58 My Heart Is Not  Yet Ready

The exam had finally ended. Kate didn't leave the room because she knew that Noah wanted to talk to her. However, she was worried about Chloe. Although Kate believed that Chloe would be able to make her way to the gates safely, she was still worried.

After explaining her situation to Noah, the School Dean decided to schedule a meeting with her in two days. He knew that the girl's emotions were not stable right now after all that she went through. Noah deemed it was necessary to have a short break so the younger girl could regain her composure. After setting a place and time for their meeting, he allowed Kate to leave in peace.

Now that everybody was gone, there were now only two people left in the examination room. It was none other than Noah and Cynthia. The School Dean wanted to teach the arrogant teacher a lesson, but he reconsidered after an idea came to his mind.

"You can go for now," Noah said as he walked towards the door. He didn't even bother to look at the pale faced Cynthia. "However, this is not over. I will call for you when I have decided your punishment."

Noah paused in front of the door and gave her a sidelong glance "Until then, make sure to not leave K-City. Do I make myself clear?"

[A/N: K-City is the city where Saint Claire Academy is located. Also, don't ask me where K-City is!]

"Understood, Professor," Cynthia replied. "I will comply with your wishes."

"Good."

Noah closed the door behind him leaving Cynthia rooted in place. Half a minute later, the Math Teacher felt her strength leave her body. She helplessly plopped down on the floor and panted for breath. She had long passed her limit and only her sheer will power kept her from collapsing earlier.

Cynthia knew that her fate was under the whim of the School Dean and there was nothing she could do about it. She just hoped that even if she was fired from her position, the Dean would still show her mercy. Cynthia prayed that Noah would allow her to apply and teach at other schools after leaving Saint Claire Academy.

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"What in the world happened to you, Big Sister?" Chloe asked with an amused expression. She could see Kate's disheveled state and wasn't able to stop herself from giggling. "You look like someone who crawled out of a well."

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later," Kate said as she held the younger girl's hand. "Let's go. Mama Andrea, Ciel, and your sister are waiting for us."

"Ok."

Since all the examinations finished at the same time, the once empty academy grounds were now filled with children of all ages. The path leading to the school gate was jam packed. The two girls decided to wait for a bit so that they would not be squeezed by the crowd of people.

While they were waiting, Kate asked Chloe how she fared in the exam. The younger girl replied that she was confident that she passed the exam with flying colors. Kate felt her teeth itch because of Chloe's confident answer. She wished that she could say the same. Unfortunately, she didn't know if she passed the exam or not.

She couldn't remember the contents of the test because she only focused her attention on answering the test questions. Kate knew that there was one person who could answer her question. She decided to ask Stella because she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if she didn't get this off her chest.

'Do you think I passed the exam?' Kate asked Stella anxiously. 'I can't remember what happened earlier.'

[Do you want to know?] Stella replied in a teasing manner.

'Do you even need to ask?' Kate snorted. 'Of course I want to know. Why would I even bother asking otherwise?'

[Hehe, you're so cute, Kate,] Stella chuckled from within their mindscape. [Unfortunately, I was dozing off while you were taking the test so I don't know whether you passed or not.]

'What? Why were you dozing?!'

[Because the exam was boring. I could easily answer all the questions with my eyes closed.]

Kate sensed that Stella knew the answer to her question. However the latter didn't want to tell her what it was. She knew that she wouldn't be getting any answers from her split personality so she gave up. That was the kind of girl Stella was, firm and resolute. If she decided to do something, it would be very hard to change her mind.

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Thirty minutes later…

"What in the world happened to you, Kate?" Andrea asked when she saw her adopted daughter's untidy appearance. "Did you crawl out of a well?"

Kate massaged her temple. Chloe said the same thing and she was feeling a sense of deja vu. She could only smile weakly and reply with the same answer she gave Chloe earlier. "It's a long story, Mama Andrea. I'll tell you later."

Andrea frowned, but she didn't pursue the matter. "Let's go back home."

The kids nodded their heads and followed behind her. Heinz had already prepared the cars and their convoy sped away from the Academy. Chloe and Claire were given permission by their mother to stay overnight at the Summer's residence. This news was received happily by Chloe. Although she was only separated from Ciel for a few days, she missed him terribly.

It didn't take long for them to arrived at the Summer's residence. Kate hurried back to her room to take a bath. She felt sticky from all the tears, snot, and sweat that covered her dress. The ordeal she faced today was a roller coaster ride and she was very exhausted. Kate almost fell asleep in the bathtub. If it wasn't for Stella taking full control of their body, the poor girl might have drowned herself in her sleep.

'I feel sleepy, can you take over while I take a nap?' Kate yawned in their mindspace. 'I don't think I'm mentally fit to explain what happened to Mama Andrea and the others.'

Stella looked at her with a resigned expression. [Fine. Sleep. I'll take over for the time being.]

'Thank you.'

After saying her thanks, Kate closed her eyes and went to dreamland. Stella could only shake her head helplessly as she walked towards the full body mirror in the room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.

"I hope darling will not confront me today," Stella muttered as she put on clean clothes. She knew that Ciel wanted to talk to her, but she was afraid of how he would react after finding out their secret.

Stella lightly pressed her forehead against the mirror. "What do I do? My heart is not yet ready…"