And Sara… was on her own.

Sara had just reached for the locker handle when she suddenly felt warm lips press against her cheek.

“There you are, babe. I’ve been looking for you.”

She froze.

A tall, handsome boy stood in front of her, his smile charming and dangerous at the same time. He smelled of expensive cologne, confidence, and trouble. Henry. The name echoed in her mind.

Maya shot Sara a quick look. “I’ll see you in class.” She gave a small, knowing smirk and walked away.

No! Don’t leave me!

Sara screamed in her heart.

Cara had specifically warned her to stay away from Henry… and yet here he was, inches away, eyes locked on her like she belonged to him.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Henry teased softly. “Aren’t you going to return my kiss?”

Sara’s throat went dry.

“I–uh… I have the flu,” she blurted out, panicking. “I don’t want you to get infected.”

Henry raised an eyebrow but chuckled. “Really now? Fine. I’ll let you off today.” He leaned closer, still smiling. “See you after class.”

And then he walked away.

Sara finally breathed.

“What was that?” she muttered under her breath. “I’m definitely going to die before my time.”

With trembling hands, she opened the locker to grab her books .

but something inside caught her attention.

An envelope.

White. Clean. Carefully placed.

She slowly pulled it out… and the moment she saw the writing, her blood ran cold.

The words were written in dark, dried blood-red letters:

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID

CARA JOHNSON.

Sara’s eyes widened in horror.