The car slowed to a stop.
Through the windshield she could already see it blue and purple light spilling out from the wide-open garage bays, race cars gleaming under the glow, people everywhere. Moving, talking, laughing. Expensive outfits. Confident postures. The kind of crowd that belonged somewhere like this.
Noel cut the engine.
Aika sat still for exactly two seconds.
Okay. It's fine. Just a gathering. Just people. Science brain on. Observe. Don't talk too much—
She opened the door and stepped out first.
The cold air hit her. The light hit her. The noise hit her.
And then the people hit her.
Not literally. But almost worse several heads turned. Just for a second. Just a glance. The way people look when something catches their peripheral vision, and they check without meaning to.
Aika stood next to the car door and felt every single one of those glances land on her like small weights.
Oh.
Oh no.
There are so many people.
Her excitement which had survived the outfit chaos, the silent car ride, even Noel pulling her back by her clothes quietly packed its bags and left.
Just like that. Gone.
She pulled her muffler slightly higher.
I want to go back inside the car.
She had pulled the muffler all the way up.
Past her chin. Past her mouth. Up to just below her eyes.
Only her eyes were visible now wide, confused, darting nervously from left to right. Tracking the people moving near the entrance. The ones already going inside. The groups standing around talking. The ones who had already glanced at her once.
She was not moving.
Just standing next to the car. Muffler up. Eyes scanning. Looking like she was doing recon for a mission she had not signed up for.
Then
"Helena."
She turned.
Ren was already jogging toward her from across the lot, helmet tucked under one arm, easy grin on his face. He must have spotted her the second she stepped out.
He reached her and immediately looked at her face.
Or what was left of it.
Just the eyes. Blinking up at him. Nervously.
He pressed his lips together very hard.
Do not laugh. Do not laugh right now.
"You good?" he asked.
Her eyes slid sideways toward the crowd near the entrance.
Then back to him.
He completely lost the battle and laughed.
Before she could even finish forming the thought is there any possible way I can go back a voice cut through from her right.
Low. Unbothered. Completely flat.
"You're late."
She turned slowly.
Vahn was walking toward them from the entrance, hands in his coat pockets, dressed almost identically to Noel long dark coat, sharp and composed. Like they had a group chat for outfits, and nobody informed Ren.
Or her.
But it wasn't Vahn that made her brain stutter.
It was the person walking beside him.
Dr. Haan.
Dressed nothing like Vahn. Nothing like Noel.
Leather jacket. Dark pants. Boots. Helmet tucked casually under one arm.
...He came on a bike.
The psychologist.
Came. On a bike.
She stared at him for probably two seconds too long.
Her eyes were stuck on him completely without her realizing it.
Does every doctor ride a bike? No, that can't be a general rule. Nahh Aika, why are you even thinking about this. He is also a human. He has his own interests. His own hobbies. Completely normal.
A pause.
...But still though. Wow.
It's my first time seeing this. I genuinely want to see how he rides. Is he super cool about it or is he a complete beginner? Because both are equally valid possibilities and I need to know which one
Click.
Fingers. Right in front of her eyes.
She blinked.
Ren was looking at her with the expression of someone who had been trying to get someone's attention for an embarrassingly long time.
"Hey. Helena." He snapped once more lightly. "Could you come back? Are you okay? I was asking you something."
"Hmm?" She straightened immediately. "Ahh yeah. Yes. I'm completely fine. What were you saying?"
Ren looked at her for one long second.
Then without another word he reached out and tugged her muffler down himself. Just below her chin. Casual. Like it was nothing.
"It's uncomfortable like that," he said simply. "And everyone here knows you so it's going to cause some trouble if you walk in looking like you're hiding. Also—" a small pause, "there's heating inside."
She processed the word 'heating.'
Heating.
Inside.
"...Okay," she said. Immediately.
Meanwhile the three of them Vahn, Dr. Haan, and Noel who had just parked and walked over had already fallen into their own conversation. Easy. Natural. Like a frequency only they were tuned into.
Aika watched it for exactly one second.
Interesting.
Then Ren gestured toward the entrance.
"Coming?"
She looked one last time at Dr. Haan.
I am definitely watching how he parks that bike later.
"Coming," she said, and followed.
The moment she stepped inside she regretted it.
Not because of the crowd or the noise or the overwhelming mix of engine fuel and expensive perfume.
Because of the faces.
First one she caught
...Julian.
Her brother. Standing near a group, drink in hand, laughing at something someone said.
She blinked.
What is he doing ...oh.
Oh right.
He's part of this circle too. Of course he is. I completely forgot.
She looked away before he could look up.
Then her eyes snagged on someone else.
Siara.
Standing not far from Julian, dressed perfectly, hair perfect, posture perfect. Already scanning the room the way people do when they are used to being looked at.
Aika's brain made the connection before she even finished the thought.
If Siara is here then,
She didn't want to look.
She looked anyway.
Corner of the room. Slightly away from the main crowd. Airon. Sitting down, leaning forward, deep in conversation with someone. Completely unbothered by the noise around him.
And Siara's eyes were already drifting toward him like a compass finding north.
Of course, Aika thought simply. Glued to each other as always. I already knew.
No bitterness. No ache. Just noted. Filed away. Moving on.
She pulled her gaze back.
Around her the circuit hummed with energy, laughter, conversations overlapping. Everyone comfortable. Everyone belonging.
She stood in the middle of it completely still.
Not searching for anyone. Not smiling. Not making eye contact.
Just existing in the room like a closed door.
She didn't realize she was doing it. But everyone who glanced her way got the same thing
A girl who very clearly did not want to be where she was.
She didn't announce anything.
She just quietly drifted sideways until she found a corner near the wall. Slightly away from the main crowd. Not too dark. Not too exposed. Just — a spot. Empty. Hers now.
She unwrapped her muffler slowly.
Ren was right. The heating was doing its job properly inside.
She folded it loosely over her arm and looked out at the whole circuit floor stretching ahead of her. Cars gleaming under blue and purple light. Groups of people clustered everywhere. Laughter she couldn't hear properly over the background hum of engines somewhere deeper in the building.
Then gradually the room shifted.
Conversations beginning to quiet down. Not all at once just slowly, like a wave pulling back. People who were standing started moving. Those who were going to ride tonight getting into position.
There is one more person, she realized, eyes scanning. Someone who hasn't arrived yet. Everyone's waiting.
She could feel it in the room. That specific stillness before something happens.
Then the entrance.
A figure walked in.
The remaining conversations dropped another notch. Not dramatically. Just naturally. The way a room adjusts when someone walks in, and the air rearranges itself slightly.
Aika straightened against the wall.
And then she saw the face.
Her eyes stayed very still.
...I know her.
Not from the novel. Not from Helena's memory.
From the hospital hallway. Just days ago. Coming out of Dr. Haan's office and catching a glimpse ... a girl standing with Noel. Talking quietly. Like they knew each other well.
She hadn't found out who she was then.
And now here she was.
All black. Long belted coat, wide leg pants, pointed heels, structured bag, sunglasses pushed up into dark hair. Walking into a racing circuit like she owned the floor beneath her feet.
Aika watched her from the corner.
Then her eyes drifted.
Noel. Black. Vahn. Black. Ren. Black. The new girl. Black. Helena herself in Black. aika first thought be like Woah matchy matchy hmmm
She counted quietly.
Six people. All black. All looking like they had coordinated without coordinating.
She stared at the room for a long moment.
Then very quietly, barely even moving her lips, she murmured to herself
"Wow... is everyone here on some kind of dress code or something? But then why are the others not in black but wow they are all really"
"Because black is not a dress code."
She flinched.
Physically. A small sharp jolt.
She turned her head slowly.
Dr. Haan was standing just slightly to her left, eyes still on the room ahead, expression completely calm. Like he hadn't just silently appeared beside her in her corner. Like he hadn't just answered a question she was asking herself.
She stared at the side of his face.
How.
How did you hear that.
I was barely even speaking.
He didn't look at her.
She blinked once.
"Oh." A pause. "Yes. Thanks for clearing that up."
Perfectly polite. Perfectly normal.
Inside —
Who ask you sir.
I did not ask you. I was talking to myself. In a low voice. In MY corner. That I found myself. Who told you to come stand here and answer questions that were not directed at you?
She kept her face completely neutral.
I already know you are watching me. And I have my eye on you too.
"You're welcome."
Still not looking at her.
She looked back at the room.
Stay away from me sir. Respectfully. With full politeness. Stay completely and entirely away.
Then Cecilia appeared on her other side.
Two drinks in hand. One offered toward Aika with a smile that was perfectly warm and perfectly unreadable at the same time.
Aika looked at the drink. Then at Cici. Then at the drink again.
Her brain was still half occupied with the Dr. Haan situation so she reached out and took it without really thinking.
Then one second later a single functioning brain cell woke up.
"Wait" she looked down at the glass. "These aren't alcoholic right?"
Cici looked at her.
Did she nod?
Aika thought she nodded. It was a very small movement. Very quick. Could have been a nod. Could have been Cici just shifting her weight slightly.
Aika stared at the glass in her hand.
She nodded. Right. That was definitely a nod meaning no they are not alcoholic.
A pause.
...Was that a nod.
She looked up.
Cici was already smiling at something else, attention drifting naturally across the room.
Aika looked back down at the glass.
She nodded.
Probably.
She sat there.
Glass in hand.
Just holding it.
Okay, she thought, staring at it. This glass is making me nervous. I don't even want water right now. Where do I put this. Can I just set it down somewhere. Is there a table. Why is there no table near me specifically.
She looked left. No table. She looked right. No table.
What a problem. I came here to see bikes not to babysit a suspicious drink.
Her eyes drifted across the room and landed on the mystery girl, now pulled into the orbit of Noel's group which at this point contained basically everyone. Noel. Vahn. Dr. Haan. All gathered loosely, talking.
I have high hopes for that one, she thought, watching her. Please be a badass on a bike. Please. Give me one good thing tonight.
Then the music shifted.
She didn't know who controlled the playlist. Didn't care. But whoever it was had just made one very good decision.
The beat dropped low and slow and familiar into the air ....
Dancing hummed through the circuit floor, bouncing off the concrete walls and the gleaming car hoods, filling every corner of the room.
Aika's foot moved first.
Small. Barely anything. Just a quiet tap against the floor following the rhythm without permission.
Then her head tilted slightly.
She wasn't thinking about the glass anymore. Wasn't thinking about Cici or Dr. Haan or the mystery girl or Airon sitting in that corner or Julian or any of it.
Just the beat.
And then , her guitar.
She hadn't thought about it in days. Too much happening. Too many faces and files and suspicious drinks and psychological doctors appearing in corners uninvited.
But the music pulled it out of her quietly.
Her guitar. Her actual guitar. Worn at the edges from use, not from decoration. The one she knew every scratch on.
She used to jam alone for hours when the apartment got too quiet. And during volunteer work. she smiled slightly without realizing it. she used to bring it sometimes. Sit down with people and just play. Nothing formal. Nothing planned. Just music happening in a room.
And they always enjoyed it.
She looked down at her fingers. Curled loosely around the untouched glass.
When everyone goes outside to ride, she thought simply, if there is a guitar anywhere in this building I am borrowing it.
No question about it.
The funny thing was
Nobody came to talk to her the entire time.
Not one person.
The room moved around her like water around a stone. Conversations circling. Groups forming and shifting. People glancing occasionally at the quiet girl in the corner but never quite making their way over.
The deliberate distance. The careful avoidance.
But Aika didn't notice.
Not once. Not even a little.
She was too busy thinking about guitar strings. About that one volunteer afternoon when an old man had started humming along without realizing it and then looked embarrassed when he caught himself.
She smiled at the memory.
Foot still tapping quietly to the music.
Glass still untouched in her hand.
Completely unbothered. Completely unaware. Completely and entirely inside her own world.
The isolation that was perhaps meant to make her feel small
She hadn't even registered it as isolation.
She was just existing. Comfortably. Alone in a crowd.
Like she always had. Like she always would.
This is actually fine, she thought genuinely. I'm having a perfectly good time.
Not far from where she sat, a small cluster of girls had already formed.
Heads slightly together. Voices low. Eyes occasionally flicking toward the corner where Aika had been sitting.
"Did you see her?"
"Helena Darven? Yes. Obviously."
A pause filled with meaning.
"Apparently she lost her memory. I heard."
"Yes, me too." A small sip of a drink. "But still how does your fashion sense change with memory loss? That I don't understand."
A light laugh. Carefully quiet.
"Whatever. But at least think about the occasion. I think she just wanted to show us she doesn't even consider this worth dressing up for."
"Exactly. That's so her."
"The arrogant lady of high society. Only daughter. She's always had that attitude."
"Hmm. Even without her memory apparently."
Another glance toward the corner.
"Did you see how she just sat there the whole time? Not talking to anyone. Not even trying."
"That's Helena. Always making everyone come to her."
They nodded amongst themselves. Satisfied. The story already written, already agreed upon.
Not one of them considered
That maybe she just really liked the song that was playing.
And was thinking about her guitar.
She made her decision quietly.
No announcement. No asking permission. Just a plan forming and immediately being executed.
She got up, glass still in hand, and made her way carefully through the edge of the room toward Ren. Tapped his shoulder once. Light. Not trying to pull attention.
He turned.
She leaned in slightly, voice low. "I'll be taking a round. Just looking around. I'm not feeling well staying cooped up in here. Is that okay?"
Ren looked at her for a second. Then nodded. "Well okay. But don't go anywhere too far it's kind of big in here. And here," already reaching into his pocket, "take my phone. You didn't bring your own. I'll call you from Noel's if we were leaving him as well if u forget or got confused call me got it "
She took the phone.
Then looked down at the glass in her other hand.
Ugh.
She held it out toward Ren.
"Here. Take this. Put it somewhere."
He looked at the glass. Then at her. "You didn't drink it? Cici sent that to you."
"Well. Thanks. But I don't want it."
She put it firmly into his hand before he could argue and turned and walked away.
Calm. Unbothered. Completely convinced she had executed a clean invisible exit.
She did not look back.
Which was why she didn't see it.
Every single person in that room watched her walk out.
Not dramatically. Not obviously.
Just...noticed.
Quietly. All at once.
What she didn't know what she couldn't know was that before everything, before the memory loss, Helena had walked into every room like that. Like the air rearranged itself slightly to accommodate her. Not loud. Not performative. Just present. Undeniably, quietly present.
Every room had eyes on her then.
And apparently every room still did.
Even now. Even in an oversized hoodie and cargo pants and flat sneakers. Even with her muffler wrinkled from being clutched nervously for twenty minutes. Even having spent the entire evening alone in a corner thinking about guitars.
Something about the way she carried herself without realizing she was carrying herself at all.
She was so effortlessly herself in those simple clothes.
And she had absolutely no idea.
The door closed behind her.
The cold air hit her first.
She stopped.
Stood still for a moment.
And took a long, slow, deep breath.
Ahh.
Just air. Just quiet. Just her.
Finally.
She walked slowly down the corridor, most people still inside. The hallway was quiet. Just the muffled thump of music behind her and the distant sound of engines somewhere ahead.
And then she saw it.
A door. Simple. Nothing remarkable about it except the small sign on the front.
Staff.
She stopped.
Her brain made the connection immediately.
Staff room. Circuit. Owned by the family Julian is here so it's connected to them. Which means there is a very real possibility that somewhere behind that door
A guitar.
She stood very still outside the door.
Looked left. Empty corridor.
Looked right. Empty corridor.
Looked back at the door.
Is it okay to go in? It's technically family property. Julian is here so in a way but I'm not Julian. I'm Helena. Does Helena have access to staff rooms? Should I knock? If I knock someone might answer and then I have to explain why I'm here and I don't have a good explanation
Her hand came up.
Stopped in midair.
Knock. Don't knock. Go back. But the guitar hmmmm ahh its so confusing ....
Okay Aika. Simple question. Knock or don't knock. Two options. You have a science brain. Calculate.
She calculated.
Pros of knocking: possible guitar. Cons of knocking: explaining myself to a stranger.
Pros of not knocking: no awkward conversation. Cons of not knocking: no guitar. And I really want that guitar.
Her fingers curled slightly.
It's family property. Technically.
She took a small breath.
And just as her knuckles were about to make contact with the door.
She stopped again.
What if someone IS in there.
What if someone is NOT in there.
What if the guitar isn't even there and I just walked into a staff room for nothing
She closed her eyes for exactly one second.
Aika.
KNOCK OR DON'T KNOCK.
Her hand hovered.
The corridor stayed completely silent.
And the door stayed closed.
...To be continued.