During the ride back to school, I was lost in thought. What happened to me was beyond extraordinary. If I told anyone about it, they’d think my head injury was so severe it drove me insane—and honestly, I’d probably think the same if someone else told me such a story. But here I was, living this madness.

  I started considering who might believe my story. Telling my parents seemed the most reasonable option, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet. I wanted to wait until I was certain I wouldn’t return to my body; otherwise, I didn’t want to worry them, especially since they were already in a fragile state.

  What about Marian’s parents? That was completely out of the question. They were my legal guardians, and I couldn’t risk them deeming me insane and committing me to an institution.

  Then there was Melo, an old friend of Marian’s. If I told him what had happened, he’d do anything to help her, but I wasn’t entirely sure he’d believe me. Worse, he might inform her parents, thinking I was hallucinating, and the outcome wouldn’t differ from telling them directly.

  That left the boy who, for some reason, seemed to care about me. But what’s the point of repeating the story when the outcome would always be the same? I’d be branded as crazy. It was better to stay silent for now and wait.

  When we arrived at school, Orca paid the taxi fare. I hadn’t brought any money with me, and that’s when I realized I’d left my wallet in class. I remembered leaving all my belongings on my desk. Without looking back or responding to Orca’s calls, I rushed out of the car and ran inside the school.

  I climbed the stairs quickly, ignoring the greetings of those around me, and headed straight for the classroom.

  When I arrived, I looked at my desk, and there they were—my belongings, exactly as I’d left them. I hurried to check my wallet and bag, and everything was in its place. That’s when it hit me: I wasn’t Nermeen—I was Marianne. Of course, no one would touch my things. I’d gotten so used to being bullied that I’d forgotten what it felt like to have things left undisturbed.

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  One of the girls approached me and handed me my phone.

  “Were you looking for this?” she asked.

  I stared at her in surprise. She continued, “Your mom kept calling, so I thought it might be urgent. The girls told me you left with Orca, so I answered to keep her from worrying and calling the principal.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Not much. She just asked where you were, and I told her you weren’t feeling well, so you went to lie down in the clinic and left your phone with me for safekeeping.”

  “And she believed that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Thanks.”

  “But are you going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “About your date with Orca.”

  “How do you know his name? And why are you assuming it was a date?”

  “Marian, did you forget? You asked us to gather all the information we could about him. We even formed an investigation team for you.”

  “I asked for that? When?”

  “At the start of the school year. He had just transferred here. Don’t you remember?”

  “No. Honestly, my memory hasn’t fully returned since the accident. Can you tell me more? Was I interested in him or something? Did anything happen between us that made me ask you to investigate him?”

  “No, you didn’t tell us anything. You just gave us the task and told us to do it without asking questions.”

  “So, you’re saying I never told you why?”

  “That’s right. You were very secretive about it, so we assumed you liked him but were too shy to admit it.”

  “And what did I do after you gave me the information?”

  “Nothing. You forgot about it entirely.”

  “What kind of information did you gather?”

  “We prepared a whole report. You liked doing things thoroughly, so we handed it to you.”

  Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I should search her room if I want to learn more about her. But I’d been so arrogant, convincing myself I already knew everything.

  The girl suddenly asked, “So, where did you and Orca go? The whole school was shocked when we saw you two walking hand in hand, getting into a taxi and skipping evening classes. Won’t this cause trouble with your parents?”

  “I didn’t think much when he asked me to come with him, so I just followed.”

  “Alright, but where did he take you?”

  “We went to visit Nermin.”

  She looked at me, stunned, so I continued, “I know you told my parents that she fought with me and asked to meet me at the pool, but all those conclusions you made about the incident are baseless. Nermeen didn’t do anything wrong. She’s innocent, so stop attacking her and treating her like a criminal. You’ve gone too far.”

  The girl fell silent and looked down at the ground.

  Just then, I received a message from Melo saying he was at school to pick me up and waiting outside.

  I packed my things and left, deep in thought about everything Orca and that girl, Sarah, had told me. I had learned so much about Marian, yet I still felt like I knew nothing. And I couldn’t believe what I already knew. Her room seemed like the perfect place to start my investigation—beginning with that report about Orca and what exactly she had wanted to know about him.