Back in the living room, Misa forced herself to smile. Her tea had gone cold but she kept sipping anyway, hoping the act would steady her nerves. She knew exactly what Amanda was doing—but her job was to keep Jenny talking.

"So," Misa said brightly, tilting her head as if genuinely curious. "How did you become a teacher at a prestigious academy like Aether High?"

Jenny chuckled softly. "That's a long story. I was a field researcher once, then decided to settle down…"

Her eyes flicked—just once—toward the hallway where Amanda had disappeared. Then she returned her gaze to Misa, her smile unbroken.

Misa followed the glance but kept her expression smooth. Come on, Amanda, she thought. Hurry up.

Amanda eased the door to Jenny's bedroom open, inch by inch. The curtains were drawn, the bed neatly made. At first glance, nothing out of the ordinary. But her gaze darted immediately to the desk by the window: papers stacked too neatly, a locked drawer with a fresh scratch near the keyhole.

She crossed the room silently and ran her fingers over the desk surface. The faint scent of metal and something else—cleaning solvent? No, not quite. Her eyes scanned the shelves.

Bottles lined up in neat rows: bleach, ammonia, acetone, alcohol. Way too many for a normal household. Amanda frowned. "Cleaning agents…" she murmured under her breath. "Why would a teacher need this much?"

She turned to the wardrobe. Its handles gleamed, and she could see a new lock fitted there. She tugged once—locked. Amanda gave a small smile. "Well," she whispered, "guess it's time to pick some locks." Her smile widened slightly. "Haven't done this in years. I am glad this is not a modern password lock."

From her pocket she produced a small foldable pick set, fingers moving automatically. She crouched in front of the wardrobe, breath slow, listening for the tiny clicks.

Out in the living room, Misa shifted topics desperately. "Oh, you must miss field work. Did you ever go abroad? I heard the Southern seasides are beautiful this time of year."

Jenny gave her a sidelong glance. "Sometimes. But field work can be… messy." She tilted her head. "You're very curious."

"Oh, I'm just curious about my son's teacher." Misa laughed a little too loudly. "Also I like hearing stories. They're… calming."

Jenny sipped her tea. Her eyes narrowed. "Amanda must have drunk a lot of water," she murmured.

Misa blinked. "What?"

"She's been gone a while. She's peeing quite a lot, isn't she?"

Misa forced a laugh. "Of course. She finished her whole bottle of water before we came. That woman must have been dehydrated for years to drink so much water."

Jenny smiled at that, but the smile slowly faded, her expression slipping into something colder, almost predatory. She set her cup down and stood up in one fluid motion.

Misa's pulse jumped. "Going somewhere?"

Jenny's eyes glinted. "I think a nosy rat is going around my house."

Amanda heard the last tumbler click. She eased the lock open and swung the wardrobe doors wide.

She froze.

Inside hung clothes spattered with brownish stains that could only be blood. Hooks on the back wall displayed masks—no, not masks. Faces. Human faces, carefully peeled and stretched, some still glistening, arranged like a grotesque collection. The smell of iron and chemicals hit her like a blow.

Amanda's stomach lurched. "You…" she whispered, voice trembling for the first time in years. She'd seen warzones, mutilations, black sites. But nothing like this.

Behind her came a sharp intake of breath. Jenny stood in the doorway, eyes wide but not surprised. She clicked her tongue. "I should have known how nosy you are, Amanda."

Amanda spun, drawing her pistol in one smooth motion. "Freeze!" she shouted. "Hands where I can see them! You're quite the woman to make me feel like puking like this."

Jenny raised her hands slowly, mock surrender. "You flatter me."

The lamp on the nightstand jerked up and flew at Amanda with bone-cracking speed. It smashed into her wrist; pain flared and the pistol clattered to the floor. "Damn!" Amanda hissed.

Jenny lunged, fingers curled like claws.

The room exploded into motion. Amanda ducked under Jenny's swing, drove an elbow into her ribs, then kicked her back. Jenny staggered but grabbed a chair with high velocity telekinesis and hurled it. Amanda rolled, snatching up the fallen pistol but it was ripped from her grip by invisible force.

They crashed together, fists and knees striking. Amanda slammed Jenny's arm against the desk; Jenny headbutted her in return. Blood sprayed from Jenny's nose but she grinned wildly. "You shouldn't look at other people's hobbies."

Amanda's eyes blazed. "Watch me."

Jenny yanked a drawer out and flung it; Amanda sidestepped and grabbed a glass bottle from the shelf, hurling it at Jenny's face. It shattered, chemical fumes burning their eyes.

Jenny coughed but spun low, sweeping Amanda's legs. Amanda fell, rolled, came up with a punch that cracked against Jenny's jaw. Jenny snarled, lifted the bed with telekinesis and tried to crush her. Amanda dove aside and kicked Jenny in the stomach, driving her back into the wardrobe. Hooks snapped, faces tumbled to the floor like grotesque dolls.

Jenny's eyes went wild. "You're going to pay dearly for making me take this decision," she hissed. "I'll destroy everything before I let you take me."

Amanda wiped blood from her own lip. "What everything? You're going to prison."

Jenny screamed, grabbed the window latch, and with a burst of telekinetic force shattered the glass. She leapt out into the night.

Amanda rushed to the window, expecting to see a broken body. But Jenny landed lightly in the alley, rolling once and standing—no, not Jenny. Her appearance shimmered, like paint washing off a canvas. The woman below was someone else entirely, her face smooth, featureless except for a cruel mouth. In her hand was a small black remote.

Amanda's stomach dropped. Bomb remote.

She spun and bolted back into the living room. "Misa! We're leaving, now!"

Misa was still near the sofa, eyes wide. "What—?"

"No time!" Amanda grabbed her arm. "Move!"

They reached the door, only to find a sleek keypad blinking red. The lock was digital. "Password required," a mechanical voice said.

"Damn it!" Amanda slammed her fist against it. "We don't have time for this! Let's break this door."

"Stand back," Misa said, already raising her foot. Together they kicked, once, twice, three times. The frame splintered. The fourth hit sent the door crashing open.

At the same time, a thunderous roar erupted behind them. Heat and pressure slammed into their backs. The bomb went off.

Amanda felt herself thrown forward, weightless for an instant before smashing onto the pavement outside. Fire licked across her body. She rolled, coughing, vision a blur. Her face felt like it was melting, skin burned and torn. Her ears rang. She tried to move but pain screamed through her limbs.

Beside her, Misa lay sprawled, her own skin charred black. Amanda blinked through tears—and saw something impossible. A green glow pulsed under Misa's skin. Slowly, impossibly, her burned flesh knit back together, healthy and whole, leaving no scar. She pushed herself up, eyes blazing.

Misa staggered over to Amanda, kneeling. "Hold still," she said softly. Her hands glowed the same green. The heat spread into Amanda's body, cool and soothing, the pain retreating like a tide. Her face, her arms, all the burned flesh regrew smooth and unbroken.

Amanda gasped. "This world… is full of surprises," she muttered hoarsely. "No way you're just a mid-tier healer with that kind of ability."

Misa smiled faintly. "I never said I was mid-tier or did I."

Amanda coughed, sitting up. "After all this time," she murmured, eyes narrowing toward the alley where the faceless woman had vanished. "I found you again...Faceless woman."

***

Ren's hands clenched. "You're telling me the woman who's been teaching us all semester wasn't even Ms. Jenny?"

Amanda nodded. "She had been using Ms. Jenny's identity for months, maybe longer. We're still piecing it together."

Ren's head spun. "And my mother… she went with you?"

"Yes. We thought Ms. Jenny had information about the killer or connection to killer. Instead, we found a corpse and an impostor waiting for us."

"So Lan Jia," Ren muttered.

Amanda's eyes sharpened. "Yes you guessed it right...Lan Jia is not Lan Jia but an imposter."

"I…" Ren hesitated. "I don't even know how to react to this."

Amanda studied him again but didn't press. "We tried to apprehend her. She escaped before the raid began. But she wanted something from you, Ren. That much is clear."

Ren rubbed his temples. "She said she loved me. But the way she said it…" He shivered. "It didn't sound human."

Amanda looked at him with quiet sympathy. "I've seen her kind before. We should find out why she is following you."

"She said once Meiling is gone, she'll 'become Meiling,'" Ren whispered.

Amanda's brows knitted. "That's… disturbing."

Ren gave a bitter laugh. "Tell me about it."

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the distant shouts of officers.

Finally Ren asked, "What happens now?"

Amanda exhaled slowly. "We regroup. We interrogate the traitors we did capture. We rebuild the academy. And we find this faceless woman before she strikes again."

Ren stared at the ground. "And my mother?"

"She's safe," Amanda said firmly. "I sent her out with an escort before the fighting started."

Relief flickered across Ren's face. "Thank you."

Amanda gave a small nod. "You're not alone in this, Ren. Whatever she wants from you, we'll stop her."

Ren's gaze softened. "I… appreciate that."

Amanda's lips curved into a faint smile. "You saved Meiling's life. Don't forget that."

Ren shook his head. "It doesn't feel like enough compared to what you did."

"We can't compare ourselves to each other," Amanda said. "But even the simplest things we do still matter."

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