The Metropolis Series #2: Quinn Beyond Bounds
28. Identity Crisis

“QUINN… Quinn…”

The soft-spoken voice came with a light tap on my shoulder. Everything around me was fuzzy, and the light shining through my eyes didn’t help, either. Dazed, I lifted my head. Had I fallen asleep? Oh God, what had happened to Cassandra, then? Where was I?

“Quinn, wake up!” the voice said again.

“Huh, what?”

I turned my head as my vision cleared. I couldn’t believe who I was seeing—it was Harumi.

Seeing her again gave me mixed emotions. I wanted to feel elated, but I knew what I had witnessed back there in the forest. Cassandra had pushed her into the River; she was gone, but now, she was here. What was going on? Had that night been all just a sick dream?

“Well, Ms. Vasquez,” a man then said, interrupting my thoughts. It was my homeroom teacher, and he was looking sternly at me. “Sleeping in today, aren’t we? I think it’d be best for you to go back to the dorms if you’ll just be dozing off in your seat the whole day.”

“Sorry, sir…” I said bashfully as I sat up straight.

What was embarrassing about getting told on by a teacher were those who’d be staring at you afterward. I could name a few whose eyes were on me, but I tried not to think about it too much. I was more concerned with how I had seemed to magically transport back to my classroom at St. John’s.

Was I able to rewind time?

I checked the back row where Derek would be seated. He wasn’t there. Wow, we were starting off good, weren’t we?

I then wondered what had happened to Julio and the rest of the Spanish House. I hoped they were okay.

“Oh my,” Harumi then said. There was a look of concern on her face. “You’ve been out for a few minutes there. I thought you’ve passed out again.”

I sighed. “Wasn’t able to get a good night’s sleep.”

Well, I was telling the truth, wasn’t I? Even though I wasn’t sure if my stay at the Spanish House was real, the exhaustion and trauma I had felt from it lingered. In this reality, I might have actually woken up in my dorm that morning, but the smoky scent of my sweater told me that my day had begun with a burning house at 4:30 AM.

At this point, I had expected Harumi to get worried. She was like a big sister to me, always asking how I was and would do anything to make me feel better. But this time, she grinned, her eyes glistening under the fringe of her dark hair.

“Were you up all night thinking about—” she stroked her chin, “—a certain someone, perhaps?”

I was thinking about a lot of things, overthinking a few, but a certain someone? What did she mean?

She gestured toward the back of the classroom. Curtis was seated with his hands on his desk—no earphones—and he waved at me with a warm smile on his face.

“See,” Harumi said. “He likes you.”

My eyes widened. “What? No, he’s—”

“Taken? He and Rachael have recently broken up.”

My jaw felt like it could fall from my mouth. “Seriously?”

Harumi looked at me like I was crazy. “Quinn, do you even go to this school?” She then leaned closer to my desk, beckoning me to do the same. “Look,” she said, lowering her voice. “If I were you, I’d take the chance. Make your move, girl.”

“Ms. Kobayashi,” the teacher then called. “Is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

“Well, the weather is nice today, isn’t it?” Harumi said giddily.

And the teacher could do nothing but roll his eyes. He went on, disregarding Harumi’s statement.

To be fair to her, though, the weather was nice outside. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. It was a peaceful afternoon, but my mind was too discombobulated to appreciate the pleasant view. For one thing, the teacher had called her Ms. Kobayashi. That wasn’t her surname. I looked at her quizzically, asking her about it.

She looked just as confused as I was. “Quinn, it’s been months. Don’t you know who I am?”

Now, I was totally lost. “Wait, what?”

“I’m Yukine Kobayashi. Your roommate, remember?”

I gasped. “Yu—Yukine?”

“Yeah. Who did you think I was?”

Her appearance changed. Her hair was now long, cascading down her shoulders. Round glasses encircled her eyes, obscuring her face’s gentle features. I had seen her like this before; she was at the same restaurant my mom took me to on the last day of summer vacation. Julio and Takahiro called her Yukine, the girl who had escaped the Spanish House and fled for the Metropolis—and she was right in front of me.

“Uh, no one,” I spluttered. “Maybe I’m just tired.”

Yes, that was the best overused excuse I could give—next to I’m fine.

Harumi—Yukine—simply nodded, returning her attention to the teacher. At least she bought my excuse.

I then found myself staring at her as I tried to absorb everything. Harumi was Yukine now, the person she had always been, but what was the explanation behind it? She had been tossed into the Lethe, and as a character reject, she should have—as Julio had suggested—been obliterated.

“Anyway,” the teacher then said. “That will be all for today. Class dismissed.”

A wave of students then emerged from their seats, pouring out of the room in a manner that was anything but orderly. They began chatting with one another, spitting out any cheerful topic they could think of. I was jealous. A lot of things were going on in my mind, and I wish all those voices in my head would just shut up. They talked about Harumi’s true identity, the ongoing crisis at the Spanish House, and many more unpleasant things that remained unanswered; they were open questions that emptied out into toxic waters. In fact, on my way out of the classroom, I glanced back at Derek’s empty seat, and for a second, I thought I had seen a mirage of Mackenzie’s torture room. I pictured Derek tied up in his chair, pleading his innocence. I looked away immediately.

However, the loudest, most dangerous ocean would be attributed to Cassandra and her disturbingly peaceful dream world. I swear, I could briefly see it through the door of my classroom, a calm breeze enticing me to walk into its fields forever.

Don’t you like it here? a voice whispered. You can stay here for as long as you want.

“Get out!” I screeched, but my anger turned into embarrassment when I found myself face-to-face with Curtis. He looked like he was about to tell me something, but he held himself back.

“Uh… are you okay?” he asked.

Oh God, what do I do?

“Pesky fly!” I exclaimed, swatting my arms. “Shoo, shoo!” As you can see, I was horrible at excuses. “It’s gone now.”

“Okay…” Curtis frowned. He didn’t seem to buy my fly skit. “Anyway, I was hoping I could talk to you… about something important.”

“Oh okay, sure.”

“Is it okay if I talked to you alone?”

“Uh—”

“Yeah, it’s totally okay!” Ha—Yukine squealed. She patted my back as she proceeded to leave the classroom. “I’ll see you later, Quinn.”

“Yeah…” I laughed nervously. “I’ll see you, too…”

I was confused. As much as I wanted time to myself to sort a few things out, I couldn’t turn down a chance to talk to Curtis.

Alone, as he’d mentioned.

Maybe I just needed a distraction. Maybe I was really able to turn back time. I had been brought to a different reality, and the problems I’d had no longer existed. Julio was fine. The Spanish House was okay. Derek was probably just cutting class again. And Harumi was still here—or Yukine, whoever she was.

Everything was fine, yes, but as usual, it was more than what I had bargained for. I hadn’t escaped Cassandra’s game; I was still in her world fighting for a way out, but if only I had realized that sooner.