Chapter 5- Shadows of the Past

Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past

The warm afternoon sun filtered through the glass windows of Hillcrest Academy, casting golden rays across the badminton court. But neither the sunlight nor the occasional cheer from another court could shake the growing tension between Liya and Zane. Something had changed after yesterday’s silent truce. They weren’t just playing anymore—they were observing, challenging, daring each other to let their guards down.

“Again,” Liya demanded, her breathing steady but her muscles tense.

Zane raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been saying that for the last ten rounds. Tired of losing already?”

She shot him a glare. “You wish.”

He smirked. But instead of another sarcastic comment, he served the shuttlecock again. The rally between them was intense, precise. They moved like clockwork, not in harmony—but in competition. Still, there was something different about the way they interacted now. The rivalry had dulled into something more complex. An unspoken connection lingered in their glances.

After the match, Liya plopped onto the bench, pulling out her water bottle. Zane followed, a few feet away, resting against the wall.

“You're good,” he muttered.

Liya blinked. “Did the great Zane just compliment me?”

He looked away. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

She chuckled softly. “Too late.”

—

That evening, Liya walked home under the pastel sky, her backpack slung over one shoulder. As she passed an old bookstore, something caught her eye—a tiny wooden keychain with a shuttlecock carved into it, dangling from the window. Her fingers reached for it instinctively, a strange sense of nostalgia washing over her.

Memories came rushing back. A summer camp. The sound of laughter. The first time she held a badminton racket in her tiny hands. A boy with messy black hair who was shy but competitive. She had called him... "Zee."

Her eyes widened. Could it be?

—

Meanwhile, Zane sat alone in his room, fingers grazing over a tattered photo hidden inside one of his drawers. A photo of two kids—one girl with braided hair and a fiery smile, the other boy timid but smiling back. She had called him Zee. He had called her Lily.

“I finally found you,” he whispered.

Zane had known since the first day of school that Liya was the same girl from all those years ago. But she hadn’t recognized him—or maybe she had forgotten. He couldn’t blame her. After all, he had changed. The once-soft boy had built walls, worn masks.

—

The next day, their interactions were different. Liya felt it too. There was a familiarity in Zane’s gaze, something that made her chest tighten.

In literature class, she caught him staring at her. Not with mockery or coldness—but something warmer, something deeper.

“Is everything okay?” she asked as they walked out of class together.

Zane paused. He wanted to tell her the truth—about who he was, about their shared past—but the words refused to come.

“Just... thinking,” he muttered.

“About?”

He gave a crooked smile. “How annoying you are.”

Liya smacked his arm, laughing. But even she could feel it—something was brewing beneath their teasing.

—

After school, they met again at the court. But this time, Zane didn’t serve.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny wooden keychain.