Morning sunlight streamed through the Hollow High Academy classroom. Jinx sat next to Pixie, both trying to look studious while whispers of the previous night's festival buzzed through the room.
"The festival was wild," Pixie said, tugging glitter from her hair. "I swear I still have it in my ears."
"And blood under my nails," Jinx added dryly. "What a combo."
Rika walked in late, icy gaze sweeping the room. For a brief second, her eyes met Dante's — venomous, filled with unspoken threats.
During recess, Jinx sat under a tree, reading quietly. Dante watched from a distance, his presence almost invisible.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the air.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
Heads whipped toward the courtyard just in time to see a boy plummet from the academy roof. He crashed into the stone below with a sickening thud.
"Did he fall?!" someone shouted.
"No… he flew," another muttered, sarcastic yet terrified.
"Is he alive?!"
Chaos erupted. Teachers rushed toward the boy as students scattered.
Jinx exchanged a sharp glance with Dante.
"That scream," she muttered, voice tense. "It wasn't just fear. It was terror."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"And it didn't belong to him. Someone else was up there."
Minutes later, they had slipped past the cordon to the rooftop. The wind bit cold against their faces. A faint footprint marked the edge, accompanied by a single drop of crimson.
"He was pushed," Jinx said quietly.
Dante clenched his jaw, scanning the roof for further signs.
"And whoever did it… covered their tracks well."
From a shadowed stairwell, Rika observed, hands clean, her smile cruel.
"Poor boy," she whispered to herself. "He asked too many questions. Curiosity always did kill the cat."