CHAPTER 13 — Navira's POV
"Ten Days Later… And I'm Still Winning."
(1000+ words — your style, juicy, dangerous, clean)
Ten days pass.
Ten glorious, educational, entertaining days.
Agnes?
She's been stress-eating fruit snacks and losing brain cells at an astonishing rate.
Alden & Alastair?
They've both taken on the role of Human Surveillance Cameras.
Everywhere I go:
Library? They're there.
Hallway? There.
Kitchen at 2 a.m. when I only want water?
They appear like summoned demons.
Not because they like me — please, they'd rather hug a cactus.
No.
They're monitoring me like I'm a suspicious white-haired lab rat who might bite.
I kind of love it.
---
Life at Home (10 Days Later)
Vivienne acts like she has two daughters now.
One biological (oops, not really).
One albino secret-weapon.
She keeps fussing at me:
"You're studying too hard, sweetheart!"
"Don't strain your eyes!"
"Tell me if you need anything!"
Meanwhile, Agnes sits across the table at breakfast like:
Why does she exist? Why is she breathing my oxygen? Why is she smart?!
And Victor keeps calling me "pumpkin," which makes Agnes choke every time.
Alden?
He studies me like I'm a chess problem he hasn't solved yet.
Alastair?
He studies me like I am the exam.
They think they're protecting Agnes.
They think they're keeping the family safe.
Cute.
They don't realize I'm ten steps ahead every second.
---
Life at School
Agnes turns into her final form:
Spoiled, pretty, aggressive queen-bee bitch mode activated.
She walks around like she owns the floors.
The school.
The air.
She flips her hair like she's in a shampoo commercial.
She acts like I don't exist.
She starts rumors like it's cardio.
The other students join in because… peer pressure and low IQ.
And me?
I ignore all of them.
Because that's how you kill people like Agnes — not by fighting them, but by simply not acknowledging their existence.
And, naturally, ignoring Agnes has a side effect:
Jasver suddenly finds me the most interesting thing on earth.
Which, obviously, sends Agnes into emotional outer space.
He keeps showing up near my locker.
"Navira, right? You're… cool."
I stare at him.
"Yes. I know."
He blushes like he's talking to a celebrity.
Agnes sees it.
Agnes.
Sees.
It.
Her soul leaves her body on the spot.
---
Mock Exam Day — 10 Days Later
The school buzzes like a hive of over-caffeinated bees.
Students panic.
Teachers panic.
Agnes panic².
I'm sitting at my desk, calm as a snowflake in winter.
Alden is standing near the back of the classroom — because apparently he needed to "supervise" me.
Alastair is outside the hallway for the same reason.
I swear they installed a tracking device in me when I wasn't looking.
The principal announces:
"Advanced Class students, please begin. You have two hours."
Agnes glances at me with that smug little smirk.
Too bad it melts in real time when…
I finish the first page in 20 seconds.
Alden's eyebrows fly up.
Alastair visibly flinches in the hallway window reflection.
Agnes stares like she's witnessing a supernatural event.
I keep writing.
Calm.
Efficient.
Mechanical.
Halfway through the test, Agnes tries her usual nonsense — little glances, little whispers, little gasps to get attention.
She even fake-drops her pen with a dramatic "ohhhh nooo."
Pathetic.
Then she tries the real sabotage:
Sliding her test sheet toward mine, pretending to "accidentally" knock it off the table.
Because if the sheets touch, both students get flagged.
I watch her hand out of the corner of my eye.
At the last second, I tilt my elbow.
Her paper falls off the table instead.
She freezes.
The entire class watches her crawl on the floor, grabbing it.
The embarrassment alone is enough to fuel me for years.
I quietly finish the exam with forty minutes to spare.
Alden looks alarmed.
Alastair looks horrified.
Agnes looks like she's about to scream into a pillow.
---
Classroom Aftermath
When the exam ends, I stand up slowly.
Students whisper.
"She finished early."
"She must be a genius."
"She looked so calm!"
"Did you see how fast she wrote?"
"Kind of scary…"
Perfect.
I walk out of the room, straight into Alden.
He blocks my path.
"You're… smarter than we thought," he says carefully.
"I know," I answer.
He winces.
Alastair walks up behind him, crossing his arms.
"What exactly is your goal?" he asks bluntly. "Power? Fame? Money?"
He says it like he's waiting for me to deny it.
I don't.
"Yes," I say, nonchalant.
Both brothers blink.
Alden: "You're not even pretending?"
"No."
I shrug.
"Why pretend? I'm not Agnes."
Alastair presses his lips together.
"Just don't hurt the family."
"I won't," I say honestly.
"Hurting you would be boring."
They both stare at me like I just threatened the president.
I walk away.
---
The Hallway
People stare.
Whisper.
Point.
They should.
I'm the long-lost Aurline daughter, the albino one, the brilliant one, the unpredictable one.
And honestly?
I enjoy the attention.
Someone bumps into me — a girl from Agnes's group.
She sneers.
"Aren't you that orphan?"
I smile sweetly.
"Aren't you that extra?"
Her face goes red.
Before she can respond, Jasver appears beside me again.
"You did amazing on the exam, didn't you?"
"I know," I say.
He laughs, delighted.
Agnes sees it from down the hall.
Her face = incinerated.
---
Final Scene — The Whisper Storm
During lunch, the whole school erupts with rumors:
"She's definitely the real Aurline heir."
"Agnes looked terrified when she finished."
"Maybe she'll be valedictorian…"
"Do you think Navira might run for student council?"
"Maybe even president…"
Agnes bangs her tray so hard the food jumps.
Alden and Alastair are stiff and disturbed.
Me?
I open my lunchbox pleasantly.
School president?
Academically dominating?
Admiration, whispers, attention?
Yes.
All useful.
And I don't want love.
I want power.
And today?
I took my first major step toward it.