Anna, still a bit agitated, kept trying to open the door over and over, turning the knob insistently, as if somehow that would help her escape the chaos in her mind.
But each attempt was futile; the lock kept her trapped in this room that, though familiar, felt completely foreign. The sound of the rain outside only made her feel more confined.
"What are you doing?"
Leo's voice snapped her out of her desperation. He was standing beside her, frowning slightly as he watched her.
Anna stopped struggling with the door and looked at him, feeling a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
She wasn't sure how to explain what she was doing, let alone justify it.
But before she could say anything, Leo shrugged and casually remarked,
"Maybe the headmistress locked the door so we wouldn't make more noise. She tends to do that." He paused and then added, "I'd suggest going to sleep. That way, if you need to go to the bathroom, you can hold it until she unlocks the door."
Anna shook her head repeatedly, pressing her lips together.
"No… it's not that," she responded awkwardly, avoiding his gaze out of embarrassment. "I just wanted to go to another room… to see if I could find someone."
"Find someone?" Leo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Who?"
Anna swallowed hard.
She didn't want to reveal too much, but she couldn't stay silent either.
"Edrick," she said, almost in a whisper.
"Edrick…" Leo repeated the name with a puzzled expression. "Wait, how did you know my name before?"
The question hit Anna hard, making her tense up.
The logic behind that question was undeniable. She had just arrived, and it was the first time she saw these children. There was no way she could know who he was, at least not in any way Leo would consider possible.
Her mind raced frantically, searching for an answer that could save her from suspicion.
"Because… you look like a Leo," Anna blurted out without much thought, as if it were a revelation.
As soon as she said it, she knew it made no sense, but there was no taking it back now.
Leo stared at her, and a look of genuine confusion crossed his face.
"A Leo face?" he asked, as if trying to understand how that made sense on any level.
Desperate to change the subject, Anna smiled nervously and, trying to sound as casual as possible, asked,
"Or was I wrong? If it's not your name, please tell me."
Leo looked at her for a few more seconds, still unconvinced, but finally sighed and replied,
"No… you weren't wrong. My name's Leo."
Hearing those words, Anna felt a small wave of relief wash over her. At least, for now, she had managed to divert the conversation before things got more complicated.
"Well, I'm Anna," she responded, and with a small smile, extended her hand toward him.
Leo blinked, surprised by the gesture, but after a few seconds, he returned the handshake with simple firmness, clasping her hand.
For Anna, that simple contact meant so much more than Leo could imagine.
It had been years since she had greeted someone this way, and doing it with Leo, someone who had been so important to her in the past, filled her chest with an unexpected warmth.
It was… comforting.
Before they could exchange more words, the sound of another fight among the younger children shattered the momentary calm.
Leo sighed, looking over at the group that had started pushing each other again.
"I have to see what the heck is going on over there," he said, letting go of Anna's hand and getting up with evident resignation.
Anna watched him walk over to the children, his familiar figure still stirring a strange mix of nostalgia and confusion in her heart.
She sighed as she returned to her bed, though her mind was far from calm.
The thought of what she should do in the coming days kept hammering in her head.
She was back in a time when she could change everything… but the question was, how would she do it?
Just as she sat on her bed, she felt a gaze on her. She looked up and met the eyes of a girl on the top bunk.
The girl was watching her with a mix of curiosity and some interest.
"Hey," the girl said from above, her voice cautious but friendly. "Wanna come up?"
Anna blinked, surprised by the invitation.
She wasn't sure what this girl wanted, and part of her felt a slight distrust.
'What does she want from me?' she thought as she looked at the top bunk.
For a moment, she hesitated. But finally, she decided to climb up and see what it was about.
Something inside her told her that, in this new beginning, she needed to pay attention to every detail and, of course, to every person.