People kept glancing at Gabriel and Shawn as they walked along the hallway.
"What is wrong with you?" Gabriel sighed.
The glances they're receiving are different from those admiring glances they were receiving before.
It was all because Shawn's handsome face had a deep frown, as if he were ready to fight someone suddenly if they bumped into him.
It was a look that was never seen on him over the years of their study at this university.
He was either smiling or had a welcoming look. But never a scowl or such a frustrated look.
"Have you forgotten how famous you are in this university?" Gabriel sighed.
"It's Harmony," Shawn finally spoke up.
"What about her?"
"Have you seen her in the library over the past week?"
Gabriel slightly furrowed his brows.
It has been a month and a half since Harmony came out to them and told them of her identity as Wynter Morgrave.
Though a bit late, it also made him realize how she was able to get those super limited books he needed.
They returned to the university as usual, and he would study with her in the library once every few days. But she never missed a week of going and staying in the library for her breaks.
"I don't think I have," he replied seriously.
"I don't think her presence was also in her place for the past week."
Gabriel glanced around and noticed that there were still many people around.
"Let's go to your place after class."
They have the same end of classes for the day, even though most of their subjects are no longer the same.
…
"What are you thinking is going on?" Gabriel asked as they sat down in Shawn's place.
He frowned, seeing how Shawn was frowning even more.
"What's happening?" he asked.
Shawn tinkered with his phone and played a voicemail he received a few minutes ago.
"Hi."
Gabriel frowned, hearing Harmony's voice.
"It is weird for me to do this. I had always thought I would move on my own and finish everything by myself. But…"
There was a pause after a sigh.
"…I am also aware I won't be able to do it. Maybe what swayed me to reach out to you and tell you who I am is your persistence in coming close to me. And now…"
Another pause.
She was obviously pondering how she should continue.
"…I guess I wish to count on that kindness I came to dislike before. You would be receiving this voice message a week after my departure to City S. If in three days I still do not appear or send you a message…"
This time, the pause was longer.
"Please…"
Gabriel looked at Shawn when he heard her choke.
Harmony, who had always been in control of her emotions, actually choked upon speaking the word 'please'.
"…help me."
Shawn gritted his teeth.
"I never wanted to get anyone else involved. I just want to finish everything on my own, but I also know how they will react. And knowing that I sent you this message, if in three days you hear nothing from me. Can you please… help me?"
Shawn sighed deeply, "I had the feeling that something was not right with her family and with how she was being treated."
"I also had a different feeling when she said she'd be returning to their place last weekend. Even though she had told us her identity, she still just says goodbye when we pass by one another, and she is returning. This was the first time that she came to my place to bid me goodbye," he added.
"That on itself was already weird enough," Gabriel responded.
"That is why I was feeling off since then. I monitored her place and realized she has not returned for far longer than before, even though she said that this is a cover and gaining attention in any way is something she must not do. Being absent for that long won't be good."
He once again tinkered on his phone and showed a picture of Wynter Morgrave in an orphanage last Sunday.
"It was said here that she went to some orphanages as a celebration of her birthday. And her family voiced out that she prefers this more than throwing parties."
"We all are 21 this year," Gabriel replied.
Shawn nodded, "What if what she meant by how they will react is how her family would react if she were to say that she'd leave home now that she is considered an adult and could go independent."
"That could be her reason for her words as well, that she is unaware of the future. She may have more plans for herself from here on out. But because she doubted the possibility of her leaving her family, she reached out to you despite it not being part of her plans."
Gabriel thought for a bit, "What… is her relationship with her family?"
Shawn told him what he observed back in Lenon's birthday party.
"Then this year must have been what she had been waiting for all her life," Gabriel lamented.
"But father said that her father had treated her good during childhood."
Shawn had been pondering this since he received the voice message. Something must have happened within their family for her to be treated like that by her mother, even in public. There is no way for her father to let it be if he were treating her good when she was a child.
"What do you plan?" Gabriel asked him.
"I'm going back to City S in two days and will wait for the third day. But Morgrave Family is a very influential one. My family can't just go against them when we like."
Even though their family is as influential, going against another without a deeper, proper reason would be very difficult.
"I will try and persuade my family, but if you guys can help—"
"We all have accepted her as our friend, surely we will support you as much as we can. Our family may not be able to go against their family like yours, but we will surely support you. I will speak to the others, and then we will contact you in three days."
Harmony may not know it yet but her decision of opening up to them was the best decision she currently has done in her 21 years of being alive.