Unpredictable Connection

31. Unspoken Territory

Charlotte's POV:

That girl—smiling, clueless, innocent—reached out to brush a loose strand of hair from Engfa's face.

That single moment set fire to my nerves.
I moved before I even thought.

I caught her wrist gently—but firmly.
My voice was calm, low, even sweet.

"You don't need to," I said, meeting her eyes. "She has her own hands."

The room fell into a sharp, uncomfortable silence.
I felt the shift in the air—Becky turning away to hide her smirk, Irin suddenly too interested in the scratch on the table. Heng bit his lip, trying not to burst into laughter.

But I didn't care.

The look in my eyes—whatever flickered there—made the girl freeze.
She gave me a small, startled nod and slowly pulled her hand back.

Engfa's brows lifted slightly, clearly confused, but she said nothing.
She simply reached for the notebook in front of her and closed it with a quiet, decisive snap.

"We're done for today," she said, her voice clipped. "You may leave."

The girl stood awkwardly, lingering for just a second too long.
Then she smiled at Engfa—sweetly, hopefully.

And that was it.

That smile made something inside me snap.

Before I even realized it, the words spilled from my mouth—quiet, cold, edged with a warning I didn't try to hide.

"Leave. Before I throw you out."

The girl's eyes widened, her whole face paling.

No one spoke.
No one laughed now.
They all felt it—the shift. The heat. The danger in my voice that even I didn't know I was capable of.

The girl turned and hurried out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her like a punctuation mark.

And then silence.

Heavy. Electric.

Engfa looked at me now.
Directly.
Clearly.
And I could see the storm behind her calm eyes.

She always noticed.
She always heard.

Even the things I never said aloud.

Engfa's POV:

I was inside the council room, seated beside a classmate I was helping with some revisions. The light chatter between us echoed softly until the door creaked open—and in came the group.

I greeted everyone with a smile... everyone except Char.

Because she didn't look at me.
Not even once.

There was something in her eyes—like she was guarding herself. Like being near me was dangerous.
And it hurt more than I thought it would.

Why did she have to protect herself from me?
Did she really think I would ever try to hurt her?

I was never fake to her. Never gave her a reason to doubt me.
So... why did she stop trusting me?

I had shared everything about myself with her—my truths, my wounds, the quiet parts I never voiced aloud.
And she?

She chose silence.

I focused back on the girl beside me, trying to explain the next section of notes—until Char's sudden snap cut through the air like a whip. Her voice was sharp. Her expression darker than I'd ever seen it.