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The next day started out normally. Layla and Amber both took their seats in their classroom just before the first bell and waved good morning to Blake. The day went by smoothly with classes coming and going as they time flew by up until lunch. Right before Blake left to get lunch at the cafeteria, she was stopped by a female student who grasped her bandaged arm. Blake flinched at the contact at first, which caused the girl to quickly let go with a gasp.
"I-I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" she asked apologetically. Blake turned to see who it was and felt rather surprised. The girl was quite beautiful, with wavy auburn hair and an angelic face. She looked almost like a porcelain doll adorned with the school's female uniform. Blake suddenly realized she wasn't breathing and silently took in a breath, heaving a sigh.
"No, no it's okay," Blake managed after regaining her composure. Meanwhile, Layla took notice of Blake's reactions to the girl. For some reason, Layla found it to be quite amusing since Blake was usually very level-headed and calm in almost any situation. To see that same girl acting even the slightest bit flustered piqued her interest greatly.
"Wonder who that girl is. The one talking to Blake," she asked aloud. Amber looked over from her desk and sighed. She knew well who that other girl was, and quite frankly, she wasn't surprised about Blake's reaction.
"That girl's name is Aria, also known as Cor Fortium's Angel," Amber answered knowingly, "Same grade as us, and is well known for capturing the hearts of guys without saying a thing. She's almost like the ultimate girlfriend guys really want since she hasn't had a boyfriend yet." Layla gave a silent "oh" after hearing that, keeping her focus on the interaction between Aria and Blake.

"Did you need me for something?" Blake was asking Aria, who was looking rather shy. How cute, Blake found herself thinking as the girl in front of her fidgeted in place while trying to find her words.
"Y-you're Blake, right?" the girl asked timidly. Blake nodded. The girl let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh good. I thought I got the person wrong," the girl said, "I was actually looking to talk to you for a bit. Meet me at the rooftop after school?" The classroom went silent at the sudden request. Even Amber couldn't help but to feel shock from it. Blake, however, smiled calmly.
"Sure thing. I'll see you then," she replied, "But in return, can I ask for your name?"
"Oh! It's Aria. Nice to finally meet you, Blake!" she replied happily as she left the classroom. Blake let out a huff and smiled, making her way towards the school cafeteria. On her way there, she heard two pairs of footsteps approaching her at running speeds and was once again stopped as two girls tackled each of her arms.
"Never thought I would find you to be flustered, Blake," Layla cheekily said as she let go of Blake's arm.
"And of course you guys would be watching me," Blake grumbled, "You can stay quiet."
"But I was more surprised that you agreed to talk to Aria," Amber piped up, keeping her hold on Blake's right arm, "I mean, think of the rumors: Cor Fortium's Angel and Ultimate Girl Crush meet at school rooftop. People would go crazy over that sort of thing."
"Angel?" Blake asked, confused. "That's Aria's nickname here, apparently," Layla explained. Blake gave a silent "oh" as they arrived at the cafeteria. The three girls got their food and headed out of the cafeteria to sit out in the courtyard in front of the school since it was much quieter and less disgusting as the school's cafeteria tended to be. Plus, the cafeteria was infamous for being a fight-prone zone, so eating at the courtyard meant that they could actually eat their food.
"I wonder why Aria would want to talk to me, though. We're not really considered to be even acquaintances," Blake asked aloud as she picked up a baby carrot off her plate. Layla quietly chewed her hamburger and Amber hummed in agreement as she pondered the same thing. Aria was in the class next door, yet she took the time to go to their classroom to specifically talk to Blake. It's probably nothing much at all, she thought to herself, maybe she was just curious about Blake since she hadn't talked to her until today. After all, names can be well-known to people without those people ever knowing who that person was or looked like.

Blake went through the rest of the school day distracted by Aria's request to talk to her. She was beautiful and sweet, matching her school nickname to the letter. Why haven't I known of her before? Blake wondered as the last class of the day ended without much of a care in the world. As students began to file out of the classroom to head home, Layla and Amber both stayed behind, taking glances at Blake who was still glued to her seat with a distant look in her eyes.
"I guess she can't help but to think about it," Amber spoke up suddenly, referring to Aria. Layla nodded, walking over to meet with their distracted friend.
"Earth to Blake? You still there?" Layla called out, tapping the girl's shoulder. Blake snapped out of her trance and looked over to the two girls looking over her.
"Yeah, yeah. Did classes end?" Blake asked.
"Long time ago," Amber answered, "School's ended. Which means it's about time you went to go and see Aria, if I remember correctly."
"And even if you forgot, rumors can spread really fast," Layla added, "Chances are that people around you will try to talk to you about it unless you hurry up or go a way where no students are around."
"I see. I'll be going then," Blake told them both as she packed her things and headed out. Just like Layla had predicted, she passed by several students on the way to meet Aria that asked her about the meeting. She brushed past each one saying she was on her way as a means to remain respectful, but it felt overwhelming. She never really took note on exactly how much detail the students here at school had on her up until today. I'm beginning to see why this seems like an issue to them, Blake thought to herself while thinking of Amber and Layla's reactions to the unwanted attention. She quickly made her way up the main stairs towards the rooftop.

Since Blake's classroom was only on the second floor, it didn't take much time for her to reach the rooftop of the four-story building. As she opened the door to the roof, Blake was met with a cool breeze and a beautiful sunset. The roof was barren, with nothing but a small concrete wall a foot long to showcase its boundaries. It was also near that same wall that Blake found Aria facing the sun, watching the bright red ball in the sky slowly make its way beyond the horizon. For a few moments, Blake had actually contemplated just standing there and taking in the sights. Aria looked like a forlorn angel wistfully looking up to the sky. Aria turned her head to see Blake and smiled.
"I'm glad you actually came," Aria greeted her, approaching the girl. Blake smiled and nodded in return, closing the door behind her and walking to meet with Aria in the middle of the roof. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't take the time to hear what I had to say," Aria added, "After all, it was such a sudden request. I thought that maybe you forgot about it."
"I'm not one to break the promises I keep, Aria," Blake replied coolly, "Although I am still very curious as to why you asked me here."
"Ah! Yes, about that," Aria began, "I wanted to ask about that bandaged arm I had been hearing so much about." Blake felt a bit skeptical. There was no way Aria would bring her to complete isolation just to see her bandaged arm. Then again, she didn't know Aria that well to make such a judgement.
"You mean this?" Blake asked as she began taking off her blazer. Aria yelped suddenly and shielded her eyes. Blake observed Aria in confusion as she held her blazer in her left hand. Both were girls, yet here Aria was shielding her eyes as if she was watching a man undress.
"Aria? Are you okay?" Blake asked, "I just took off my blazer. You can see the bandaged arm with it off." Aria peeked between her fingers and noticed Blake was still in her dress shirt. Breathing a sigh a relief, Aria put her hands back down and walked closer to see the rumored bandaged arm. The bandages surrounding it were pristine white, as if they were changed recently. Blake noticed Aria's breath hitch as she absent-mindedly outstretched her hand and touched it.
"Did it hurt?" Aria asked suddenly, voice hushed.
"Huh?"
"To get these bandages. It looks like it must have hurt a lot." Blake's eyes quietly looked over Aria's face, taking note of watery eyes and a heartbroken expression. I guess this reminded her of something horrible; poor girl, Blake thought.
"It did, at first," Blake answered, recalling when her tattoo first formed. It was a painful procedure, as a Knight's tattoo could only form with the help of the Knight's essence. The day that her real mother had died, Blake had felt a searing pain on her arm and watched in horror as the tattoo slowly formed. It felt as if her muscles and bones were ripped, shredded and destroyed over and over again until the tattoo fully formed on her arm. The result of it was Blake writhing in agonizing pain with her arm internally bleeding to the point where blood ran out her pores and through her fingernails. It was a horrid sight to police and paramedics when she was found, and it was most likely forgotten for good reason.
"I was really young back then, so when I got injured the first time, it sort of stuck to me. Like it had become a part of me in a way," Blake explained carefully, masking the truth behind the white bandages, "Now, the pain is gone but the memory stays with me. The bandages are like a reminder of what could have happened, something that I could never really let go even if I tried. Since it reminds me of my mother." Aria let out a tiny gasp. Blake gave a sad smile. That bit of truth was always hard for her to say. Even though it was years in the past.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up," Aria apologized. Blake shook her head.
"It's fine. It's long in the past already," Blake said, tying her blazer to her waist. Aria was becoming quite the mystery now. There must be something she's hiding, Blake's mind kept telling her, something feels off somehow and I can't figure it out.