Chapter 5: The Past Catches Up

Astrid quickly put on the already ironed dress hanging above the mirror. Once she finished dressing, she made her way out of the room and into the familiar, crooked apartment.

"Why didn't I end up somewhere better as I grew? What happened to my *leave as soon as I can walk and talk* plan?" Astrid muttered as she made her way to the sitting room.

There, she saw a pale, slightly hunched woman.

"Who's this?" Astrid asked, her brows furrowing.

The woman turned, and immediately, a current surged through Astrid's veins, rooting her to the spot. Memories—videos of everything that had happened up until now—flashed before her eyes. Her heart ached as realization dawned.

"Evelyn…" Astrid whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me by my name," the woman said softly, holding Astrid's hands and stroking them lovingly.

"I'm so sorry… Mom, I meant to say," Astrid corrected herself, forcing a smile.

"Good girl. Now sit and eat. Your sister will be coming down soon," Evelyn said, pulling out a chair and beckoning Astrid to sit.

"Okay, Mom," Astrid replied, immediately sitting down and beginning to eat the food before her. She watched Evelyn shuffle toward the kitchen, her slow, unsteady steps making it seem as though she might fall at any moment.

"So… I didn't go anywhere. My life just got fast-forwarded, and I didn't leave because of Evelyn. Why did she even save me when those creatures attacked me?" Astrid thought, staring at the direction Evelyn had gone. Her mind wandered to memories of how Evelyn had cared for her as a baby.

"She's worth staying back for," Astrid muttered to herself, her hand rolling into a fist. "Her motherly care, despite me not being her child... It doesn't seem so bad to catch up on the things I missed out on as a teenager. Besides, I've always wanted to try living like a normal girl. Now I have the chance, so I see no reason to leave." A faint smile played on her lips as she continued eating her emotions calm already accepting her new life.

"Tsk, someone's running mad, talking to herself," a familiar voice sneered.

Astrid turned to see Ciara making her way to the dining table, light makeup adorning her face. She was dressed in a short, printed peach skirt and a white shirt, with a few buttons undone to reveal her ample cleavage. A silver necklace hung around her neck, enhancing her seductive appearance.

"You're definitely the one running mad," Astrid shot back, turning her attention back to her food.

Ciara rolled her eyes. As she ate, she spoke rudely, "Well, I'm meeting Roman today, and I don't want you anywhere near him."

"Roman? Who's Roman?" Astrid asked, glancing at Ciara, whose eyes lit up at the question.

"Roman is the school hunk. All the girls are crushing on him. Last year, he personally won the battle between Royal Wolves High and—" Ciara suddenly stopped, realizing she was saying too much. She frowned and added curtly, "Anyway, you're just an adopted slave. He's out of your league, so stay away."

With that, Ciara stood up from the table and headed for the door.

"It seems she's going to school," Astrid mused, noticing fragments of her memory still missing. She stood up and followed Ciara out the door.

"Bye, Mom!" Astrid shouted, shutting the door behind her.

---

Astrid followed Ciara, her steps casual and nonchalant as if she weren't tailing her at all.

"Hey, girl!" a cute voice called out ahead.

Astrid looked up to see a girl in her late teens waving in their direction. Her coffee-brown hair cascaded down her waist, occasionally covering her face as the wind blew. The girl delicately pushed her hair back and continued waving.

"Is she my friend?" Astrid wondered, instinctively waving back.

"Kiran!" Ciara shouted, waving enthusiastically.

Astrid froze mid-wave. "So embarrassing," she muttered, lowering her hand and glancing around to see if anyone had noticed.

"Who's talking to you?" Kiran sneered at Astrid before turning to Ciara with a bright smile. "Are you really doing it today?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Another rude one," she thought, but kept quiet and followed them calmly from behind.

"Once I get to this supposed school, I'm ditching these two bitches," she muttered under her breath.

---

A few minutes later, they arrived at a high wall topped with barbed wire. A grey door stood in the center.

"We've arrived, I think. Hmm… I'll try climbing this someday," Astrid thought, eyeing the wall's height. She stepped between Ciara and Kiran, deliberately brushing their shoulders as she walked through the entrance.

Inside, she found herself in an open field surrounded by different building segments, each with inscriptions like *Royals*, *Knights*, *Assassins*, *Wrestlers*, and *Nobles*.

"Really? Is this a school?" Astrid thought, dumbfounded.

Her legs moved instinctively toward the *Assassins* section, but a small voice whispered in her mind: *I thought you wanted something different?*

"Hell yeah. I'm definitely leading a different life," Astrid replied to herself, turning toward the *Royals* section.

"So weird, but how bad could it be?" she muttered, dragging herself in that direction.

---

Upon arrival, Astrid met the teacher—a woman with beautiful silver hair. The air around her radiated elegance.

"Good morning, ma'am. May I join your class?" Astrid asked politely, surprising even herself. "When did I become this nice? And what's with these weird emotions?"

"Sure. I'm Amelia," the teacher replied warmly, interrupting Astrid's train of thought.

"Thank you," Astrid said, making her way to the nearest chair.

"Ma'am, she's not worth this class. Her clothes are lowly, and she's just an adopted child," a girly voice whined from behind.

Astrid turned to stare at the girl. Her eyes trailed down to the exposed fair neck, noting the pronounced vein sticking out.

"For fuck's sake, if I were Arya, you wouldn't be breathing right now. *Sigh*. But I'm Astrid now, and that's your saving grace," she thought, turning back to the teacher.

"Be nice, Tris. That's not an elegant thing to say," the teacher admonished. "Do you mind introducing yourself so we can all get to know you?"

"Hi, y'all. I'm Astrid," she said, catching a glimpse of a caramel-skinned guy staring at her like he wanted to bore a hole through her.

"We're happy to have you here, Astrid. You may sit," the teacher said, giving her a friendly smile.

Astrid nodded lightly before taking her seat.

---

**Flashback:**

As Astrid saw Evelyn, she immediately recalled a small version of herself trying to leave the house when she had just learned to speak. She had been attacked by rogue wolves, and Evelyn had fought fiercely, nearly losing her life. The battle had severely injured Evelyn's wolf form, making it impossible for her to shift again without risking her life.

"I swear I'll never leave your side again. It's all my fault," Astrid said, holding Evelyn's frail hand.

"Don't swear. Just call me Mom. I'm okay with that," Evelyn replied with a weak smile.

"I'll call you that, Evelyn—I mean, Mom," Astrid said, gripping Evelyn's hand gently, afraid of breaking her fragile bones.

"Yes… that's it. Good child," Evelyn whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry, please…" For the first time, both as Astrid and as Arya, she felt truly emotional.