ONE thing that Kassandra "Kace" Larson learned in life was to never trust her brother in cooking. Seeing the over six-foot tall guy attempt to flip the egg on the pan infront of her triggered something inside her, but she just let him do his thing as she fixed her long dark hair up in a bun.“We should’ve just ordered something outside, brother,” she commented, not even disguising her lack of excitement for the breakfast.“Don’t even try to comment Kace ‘cause you’re far worse than I am.” Her older brother, Kristoff would always insist to cook, and yet he never made a decent meal ever.Kace nodded in agreement. “Yeah, well you’re not wrong about that. Let’s just grab something to eat while on the way to school, then.”Kris heaved a sigh. “Fine.” Even though Kris wasn’t her full-blooded brother, she appreciated the fact that he would always visit her, despite knowing how much hatred their stepdad had for her. She didn’t want Kris to be stuck in the middle between her and his dad. But,
DURING lunch, Kace and Nix sat on their usual table in the cafeteria. Chester showed up together with the other members of the editorial board, Kenneth Davis, Brandon Bailey and Maximilian King for their emergency meeting.“So, what do we do Chief?” Brandon laid his tray on the table and sat next to her.“I…honestly don’t know,” she answered him with a bothered look.The three guys felt that their EIC was definitely feeling a lot of burden now. They knew how much she wanted to keep the publication alive.“How about we post announcements for applicants on the bulletin boards?” The round-eyed guy, Kenneth suggested.Max narrowed his eyes at him. “We already did that and it will just be ignored, Ken.”“Then do you have any better ideas?” Kenneth turned to the others.They all shook their heads. Just as Kace was about to say something, the door of the cafeteria opened and revealed four guys approaching in a line. Everyone literally stopped and stared as they made their way inside. Starti
CHEM Lab started after the fateful event in the cafeteria. Apparently, everyone in their class saw what happened, which made Kace feel more horrible. She was greatly affected about what happened. Her friends tried to cheer her up, but they didn’t succeed. Chester glanced at Brandon, who looked at Nix who just shrugged her shoulders. “What do we do?” Brandon mouthed his words in silence.Chester lifted his chin and gestured Nix to move towards their friend. “Talk to her,” he whispered.Nix hesitated at first. But she decided to follow him so she stood up and slowly walked over towards Kace’s table. Their professor was busy reading something on his desk so he didn’t notice her standing up from her seat.Kace was busy focusing her microscope so she got startled when she heard her bestfriend beside her speak. “Kace, are you all right?”She nodded without looking at her.“Are you sure?”“Yeah,” she answered quietly.“Don’t think about it too much. Jules is a bitc-“ Before she could even
KACE reached her apartment at around seven in the evening. She stopped by the bookstore earlier to buy some supplements she needed and she roamed around the streets just to get her mind off of the embarrassment she was still feeling. Setting her bag on the couch, her stomach suddenly grumbled. She remembered she still hadn’t eaten dinner yet so she proceeded to the kitchen.As she turned the lights on, a cold face of a guy welcomed her on the counter. “Where have you been, Kassandra? It’s late.” Her brother told her off.Sighing, she flicked the lights on and rummaged on the fridge. “How did you stand sitting here with the lights off?”“That’s not important. So? Where did you go?” Kris asked, still waiting for her answer.“I just went in the bookstore dad,” she emphasized that last part. She always liked to call him that, especially when he was acting like this.Kris chuckled. “Fine. Here. I heard your stomach when you entered.” He pushed the box of pizza on the table.She quickly sn
ANOTHER day meant a chance to redeem herself from the embarrassment that happened to her yesterday. Running towards the main entrance, the guard suddenly stopped Kace, confusing her.“Your identification card miss?” The guard asked her. “Oh, right!” She dug inside her bag and searched for her ID. Why did I forget to wear it today? I’ll be late again in class for sure. She managed to wake up early and avoid his brother’s attempt to make breakfast again and yet, this came up. “Miss, where is it?” the guard demanded her. Kace was positive that her ID was inside her bag but then, she couldn’t find it this time. Damn it!She was starting to get anxious, not because of the guard but because of the time. Come on just show yourself to me now. “If you don’t have it, then you can’t enter miss. You know the rules.” The guard reminded her, annoying her even more.“Uhm… it’s just here somewhere… please just let me in. I’ll be late for class now, sir.” She tried to beg but he ignored her instea
KACE walked her way to their office walking past the field. While walking, she suddenly saw Luke watching intently on the side as the soccer players warmed up. She sighed deeply before taking the courage to go up to him. “Luke.”The guy got startled when he heard his name being called. He turned beside him and saw Kace approaching. He was about to leave but then, she stopped him. “Wait!” He didn’t move and waited for her to speak. “Uh… w-were you just watching the players?”“Why are you asking?” He asked in monotone.“I just thought… maybe you wanted to join their team?”“No.” Luke turned his back at her and was determined to march his way out. But then, she spoke again. “If you want to join… I can help you.”But he didn’t respond and just walked away from her. Kace was pissed because of this. How rude! She still owed him for giving back her ID card so she just let that pass this time. Out of nowhere, the soccer ball came flying towards her way, bouncing on top of her head. Kace
“WHAT did I just get myself into?” Kace mumbled to herself as she walked along the hallways of their building. “How am I supposed to convince a student to join the pub? Ugh!” She shook her head.Suddenly, someone blocked her way. When she looked up, she saw Kris infront of her. “K-Kris?”Her brother smirked. “Why are you reacting like you’ve seen a ghost?”“Oh… uh… nothing. It’s just that students may see you talking to me,” she answered, almost whispering.“Don’t worry about it. They won’t notice. Why are you bowing your head while walking? What if you bump into a wall?”“I don’t care about the wall right now. I just don’t know where to find someone to join us.” She sighed.“I’m sure you’ll find a way. You’re Kace the Great, right?” He tapped her shoulder. She nodded at her brother. “You should get going now. Someone may see us.” She reminded him.Kris nodded. “Goodluck!” He turned his back and started to march his way out of the building. She continued to walk forward still thinki
KACE walked her way towards her apartment after hours of making the flyers. She decided to stop by at a convenience store nearby. She sat by the window and ate her noodles quietly while still in deep thought. Where in the world can I find students to complete the editorial board?She banged her head on the table trying to rack her brain for some answers.Meanwhile, Luke had been following Kace on her way home after Nix gave him her address. He thought it was not right to follow someone but he needed to talk to her about Chemistry. When she entered the convenience store, he secretly hid on one of the aisles inside and watched her eat. He thought that would be the right time to go up to her but he just couldn’t find the courage to move.Suddenly, his phone rang. “Lance?” He answered. “Luke, where are you?” His brother asked.He scanned the store. “Uh… just somewhere near our house.”“Really? Are you sure?”Luke noticed Kace standing up already so he quickly said, “Ah… just wait inside
MILLIE’s hands started to tremble, as soon as she finished reading the letter which Luke gave her. She couldn’t understand anything from it. Her tears just started to escape from her eyes and she didn’t know how long this would last. Fortunately, Luke was there to comfort her. “Kace, I’m sorry.” He muttered.“Luke, I don’t understand. What happened before? Who is trying to threaten mom? Why is she protecting us from that person? Please just tell me…” She pleaded.Luke heaved a sigh. “Just… calm down for now, Kace.”“Luke, I can’t just calm down now. What do you know? Please… I beg of you.” She could feel her knees getting weak already so Luke assisted her to sit on the couch first.Mykel already appeared from the kitchen by that time with a glass of water in his hands and handed it to Millie. “Here. Drink first before you hear us out.”She nodded, taking a drink from the glass. “Now tell me…”***Eleven-year-olds Landon and Xander were playing in the playground during that one afterno
MYKEL has been convincing Luke to go home already later that afternoon, but the latter just wouldn’t hear him out. The result of the try-outs was already released and he didn’t make it into the team so he was really devastated. The fact that Millie didn’t show up added up to his frustration even more.“Come on, man. Depressing yourself like this won’t do any good.” Mykel told him off. “It’s pouring hard already. We need to go home.”Luke was already drenched under the rain, but he kept on kicking the ball in the field, ignoring his friend’s plead. “Just go home first. I’ll stay here for a while.”“But Luke…” Mykel tried to insist once again.“I said just go!” Luke yelled, causing Mykel to just walk away from him.The latter decided to go to Millie’s apartment to check on her. There must be a reason why she didn’t show up, he thought. When he reached there, Aunt Lucinda greeted him at the front door. “Auntie, is Kace there?”“Uh… yes. Why?”“Can I see her?”Aunt Lucinda nodded and led
MILLIE followed Luke in silence, as they reached the soccer field inside the university grounds. There were only a few people there at the moment, mostly players. Some cheerleaders were also there in the field practicing their routine and stunts. She was too busy looking around that she failed to hear Luke speaking to her. “Kace, did you hear me?”“Uh… s-sorry. What was that?”“Can you help me practice for the tryouts tomorrow?”“H-How will I help you? I don’t know how to play.”Luke moved closer to her and placed his hands on both her shoulders. “Just stand here and cheer for me. That’s more than enough,” he said, smiling.She didn’t know if it was just the effect of the scorching sun, ‘cause she suddenly felt her cheeks burning when he said that. It wasn’t a strange feeling to her because she felt like this has happened before. She just nodded at him, as Luke already grabbed the soccer ball and positioned it on the ground.Luke took a breath then slowly turned to see Millie. He sudd
KRIS has been following Chandler that day in secret to see any suspicious movement from him. His fake mustache has been irritating his philtrum for minutes now, but he had to endure. He hated the fact that the one person he thought he could trust was actually the reason why his sister was being threatened.As Chandler entered a clothing shop, he quickly followed him inside pretending to be picking out a suit on one aisle. His dark shades was hindering him from seeing clearly, but he shouldn’t take it off or else Chandler might recognize him. While scanning, someone suddenly bumped into him from behind. “Oh, sorry.” He heard a girl’s voice apologizing to him.He turned around and was stunned to see a familiar person infront of him. What’s she doing here? He thought. “It’s alright, miss.”The girl was about to walk away, but then, she paused, leaning closer to his face and staring at him behind his shades. “Have we met before?” She asked him with an arched brow.“Uh… no. I’ll go ahead.”
As soon as Mykel came back from the store, he quickly noticed the absence of Millie in the backseat. “Where did she go?” He asked himself.That moment, Luke also reached the car, seeing Mykel outside. He turned to him in confusion. “What are you doing here, Mykel? Let’s go now.”“Kace… she’s not here,” Mykel told him anxiously.“What???” Luke almost yelled. “But you were with her inside the car. Where did she go?”“I…” He paused, scratching his head. “…I left her for a little while.”“Myke! What the hell!” Luke yelled, gritting his teeth.“Maybe she just went out? Or she already went back to her apartment?” Mykel reasoned out.Luke quickly dialled Millie’s phone number. It was her aunt who answered the phone. “Yes, Luke?”“Uh… I was just wondering auntie, is Kace already there?” Luke asked, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice.“Oh, she’s still not here. Why?”“Ah… we just thought… uh it’s nothing, auntie. Thank you. Bye.” Luke hung up after that, turning to Mykel with a furious lo
“Kace, there are lots of things that you still don’t know. But don’t worry, we’ll tell everything at the right time,” Mykel answered her previous query.“Don’t think about it too much now, Kace. It won’t do you any good,” Luke said, holding her back.“Come on guys. We’re supposed to have fun tonight, right?” Mykel said, trying to break the gloomy atmosphere. He scanned Millie’s shelves hoping to find something interesting, but only books were there. “This is so boring. Who wants to watch a movie?”When no one answered, Mykel started to play a movie using Millie’s laptop, but all Millie could think about were the revelations she just heard. She just really couldn’t believe that Chandler even lied to her. Why would he do that?“Kace,” Luke whispered beside her to catch her attention. He knew too well that she was deep in thought.Millie lifted her chin up to face Luke. “Does it mean that the letter…” She paused. “… the one which came with the rabbit were from you? You wrote that letter?
Millie was taken aback to what Luke told her. But, she didn’t know why she suddenly felt his sincerity upon saying that. It was like it was the biggest truth she ever heard her entire life. But, she had to shake those thoughts away knowing that she was already engaged. Now she was getting more confused already.“Luke, what are you saying?” She asked boldly.Luke released her from his hug and looked at her. “I should’ve told you this sooner… when you were still…Kace.”“Kace?” She asked back almost immediately. She knew she heard that name before. But where? When?“Millie, your real name is Kassandra Larson, or Kace, as what everyone calls you,” he said, looking at her and gauging her reaction.“W-What?” She suddenly remembered the time she first landed Florida. Everyone was calling her that name. But, why didn’t anyone tell her the truth, not even her brother Kris?“I know why your dad changed your name… Kace. He’s been trying to protect you from the people who tried to kill you…” He p
“Millie, ready to go?” Kris asked, as soon as they reached the airport. It was the day of her flight back to New York and she couldn’t help but feel sad that she’s about to leave her friends again.She nodded, as she followed her brother entering inside. She heaved a sigh. Chandler has been accepted as an exchange student in UCLA, where Kris was also enrolled. They wouldn’t be seeing each other for at least one semester, but Chandler promised her to visit her in New York once in a while.“Millie?” She heard Kris calling her again, interrupting her thoughts. “You alright?”She nodded again. They were about to head inside already when suddenly she heard someone calling her from a distance. “Hey, Millie!” When she turned around, she saw her friends jogging towards them.“Guys! Uh… what are you doing here?” She asked them.“We were caught in traffic. We’re glad we still saw you,” Brandon said.She was about to answer them, but Nix already pulled her in a hug. “Millie! I can’t believe you’
LUKE was now pacing back and forth inside the cabin, while Mykel and Vince tried to calm him down. It was already past midnight, but he had no plans of sleeping after what happened. He badly wanted to see Millie. His thoughts got interrupted when his phone started ringing. “Hello?”“Luke.” He heard Chandler on the other end of the line.“What?”“Millie… wants to see you.”He didn’t mind continuing the call after hearing that. He quickly rushed outside to find his car. “Where are you going, Luke?” Mykel asked, catching up behind him.“To the hospital,” he said, opening the car door.Mykel stopped him in the arm. “But Chandler…”“He called me and said that Millie wants to see me,” he answered with a hint of worry and delight in his voice.“Alright then.” Mykel dropped his hand. “I’ll come with you. Vince, just stay here.” He ordered his younger brother, before completely entering inside the car.When the two reached inside the hospital, they quickly saw Chandler, Kris and Nix sitting ou