The girl with mint-coloured hair stared at Claire. She pouted her lips and furrowed her brows as if she was solving a challenging puzzle.  

Meanwhile, Claire sounded the alarms off in her head. Choices between telling the girl the truth and the consequences that followed gave her a raging headache. 

Staying silent would only rouse further suspicion, so Claire did the best next thing when her brain fritzed out. 

"Uhm." She forced her lips upwards, creating a crooked smile. 

Her inner self slapped her face for the pathetic attempt to buy time to answer the girl properly. 

"I…" the girl called 005490 started before closing her mouth. 

Saliva thickened in Claire's mouth, and she struggled to swallow. 

005490 grabbed Claire's hands and beamed a bright smile. "I can't believe you said that to 6675!" 

Claire hated how everyone's names were numbers. It was hard to keep track of who was who. "You mean the bitch?"

"B-b-bi-" 005490 stuttered before widening her eyes and slapping a hand over her mouth. Her ears turned pink.  

"I suppose you could call her a bully instead," Claire said with a short laugh.  

005490's face turned redder by the second. Finally, she looked away and cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. Then, with a sheepish smile, she said, "I didn't even recognize you at first 7869!"

"Yeah?" Claire said. She was waiting for the body's previous owner to bring up memories of the girl in front of her. 

"I'm glad that you told the b-b-bit-," 005490 forced a cough before continuing, "-the bully off, but…" she dipped her head low, "you shouldn't attract attention. Especially from Mistress Dread. I don't want to see you hurt again."

Something tugged at Claire's heartstrings when she realized the girl in front of her showed genuine concern for a friend. But, as much as she hated to admit it, true feelings were a rare commodity in her life. Whether she worked at the office or the hostess bar, love and affection always came with a hefty price tag. 

"Are you alright?" 005490 asked with worry etched on her face. 

"S-sorry," Claire stammered out, unsure what to say next. She learned to pick up on people's emotions to survive in the world. Though she relied mainly on her intuition, she had a success rate of 80%. She escaped many a bad situation by simply reading people's true intentions.

However, her ability to be attuned to other people's emotions was a double-edged sword. It was an excellent survival skill to have when navigating through strict societal biases, but there were times when she met people who wore their hearts on their sleeves. Moreover, much to her dismay, those people tend to treat Claire with significant kindness.

It made her feel…uncomfortable and doubtful. 

The genuinely nice people, like the girl in front of her, frightened her. 

Anxiety brewed inside of Claire as she constantly had to check and recheck behind her shoulder, fearing that one day, the people she trusted the most would inevitably plunge a knife into her back. 

005490 generously gave Claire a radiant smile. "Don't be sorry! I just want to make sure you're alright. Besides, I should be the one to say sorry." She wrung her fingers together. "Even though I'm your friend, I could never stand up to the bully." 

The once bright smile dimmed. She took a step forward and fixed Claire's top as if it was the most natural thing to do. "So don't say sorry." Her voice waned, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, revealing the guilt and sadness behind them.

Claire's chest tightened. If she were this body's true owner, what would she say to her friend right now? 

No, it was useless to try and pretend to be 007869 when she knew next to nothing about the original owner of this body. 

"It takes a while to build your confidence and stand your ground," Claire blurted out. Her cheeks heated from the sudden outburst. 

Clearing her throat, she looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with 005790, who looked at her with so much…adoration. "What I'm trying to say is, don't force yourself. Until you gain confidence, I'll be with you."

There. That was what friends would say to each other, right? 

Though, Claire never really had close female friends. She supposed she had said the words she had always wanted to hear growing up. 

"You really have changed…" 005490 mumbled. 

Without warning, she tackled Claire and squeezed her middle for a tight hug. "Thanks, 7869!" 

Speechless, Claire awkwardly patted the girl's back. "I-I can't breathe." 

005490 laughed as she parted from Claire. "Sorry!"

A small smile crept up on Claire's lip and nestled there. Though she had a crappy morning, seeing 005490 brightened her once dark mood.

She's a good person. I'm jealous that you have a nice friend. Claire thought, her heart coloured with envy. 

"Attention, graduates!" A loud voice boomed and bounced off the walls. 

As if Claire was in a vacuum, the noises and the bustling of people vanished altogether. She felt a shift in the air as every single person in this room seemed to turn to the speaker simultaneously. 

Claire was near the back of the group. She couldn't make out the details of the new person entering the foyer other than the colour of their hair and outfit. 

Up the thirty or so flight of stairs, a woman wearing the same uniform as Mistress Dread stood in front of the ornate door. She had bright red curly hair down to her waist.

"Good morning!" The red-headed woman's voice boomed through the speakers placed around the room.

"Good morning, Mistress Lavender." Everyone replied in unison, sans Claire. 

It was a bit eery how still everyone stood. But then again, she did hear Master Rain mention that she was to be shipped off to become a soldier for the Imperial Family. 

Was this place a training camp? It would make sense why everyone seemed disciplined in the face of authority. 

Claire looked down at the scraps of cloth barely covering her body. Then again, what kind of soldiers wore such revealing outfits?

"You have now graduated from the Garden of Lavender!" Mistress Lavender said with a squeal. "But you still have a long way to go to be useful to our beloved Imperial Family." 

Claire stole a glance at 005490. Her eyes seemed unfocused, but her face expressed absolute bliss. Suspicion rose, and Claire began to observe the girls around her. They all had a similar expression to 005490. 

"Behind this door is your final step to reach new heights!" Mistress Garden presented the giant ornate door behind her. 

The door was at least twenty feet high. The middle of the door had a giant prism-shaped crystal affixed to it. In addition, there were pebbles of coloured jewels framing said prism. 

"But first, a word from the holy noble families!" Mistress Lavender announced. 

The crowd went wild. Cheers and claps flooded the once deathly quiet room. 

Claire saw some girls crying with bright smiles on their faces. 

"What the hell…" Claire muttered as she took a small step back, away from the door and distancing herself from the cult-like behaviour.

Twelve people walked up the stairs in a single file. 

"Madam Autumn!" A girl yelled. 

"Sir Moonfall!" Another girl screamed.

The foyer was filled with voices begging for the twelve people's attention, and for a moment, Claire thought she was at a concert or a fan meet-and-greet event. 

She squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at their faces, but she was too far away. 

The twelve representatives of the holy noble family lined up shoulder to shoulder. 

There were four men dressed in white suits or uniforms. They wore a captain's hat with some sort of a symbol on the front. Their shoulders had decorative gold tassels and a cape covering their body's right side. 

Each of the men's capes was different, with a unique coat of arms printed on them. 

From left to right, there was a black-haired man with a white cape, a red-haired man with a yellow cape and a brown-haired man with a green cape.

Next to the men were eight women. The women wore a long flowing white dress with a thick golden roped belt that cinched their waist. The dress cut was uneven as the front reached their upper thighs and the back pooled to the floor. They wore matching gold crowns that reminded Claire of a laurel. 

Though the women's outfits looked simpler than the men's, in a way, their outfits reminded Claire of paintings of Greek Goddesses with a white cotton cloth draped over their bodies. 

The women had different hair colours ranging from fiery red to the coolest blue as if they planned to make their hair colour resemble the rainbow.

Claire was jealous that they were allowed to wear actual clothes instead of whatever monstrosity she was wearing. Compared to them, she felt and looked like a dollar hooker. 

Mistress Lavender raised a hand, and the crowd went silent once again. 

It was amazing and a bit disturbing how much power and control Mistress Lavender had over a room full of rowdy young adults. 

"They will be your fellow classmates, and who knows, one of the holy knights may become your handler!" Mistress Lavender exclaimed as if she was a dealer at an auction. 

Claire furrowed her brows. She didn't like the word handler. Perhaps she misunderstood the situation, but it almost seemed like a master and servant relationship. 

I'm probably just overthinking this. Claire sucked in her bottom lip. She still had too many questions and too few answers. 

"Now, a word from Madam Autumn," Mistress Lavender said. 

The woman with long flowing silver hair stepped forward. Her hair reflected the lights in the room, giving an illusion of an angelic halo forming around her. 

"Greetings," Madam Autumn said. Despite the speakers amplifying her voice, she sounded soft and quiet. 

"We all feel honoured today to be able to study, learn, and grow stronger alongside you. It is humbling to know the burning passion in each of you to protect our glorious leader, the Imperial Family." 

The room stayed silent, but some girls clasped their hands together in a sign of prayer and nodded along to Madam Autumn's words. 

"As Mistress Lavender had said, the four holy knights are always looking for their compatible partners as it is our duty to reclaim the sacred rights of our lost land. We all look forward to getting to know each and every one of you." Madam Autumn raised her arms like a pastor at a church praising the Lord. "Glory to the Imperial Family!"

"GLORY TO THE IMPERIAL FAMILY!" Everyone shouted in unison.

Claire jumped from the sudden loud declaration. Bewildered at first, but slowly, her brows furrowed, and her lips twisted in disgust.

Several thoughts ran through her mind. 

First, this must be an alternate universe where she somehow ended up in a country or state with a fascist regime. 

Second, this world must have magic, considering she somehow inhabited another person's body. 

And lastly, as much as she wanted to think of a plan of getting the hell out of here, there was an itch in her brain she couldn't scratch.

For some reason, the words Handler and Holy Knights wouldn't stop circling in her mind. It was a sense of déjà vu – like she had once heard these words from a time long forgotten.

Like peeking through the ajar door, Claire could almost recall where she had heard these words. 

Aidan Stone.

Her mind whispered. 

Before she could grab hold of the tail of that information, it crumbled like sand and slipped between her fingers. 

"7869?" 005490 grabbed Claire's hand and tugged. "Are you okay?" She tilted her head to the side, and her braids fell over her shoulders. 

Claire blinked away her thoughts. She refocused her attention back to the present. "Uh, yes! Yes, I'm alright. You were saying?" 

005490 steepled her fingers together and presented a grin that reached from ear to ear. "We get to graduate now!"

Though Claire couldn't share the same sentiment 005490 felt, she forced a cheery countenance. Witnessing the display of unadulterated loyalty to this Imperial Family, she came to realize there was one thing similar to her old world.

She glanced at 005490's warm smile. 

Claire Ortiz cannot trust anyone here.