Zein's Point Of View:
The last thing I remembered before losing consciousness was someone helping me get out of the crowd. Everything was such a blur that I didn't even get a look at who it was. My head was throbbing so hard, it felt like it was splitting open.
"I'm just glad nothing worse happened to you. Good thing that mystery girl showed up, though she did leave a scar on your chest," Mia told me.
I couldn't help but smile. Earlier, I'd felt a sharp sting, followed by a hot liquid slinding down my throat. Even after gulping down several glasses of water, I could still feel that burning sensation lingering there.
"The Blue Serum... Who do you guys think gave it to us?" Vanessa asked.
Nobody tried to answer because, honestly, nobody knew. Whoever those mystery people were who helped us, we owed them our lives.
We all looked up at the same time when the door swing open and Nurse Cha walked in. Her smile vanished the moment she saw the shattered window. Her gaze shifted to us, shock written all over her face.
"Oh, y-you're awake," She said, forcing a smile. "That's good."
"Bitch," Vanessa muttered under her breath, so I reached out and squeezed her hand to quietly calm her down.
"Yes, thanks so much for help, Nurse Cha," Matt replied sarcastically. "If it weren't for you, who knows what would've happened to our friends?"
Nurse Cha didn't seem to catch the sarcasm, through, since her smile just got wider.
"You are welcome. It's our job to save lives, after all," She said.
I mentally rolled my eyes. Really, Nurse Cha? Save our lives or end them?
"You actually impressed me, Nurse Cha." Mia walked up to her with a smile and even took the nurse's hand. "You managed to save our friends in just a few minutes. You're really good at what you do."
She smiled again. Was she stupid? Couldnt she read the room?
Your our clueless is going to be your downfall, Nurse Cha, I thought. You're just a puppet of them, and in the end, you're life won't mean a thing to them either.
***
The next day, everything went back to normal. After the incident last night, there wasn't a whisper of gossip about it, as if they were used to stuff like that happening all the time.
"Good morning, class," Sir Alvarez greeted us.
As usual, nobody bother to greet him back. I thought about it for a second, but I was feeling too lazy, so I just yawned instead.
He started the lesson. I just started at him while my mind drifted off somewhere else entirely.
"Look around," Celine, who was sitting next to me, whispered.
We'd been given a seating arrangement, and since my surname was Shion, I ended up next to Celine Samonte. I looked around like she told me to.
Everyone was quiet and listening. They looked like ordinary students just trying to learn and get high grades. Maybe to get the validation they needed. Maybe to make their parents proud.
"Who do you think the enemy is among them?" She asked.
I turn to look at her. She was staring straight at Sir Alvarez with a faint smile on her lips.
What was she talking about? The enemy? As if it would even be a surprise if one of our classmates was an enemy. In this place, my friends only ones I could trust, just like what happened last night.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Sir Alvarez as he wrote an equation on the blackboard. I watched as her smile slowly widened. She titled her head down, her hair veiling her face, and I heard her let out a soft laugh.
So weird.
"To innocent and numb. Not everything you see is real. Not everything you're told is the truth. Not all your friends actually see you as a friend. In the end, they'll always choose themselves."
She turned to me, and all I could do was to stare into her deep eyes. I mean, she had a point. In this hellhole, I really didn't know who to trust and who to avoid. Who to get close to and who to stay away from. Who's a friend and who's a foe.
"Behind every innocent smile is a hidden secret. Don't hug anyone too tight because you never know who's holding the knife. You'll only realize it once you're already bleeding."
I swallowed hard and looked away, my fists clenching. I didn't want to believe that any of my friends could do something like that. I didn't want to think the worst of them. I trusted them completely.
"How about you, Zein? Could you turn your back on your friends to save yourself?"
Her question gave me a chills. Before I knew it, I was standing up, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Yes, Ms. Shion?" Sir Alvarez asked.
"May I go out?" was all I managed to say. I didn't even wait for an answer and just bolted out of the room.
By the time I hit the restroom, I was gasping the air. I leaned against the stink because I felt like my knees were about to give out. Shit!
No way. I could never turn my back on my friends. I'd die before I betrayed them.
And I knew they wouldn't do that to me either.
I stayed there for a few minutes just to clear my head. Before heading out, I washed my hands, but I had zero interest in going back to class. I didn't want to see Celine either. She was seriously freaking me out.
I decided to head to the gym instead since it would be empty during class hours. I was just about to go in when someone trapped me on the shoulder.
I turned around and frowned when I realized it was the girl Matt and I had bumped into before----the one who was seemed so terrified of us.
"W-what is it?" I asked.
She didn't say anything, but tears suddenly started streaming down her face. Her hair was a mess, her blouse all wrinkled.
"Did something happen" I asked.
Muffled groans slipped out without her opening her mouth. She was clearly shaking with fear, trying to tell me something.
"Hey! Are you okay?!" I asked, worried. I grabbed her arm to try and calm her down.
She just kept shaking her head.
"Why won't you speak?! Is someone chasing you?" I asked, looking around. It was just two of us there.
She wiped her eyes and then suddenly ran off, her constant glances over her shoulder making it seem like someone was after her.
"Wait" I shouted.
I chased after her, but before I could even get close, she collapsed into the floor.
I froze for a moment before slowly walking toward her. My eyes widened in horror at what I saw next, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming.
Her tongue was sticking out, a nail driven through it. Just like what happened before, it looked like it had been branded with hot iron. Blood was spurting from her neck where another nail had been driven in.
"Help! Somebody help!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
She was struggling to breathe, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. She was desperately trying to say something, but no sound would come out.
Is she trying to tell me something?
"Zein!"
"Oh my god!"
The next thing I knew, Matt and Dave were pulling me away from the now-lifeless girl. She just lay there, eyes wide and fixed on me, with her finger pointing right in my direction.
What was she trying to say?
"Zein! Are you okay?!" Mia asked.
Jerome handed me some water, but I couldn't even bring myself to drink it. Who did this? How did that nail get there? I didn't see it earlier. Was it possible someone shot it from a distance?
"Shit! Zein! You okay?" Matt asked, sounding really worried.
I just nodded and took a gulp of water from the bottle. The guards eventually showed up and carried the body away.
"Who did this, Zein? Did you see them?" Dave asked.
I shook my head. "I didn't see anyone. It happened so fast," I replied. "But it felt like she wanted to tell me something. She just couldn't because her tongue...." I swallowed hard, remembering why she could only groan. "It already had a nail mask."
"Ms. Zein Shion. Could I invite you to my office?" A woman suddenly asked. Based on her ID, She appeared to be the principal of HU. "We need to get some information from you."
"Wait! Zein has nothing to do with this!" Jerome insisted.
"We just want to talk to her. We aren't accusing her of anything," the principal replied calmly.
"We're coming too!" Matt said.
"No, it's fine. You guys head back to the dorm. I'll follow you later," I told them.
They seemed to be against my decision, but they didn't have much of a choice.
I walked behind Madame Principal, keeping my head lowered as people looked at me like I was to blame for that girl's death.
When we walked in, Ace was already there, lounging in the principal's swivel chair.
"Oh, Madame Carmie. Glad you're finally here. I was getting pretty bored," Supremo drawled.
The principal apologized to him. I scowled. Even the principal was scared of this guy, huh? No wonder he was such an arrogant prick.
"Have a seat, Madame Carmie." Ace got up from the chair and sat on the sofa right next to me. I nudged myself away from him a bit.
The principal took her seat and folded her hands on the desk.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly. "If you're going to blame me for what happened earlier, save it. I didn't do it."
"How rude, Ms. Shion. You seem to have forgotten you're facing the principal and the SSG president of Hell University. Learn some respect," Ace said softly, but with an edge to his voice.
I rolled my eyes and didn't bother answering. That was all the respect they were getting from me.
"This is regarding your role as the newest secretary, Ms. Shion," Principal Carmei started.
"How many times do I have to say I'm not interested in that position?" I snapped.
I thought they were going to ask about the incident, but they were still on about this secretary thing. Geez.
"As if you had a choice. I chose you personally, and that's final," Supremo said.
"Do I need to spell it out for you? I. Don't. Want. To," I stood my ground.
Ace stood up and sat on the edge of Madame Principal's desk. He was just preaching about respect a second ago. What was this supposed to be then?
"Ms. Shion, you'll benefit from this too. You'll find out everything you want to know once you take the position. You'll be able to control the people below you. They'll fear you. He let out a dry laugh.
I almost laughed in his face. Did he really think I'd take the job just to feel superior to others? Was that how people in power think? That they could just pull everyone's strings because they had a title?
"Let me remind you, we aren't negotiating here, Ms. Shion," Madame Carmie said. "We're just formally informing you."
Ace smirked.
It looked like they weren't going to let this go.
"I'll think about it," I said just to end it, too tired to argue. I knew I couldn't win anyway.
I hate them. I hate him!
"Fine. Anyway, how are you? I heard about what happened last night," Supremo said suddenly.
"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine," I responded sarcastically.
I stood up and brushed myself off. Ace chuckled. For some reason, this guy was starting to get on my nerves. There was just something so annoying about him beyong the power trip.
"I know who did that to you..."
I froze and looked at him. He hopped off Principal Carmie's table and started walking toward the door.
"Tsk, tsk. Don't play dumb. I know you've noticed something already. Your hunch is right. He did it."
He left me standing there, stunned.
I got it. He was getting on my nerves because he got the nerve.