Chapter 36: Forgotten

~~~

For a second, I thought I misheard her.

“…What?” I stammered, my voice trailing off as I blinked in disbelief.

Kael just stared, blinking as if I was the strange one here.

I tried again, a little more firmly. “Kael, I need to know what happened yesterday.”

At that, her expression changed, but not in the way I expected. Instead of recognition or even unease, her brows furrowed in pure confusion.

“Yesterday?” she repeated, as if the word itself was foreign to her. Then, as I was about to press further, she added something that just confused me more.

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

I just froze for a second. She must be messing with me, right? This was some kind of joke?

But as I looked into her face, I saw nothing but genuine bewilderment.

“And- uh, do I know you?” she asked, her voice tilting slightly, hesitant but serious.

Why was she acting like she didn’t recognize me? Just what happened while I was gone?

Before anything could be said, a sharp voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

“Mr. Markus, find a seat already.”

I turned my head to see our teacher, Rina, perched at her desk. Her reptilian eyes lazily fixed on me. Unlike Kael, there was no confusion in them, just mild impatience, like I was wasting her time.

I hesitated for a second longer, my gaze flickering to Kael, but she was just looking annoyed, as if I was just some guy annoying her.

I gave up getting through to her for now, forcing myself to move. My legs carried me to the back of the class, where I dropped into an empty seat, barely registering my surroundings.

I sat there stiffly, ignoring the murmurs of the other students as Rina paced at the front of the classroom. My mind kept circling back to Kael.

Why was she behaving as though she didn’t know me?

I refused to believe she’d just ignore me for no reason. Was she being coerced? Threatened? Maybe someone was using me as a threat to control her? That thought dug into my chest, consuming everything in my mind.

I snapped back to the present as Rina’s voice rang out.

“Today’s lesson will be… enlightening,” the teacher mused, her voice smooth and rapt. Her claws tapped against the desk as she paced, her long tail swaying behind her like a hypnotic pendulum.

“Turn to page 165.”

The rustle of pages filled the room, but no one spoke. The chapter title glared up at us in bold letters: "The Extinction of the Human Species."

She paused, her slit-pupiled gaze sweeping over the class.

“Well?” A slow, knowing smile curled at the edge of her mouth. “Who wants to explain… what happened to them? Why did they go extinct?”

A few students muttered under their breath, but no one answered right away. Then, of course, Kelvin decided to speak up.

“Because monsterfolk outcompeted them,” he said with a smug confidence, leaning back in his chair. “Humans were weaker, slower, and their own biological flaws just sped up the process.”

Rina gave him an approving nod. “Partially correct, Kelvin.”

Of course, she’d praise him. But with my attention on him, I wondered. Was this his doing? Did Kelvin have something to do with her sudden shift? Or was it Selina?

“So where was I?” Rina continued without waiting. “Right, Humans. Extinct. Wiped from the world entirely.”

She let the words settle, allowing the weight of them to linger in the air before continuing. It was something I had read up on before, so what she said barely registered.

My eyes flickered to Kael’s back, her posture relaxed as if nothing was wrong. It made no sense. I could still remember the way she fought for me. There was no way she would just... forget.

“But their extinction wasn’t caused by a single event. There were multiple factors at play.”

I shifted slightly, forcing myself to focus.

“Long ago,” Rina went on, “monsterfolk were exclusively female. No males existed among our kind. You all should already know this, yes?”

I frowned slightly, processing that.

“For one,” Rina went on, “human males were highly sought after. Desired. Vied for, but most modern theorists suggest it’s mainly due to a biological reason, that they weren’t as appealing as records might indicate.”

Rina went on, her tail flicking idly. “Human males were essentially the only means of mating and continuing our species. Monsterfolk and human males could produce offspring, but those offspring were always monster girls.”

If Kael really was under some kind of pressure, then what could I do? I didn’t even know who to blame.

“No male offspring. No way to continue the human male bloodline. And that wasn’t the only problem,” Rina added, her voice taking on a measured tone. “Human females, on the other hand, had another issue. Their fertility rates were deteriorating. Rapidly.”

A few students leaned in slightly, as if this were some new, fascinating fact.

“With fewer and fewer human offspring being born, competition over human males only increased,” Rina said matter-of-factly. “And as history shows… when resources become scarce, desperation turns to chaos.”

I could only imagine what kind of ‘chaos’ she was referring to. I glanced toward Kael again. Her head was tilted slightly, as if she were listening, but her body language gave away nothing.

Rina stepped forward, her eyes crawling across the class. “Historical records after this point are… blurry at best. But nature always finds a way.”

She tapped a clawed finger on her table. “And it did. Monsterfolk eventually adapted. We developed the ability to produce male offspring, monster males. Where before, we could only give birth to daughters. Some theorists suggest this was a biological failsafe, a way to prevent our immediate extinction. Others…”

She let her words linger. “Others believe it was something else entirely.” Some students shifted in their seats.

“There are stories,” she continued, “that monsterfolk from that era possessed abilities that placed them in a near-mythological realm. Some claim those accounts were exaggerated, nothing more than fables. But there are also… accounts, suggesting that monsterfolk’s supernatural powers were, in some way, tied to humans themselves.”

I barely registered the murmurs of interest in the room. My mind was too preoccupied with Kael’s behavior. The eerie way the class was just… moving on, as if nothing happened. Even Selina’s absence.

I didn’t trust it. Not one bit.

~~~

As the bell rang, signaling the start of recess, I watched Kael rise from her seat, slinging her bag over her shoulder before making her way toward the door.

I had to talk to her. Without a second thought, I followed closely behind, weaving through the other students as they lazily funneled out of the classroom.

She was heading toward the canteen, and I kept my steps light, staying just enough distance behind her so she wouldn’t immediately notice.

She rounded a corner as I paced my steps, trying to catch on. I hurried after her-

And suddenly, I slammed into someone. A firm grip caught my collar, and before I could even react, I was yanked forward, forced to meet her glare.

“What is your deal?” Kael hissed, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why the hell are you stalking me?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she scoffed, shoving me back slightly. “I saw you sneaking around behind me. You’ve been staring at me all class, and now you’re following me? What’s your problem?”

I stared at her, searching her face. All I could see was that she looked genuinely irritated, like I was some random creep bothering her. But that wasn’t possible, there’s no way she could’ve simply forgotten everything. This wasn’t just some mystery or horror story.

“Kael,” I said carefully, swallowing down the uneasy feeling twisting in my gut. “Why are you pretending you don’t recognize me?”

Her brow furrowed. I took a step closer, lowering my voice. “Is someone threatening you? Is it Kelvin? Selina? Just tell me what’s going on. You don’t have to act like this.”

Kael stared at me blankly for a second before shaking her head. “Dude, I really don’t know you.” She crossed her arms. “Did you hit your head or something?”

This wasn’t the Kael I knew, this wasn’t right. Yet now she was looking at me like I was just another stranger. Someone she pretended she didn’t know.

“…You saved me,” I said, my voice quietened down a notch. “You reached out to me. You tried to stop them. You didn’t give up.” I swallowed, trying to steady myself. “I know you remember.”

Kael’s frown deepened, but she said nothing.

I pressed on.

“You… you were the only one,” I murmured. “No one else tried to help. No one else even cared.” I clenched my fists. “But you did. You fought for me. You helped me when I first came to this damned place. You were there to keep my hopes up, to make me smile. And for the short while I was here, you were the one thing that kept me looking forward to my day here.”

She still looked uncertain.

“So let me do the same for you,” I continued, my voice pleading. “If something’s wrong, if someone’s forcing you to act like this, then let me help. I need you, Kael. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

I exhaled shakily.

“This time… let me be the one you can rely on.”

Kael’s lips parted slightly, as if she was about to say something. But then she just shook her head.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Please, just leave me alone.”

A heavy, hollow feeling settled in my chest. She didn’t believe in me. Or maybe, she didn’t see me as reliable enough to open up to.

I thought… after everything we’d been through, I had at least earned that much.

I exhaled quietly, forcing myself to turn away. If she didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t push her. I’d respect her choice, even if it left me bleeding where no one could see.

But just as I took a step away-

A pair of soft hands clutched onto my arm.

“Uh-” Kael’s voice wavered behind me. “No, I-” She hesitated, her fingers tightening around my sleeve. “I didn’t mean to-”

I turned slightly, looking back at her.

Her expression was conflicted, her brow creased as she just stood there, staring at me. Her grip on my arm lingered, tense, before slowly, she withdrew her hands, letting them fall back to her sides as she let out a soft “sorry…”

I watched her quietly. She didn’t say anything more.

I stared back at her eyes for a second. “If you ever decide to stop pretending,” I murmured, my voice calm but distant, “or if you just want to talk… you can always approach me.” I turned fully this time, stepping forward. “I’m leaving now.”

I glanced back one last time. She was just simply watching...

And as I left, I could feel her gaze on me, stuck at my figure, staring, like she was letting something precious slip through her fingers.

I wish she had stopped me then.