"I wanted her to die."


    Juniper arched an eyebrow, a slight curve on her lips. But her smile never reached her eyes, which were filled with an unnerving chill that seemed to radiate from her.


    Qadir froze, swallowing hard, too scared to speak. This side of Juniper was terrifying. It reminded him of when she first transferred to Era High and dealt with a few of the school''s troublemakers.


    All this time, he''d thought she was just an easygoing person, but now he understood. Juniper wasn''t just nice; she was nice to people who didn''t cross her. If you dared to provoke her... well, Jolene, who ended up with a face full of blood today, was the perfect example.


    "Don''t be scared," Juniper said, her voice calm as she softened her expression, sensing the boy was about to short-circuit. "As long as you don''t do anything stupid, I won''t let you die."


    "I promise I''ll be a good person!" Qadir immediately straightened up, his expression so serious he was just short of saluting her.


    “Alright,” Juniper said with a blink, her gaze shifting. She shoved her hands back in her pockets, and the fierce aura around her vanished instantly.


    "Ask Queenie and Dolce if they''ve arrived yet," she askedzily.


    "Yes, ma''am." Qadir pulled out his phone with trembling hands to contact them.


    Juniper nced at him, frowning slightly. She wasn''t that scary, was she?


    ...


    At the restaurant, Juniper sat on a slightly worn chair, curiously examining the simple decor. It was a far cry from the usual ces they went for their get-togethers.


    "Juniper, it took me forever to find this ce," Qadir said, pouring her a ss of water and puffing out his chest proudly. "Don''t let the decor fool you, the food is amazing. I came to try it myself before I dared bring you guys here."


    "It looks fine,” Juniper said with a slight smile, showing no sign of disappointment. As long as there was food, she didn''t care where she was.


    She remembered when she was first brought from the orphanage to the Sherwin family. Her grandfather was in the hospital, and Ynda Sherwin and her family couldn''t stand her. They took the opportunity to dock her in the attic with only water starving her for days She was only about six years old then, too weak to escape. She''d been so hungry she''d eaten paper.


    "Thanks for this," Juniper said, patting Qadir''s shoulder. "Where are Queenie and Dolce?"


    "On their way," Qadir replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "They said they''re stuck in a bit of traffic, so it''ll be a while."


    Just then, the owner brought over a steaming pot of wild mushroom and chicken fondue, the aroma filling the air.


    "You''ll have to wait a bit before you can eat this," the owner said with a warm smile, flipping an hourss on the table. It needs apgat twenty-five minutes. If you eat it before it''s fully cooked, you could get poisoned."


    “Thanks, we know,” Qadir replied confidently. "Don''t worry, we''ve gotmon sense."


    "Okay, enjoy!" The owner said before heading off to another table.


    Twenty-five minutes? Juniper nced at the sand slowly trickling through the hourss, then at the bubbling, fragrant fondue Her


    mouth started to water. She really wanted to eat.


    After chatting for a while, Qadir got a call from Queenie. They were lost.


    “Juniper, you wait here. I''ll go get them."


    “Alright.” Juniper nodded without looking up, engrossed in a game on her phone.


    ...


    Two roundster, Juniper finally looked up and realized her friends still hadn''t returned. The sand in the hourss, however, hadpletely run out.