In the realm of emptiness, a child was trapped. His innocent purple eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for someone. The environment was an endless white, as if light passed through every side equally.
"Mom!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the void.
"Where are you? Answer me!"
Suddenly, he heard someone crying. He turned toward the sound and started running, his small feet pounding against the unseen ground.
"Mom?"
He saw the silhouette of a woman, standing. He turned toward her. Relief spread over his frightened face as he confirmed that it was her form.
He shouted for her, a smile on his face, filled with hope. He however stopped when he clearly saw her.
His mother was full of bruises and wounds. However, she had a warm smile across her face.
"What happened, Mom?" he asked as he slowly walked up to her, tears shaking his voice.
"Marcus! Sorry!" she said, and then she disappeared.
"Mom? Where are you?" Marcus's voice cracked out as he begged her to come back. Panic surged through him, speeding his heart.
He felt a sudden pain cutting across his chest and looked down to see the scar spreading. He let out a wail in his distress. Tears scoured his cheeks as he tried to make sense of it all.
And then, poof! Everything began to disappear around him.
He jolted awake, making the girl sitting beside him jump in her seat. They were in a business administration class at Arora University. The classroom hummed with student chatter, and the warm sunlight streaming through the windows highlighted the tidy rows of desks.
"Don't scare me like that, Marcus!" the girl sighed, holding her chest.
The girl, Lily, was pretty, with shoulder-length light brown hair that framed her dainty face. Her innocent hazel eyes were wide with surprise, and her cheeks puffed out in a mix of frustration and relief. She had a soft warm complexion, and her light pink lips were pursed in an annoyed pout.
"Oh no, sorry, I didn't sleep well last night," Marcus replied, trying to brush it off.
"What? Did you ignore my warning and take up another part-time night shift?" Lily asked suspiciously.
Caught red-handed, Marcus hesitated. He had worked that night but tried to cover it up. "Ah… no, I was just watching a series," he replied, avoiding her gaze.
"I know you! You don't listen to me and keep neglecting your health!" Lily said, crossing her arms and pouting in frustration.
"I still have rent to pay," Marcus said, resting his head in his hand in defeat.
"And the money I gave you?" Lily asked angrily, leaning closer to him.
Marcus didn't reply, not wanting to confess that he hadn't spent the money she gave him out of pride. To change the subject, he quickly asked, "Anyway, didn't your high school junior join the university this year? Did you meet her?"
That tactic paid off; Lily's face lit up, and her eyes sparkled. "I ran into Ashley earlier! She enrolled in criminology. Do you know how much she's changed even in a year?" she exclaimed, opening up with excitement about her old friend.
As Lily went on talking, Marcus surveyed the whole classroom. Most of the students hadn't even arrived, and those present were waiting for the new professor.
He looked towards the last bench and saw Billy peacefully asleep with his head lying on the desk, Austin engrossed in his phone, and Annie calmly reading a book. But Marcus was not interested in them.
"Are you looking for your girlfriend?" Lily teased, leaning closer with a mischievous smile.
Marcus looked at her for a moment, shocked out of his thoughts. He composed himself fast, cleared his throat, and said, "I don't think she's here yet."
At that exact moment, someone entered the classroom. Right on cue with Marcus's words, Evelyn Parker walked in.
Standing at the door, Evelyn scanned the entire class, her ice-blue eyes observing each corner. Finally, her gaze stopped at Marcus's bench, and she smiled.
Marcus froze in shock, unable to comprehend why she was smiling at him.
Her heart racing with joy, Evelyn didn't hesitate but ran toward the bench. Marcus's excitement and pace increased as she approached, but it crashed to the ground when he realized she was coming for Lily, not him.
"Lily, I missed you so much!" Evelyn exclaimed, pulling Lily into a warm hug.
"I missed you too," Lily replied with a smile, her enthusiasm matching Evelyn's. "How was your vacation? Did you have fun?" she asked, stepping back.
"I had so much fun! We'll talk more after class in the cafeteria. I have so much to catch up on," Evelyn said eagerly, then waved goodbye and headed toward the last bench, leaving Lily smiling after her.
"Someone seems disappointed," Lily teased as she turned back to Marcus, taking her seat.
"
I'm not disappointed about anything," Marcus replied, though the disappointment in his tone was unmistakable.
"Okay, sure. One day, Evelyn will come and have a real conversation with you," Lily said with a pretense at cheeriness, knowing full well why Evelyn interacted with her.
"When do you feel you'll ever get a decent woman like Evelyn?" Marcus thought, as he sank deeper into his own doubts.
"Come on, don't give yourself a tongue-lashing," Lily counseled Marcus, patting him reassuringly on the back.
Meanwhile, in the back of the class, Evelyn hid her face on the desk, shaming her self for not being able to do this math problem.
"I miss talking to him again," she whispered to herself.
"What's with this for a year," Annie complained, sounding thoroughly disappointed.
"Why are you having such an ordeal over something so apparent?" Austin questioned, cocking his head to one side.
"Every time I try to talk to him, it ends up like this. At least Lily understands me, so that's enough," Evelyn said, standing up, attempting to brush off the conversation.
"What's up with him?" Evelyn asked, glancing at Billy, who was still asleep on his desk.
"So, Mr. Night Owl here stayed up all night playing games and never slept, so now he has class to catch up on," Austin explained with a grin.
"Two minutes to class, Billy," Annie said, but Billy didn't stir. Annie fretted with disappointment as she shook her head at his carelessness.
After a few minutes, the new professor arrived to begin his class. All the students, especially the boys, were left dazed, with their mouths slightly agape. The reason? The person who walked in wasn't the Amy Anderson everyone was expecting—a middle-aged woman. Instead, standing before them was a stunningly beautiful woman in her mid-twenties.
She had dark brown hair neatly tied back, piercing green eyes that scanned the classroom with sharp intensity behind a pair of sleek, rectangular glasses, and a perfectly tailored suit that exuded professionalism. Her demeanour was strict, and her very presence commanded immediate attention.
"Good morning, class," Amy Anderson greeted in a firm, commanding tone.
"I am your new professor of Financial Management. Nice to meet you," she said with a sharp-cut voice like a knife.
Meanwhile, Austin glanced at Billy who was still dozing off at his desk. Irritated, Austin grabbed Billy by the collar and hauled him upright into his seat. "Class has started! Wake up!" he muttered, annoyed.
Billy slowly opened his eyes and gazed drowsily in the direction of the stage. His visions were blurry, and he rubbed them in an attempt to clear them up. Finally, when he could see clearly the new professor, his eyes widened in pure shock.
The night of that fateful incident was etched vividly in his mind-20 months ago. The face he barely remembered, blurry and indistinct at the time, stood now crystal-clear before him.
It was her. The angel.
The professor continued introducing herself, "As I was saying, my name is—"
But before she could finish, Billy shot up from his seat, his voice ringing through the room. "Angel!" he shouted loudly, his tone filled with disbelief and emotion.
The entire class froze, stunned by the sudden outburst. All eyes turned to Billy in shock, then shifted to the professor for her reaction.