When she got into Math, people were staring. Sana looked down at her clothes. They seemed fine, no stains or crumples. She sat down next to Momo. 

“Why are they looking at me like that?” Sana asked in Japanese. 

“Probably because of you and your new girl.” She winked. 

“And that’s important now because?” Sure there had been passing gossip with the others, but not stares like this. Had she missed something with Jennie? Maybe there was a huge breakup the day before? 

“Apparently, people have been pairing us with our new housemate.” Momo shrugged. “I guess they’re surprised with your choice.”

“Are you?”

She gave her a knowing smile. “A bit.” Then she frowned. “I hope you’re not going after someone else, because you think I like her.” 

Sana knew she wasn’t talking about Jennie. “Do you?” Yes or no, she wasn’t scared of the answer. What did that mean if anything developed?

“I don’t know,” she gave her a look, “so if you do know, then don’t let anything stop you.” 

Sana sat back, processing what Momo was saying. It definitely wasn’t a topic for math class, but she wanted to tell her everything. Tell her that she was afraid of what she was feeling. Reassure Momo that if she did feel that way, that was more than okay.

And yet, she couldn’t find the words for that. Instead, Sana just said, “I don’t know either.”

Momo looked surprised. That was when the teacher launched into the new lesson: vectors. It was ironic, considering Sana’s mind and feelings were all over the place—no direction at all. 

For the first time this year (also the years before), she found herself dreading going into Chemistry. She could barely trust herself to speak. What would she end up saying? That wasn’t even counting her feelings, all of which would be sensed by Dahyun anyway. She felt a weird anxiety building up as she walked in. 

“Hi.” The fairy smiled at her, before looking back out the window. Her back was straight and if Sana was seeing right, the shadows under her eyes were already fading. Her hair was taking on a blue sheen. She was breathtaking. 

“Autumn is lovely, isn’t it?” 

“Er,” Sana scrambled for a response, “yes, but spring is better.” Her face was getting warm. She'd been staring. She'd also been caught. Halfway at least.

The fairy let out a small laugh. “Are the seasons in competition with one another?” She looked at her. Sana wanted her brown eyes to change colour again. She wanted to see if they were uniformly blue, or if they were like a spectrum.

“So you don’t have a favourite?”

“I do.” Dahyun paused to look at the window again. “I love autumn, but winter is a close second.” Then she glanced at her. “You seem distracted. Are you listening?” 

Sana wondered what emotion she’d seen. Her face warmed. “Of course.” 

A raised brow. Then her eyes flickered downward. Sana held her breath. “It’s the end of the day, so I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Dahyun said, pointing at her own lips, “but you have a little smudged on the corner.” 

Right. Sana dabbed at it with her finger. That’s what she gets for sneaking away during class, or even in the short break between classes. 

“Anyway,” she shook her head, “People don’t usually listen to me with wonder. You’re sure you’re not just staring?” 

Busted, Sana thought. Her face was heating up. This was exactly the reason why she should have just skipped this class.

“I understand,” Dahyun smiled again, turning her gaze outside again, “it really is beautiful.”

For the first time since she got here, Sana looked out the window. She was relieved the fairy hadn’t meant what she thought she did. “It is.” Fire-coloured leaves were falling, carried gracefully by the wind. Sana could relate, but not to the graceful part. 

Class started. Dahyun was taking avid notes, her handwriting had become even neater. Her eyes were narrowed just a touch, her mind working as fast as her hand was. Then she stopped, the tension in her face disappearing. She leant closer to Sana who did the same. Her scent was light, but that didn’t mean she didn’t find herself breathing a bit deeper. Despite her mess of emotions, she felt at ease when she was beside Dahyun.

“You’re not concentrating,” Dahyun whispered. 

She fought a smile before she replied. “Why concentrate when I can get your great notes?” 

Dahyun met her eyes for a moment. “Don’t forget about the knowledge I hope you accumulated in your immortality.” Then did something unexpected. She winked. 

Sana had to look away. She felt shy. This girl was making her feel like a school girl. Well, technically she was. On the one hand, it made perfect sense to avoid this. On the other, she was being ridiculous. Hadn’t it been just yesterday (technically early this morning) when she’d told Dahyun about her nightmares? Told her her story? Asked her directly what emotions she saw within Sana herself? It was the closest moment to a heart to heart that she’d ever had. She wanted to share those elements of her life with Dahyun and she wanted the fairy to do the same. 

So what did that mean? Sana had pursued and been pursued so many times. This shouldn’t be any different and it wasn’t something she should get herself into. Hell, that was why she’d approached Jennie this morning. Would it help if she took Jennie up on that offer to meet for coffee tomorrow? A part of her screamed at her that she was using the girl. She felt guilty. And yet, if the flirting and the dating could take away the uncertainty she felt now and give her back the confidence she wanted, maybe it would be worth it.

Class ended. Sana got up, packing her things quickly. There was that nervousness again. It wasn’t natural for her. She needed to get away. She was about to leave when a voice stopped her. 

“Are you alright?” Dahyun peered over at her. A kind smile was growing on her fac