X

HUXLEE

Wednesday, 7:50 AM

I arrive at school earlier than usual and wait near the gate for Ciela and the others. We agreed to meet here before class starts so we can head to Catherine's classroom together. If everything goes according to plan, we'll finally get some answers today. Hopefully, she actually comes to school today.

I honestly expect Ciela to be the first one here, but the meeting spot remains empty except for me. Looking around, I wish we had chosen somewhere else. Almost every student who walks through the gate glances in my direction. Some only stare for a second, while others whisper to their friends before looking away.

The rumors about me clearly haven't died down.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other and check the time—7:50 AM.

A familiar figure catches my attention from across the street. Cleovon is walking toward the school with his hands tucked inside his pockets and his head lowered. Even from a distance, something about him seems off. He looks distracted, like he's carrying the weight of a hundred thoughts.

I wait for him to notice me, but he doesn't.

He passes right by the waiting area without even lifting his head and continues through the gate until he disappears inside the campus.

I blink. Didn't he see me? Then again, how could he? He's been staring at the ground the entire time.

Did our plan get canceled without me knowing?

I quickly pull out my phone and open my conversation with Ciela. Maybe she sent an update that I missed. But after scrolling through our messages, I find nothing new. The last thing she tells me is that she's already near the school and nothing about changing plans.

So why does Cleovon just walk inside? Did he completely forget?

"Hey, where is everyone?"

I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around and find Cyprus standing there with one eyebrow raised.

I slide my phone back into my bag. "Ciela's almost here," I tell him.

"What about Von?" he asks, glancing around.

I point toward the school building beyond the gate and say, "He already went inside."

Cyprus immediately frowns. "What? Seriously?" He looks genuinely confused. "Did he forget what we talked about yesterday?"

I shrug. "Maybe."

I'm about to say more when another voice cuts in.

"Von isn't here yet?" Ciela appears behind Cyprus, slightly out of breath from walking. She adjusts the strap of her bag and looks between us.

I nod toward the campus. "He just went in. I think he forgot about the plan."

"Wow. Just wow." Ciela lets out an exasperated sigh and rolls her eyes. She shakes her head before turning toward the school. "Come on. We don't need him."

Without waiting for a response, she starts walking ahead. Cyprus and I exchange a look before following after her.

As we walk up the stairs toward the floor where Catherine's classroom is located, my eyes constantly scan the hallways, searching for Cleovon. Who knows? Maybe I'll spot him somewhere along the way.

But he isn't anywhere in sight. I look around every corner we pass, yet there's still no sign of him.

Where did he go?

The moment Ciela, Cyprus and I reach the floor, we immediately notice something strange.

A large crowd of students is gathered outside one particular classroom. Some are standing on tiptoes, trying to peek inside. Others are whispering nervously among themselves. The atmosphere feels heavy, suffocating.

"The hell?" Ciela mutters, frowning. "What's going on?"

She reaches out and taps a random student on the shoulder.

"What happened?" she asks. "Why are there so many people here?"

The boy slowly turns toward us. The moment I see his face, a chill runs down my spine. His hands are trembling. His eyes are wide with fear.

"Someone died in there," the guy responds.

"What?!" Ciela and I exclaim at the same time.

Without thinking, we immediately push through the crowd. Students complain as we squeeze past them, but neither of us cares. My heart pounds violently against my chest as we force our way toward the classroom door.

When we finally reach the front, I freeze. Several students inside the classroom are crying. Some are covering their mouths. Others are staring blankly at the floor as if they still can't process what happened. Judging from their reactions, they must have been close to whoever died.

My gaze quickly searches the room. Chair after chair, but I don't see Catherine.

"Ciela," I whisper nervously, "Catherine isn't here."

She doesn't answer right away. Instead, her face slowly drains of color.

"She..." Her voice trembles. Then she raises a shaky finger and points deeper into the classroom. "She's there."

For a moment, I don't understand what Ciela means. Then I follow the direction of her trembling finger, and the sight before me makes my entire body go rigid. A wave of horror crashes over me so suddenly that my hand instinctively flies to my mouth.

Catherine's lifeless body sits motionless in one of the classroom chairs. At first glance, she almost looks asleep, her eyes gently closed, but the illusion shatters the moment I notice her stitched lips. An X has been carved into her forehead, dried blood still staining the wound and streaking down the side of her face. Her skin is unnaturally pale, drained of all warmth and color, while her lips have turned a disturbing shade of violet.

The air leaves my lungs as I stare at her, unable to look away.

Everything around me fades into the background. The crowded classroom, the hushed whispers, the sound of students crying—it all becomes distant noise. My eyes remain locked on Catherine.

Just yesterday, she was alive, but now she's sitting motionless in front of us.

A lifeless body.

A cold shiver crawls down my spine, making every hair on my body stand on end.

This can't be real… but no matter how much I want to look away, the horrifying sight remains right in front of me.

Catherine is dead… no it can’t be happening.

Before I can process what I'm seeing, a chorus of notification sounds erupts throughout the corridor. One phone rings after another until the entire hallway is filled with the same alert. My heart skips a beat as I pull my phone from my bag and stare at the screen. Hesitating for a moment, I open the message from the certain group chat.

A message from the admin appears on the screen.

“Is this you?”

The message is followed by several uncensored photos of a student involved in a secret relationship with a teacher. My eyes widen as I stare at the screen, struggling to process what I'm seeing until I recognize the girl.

Signy.

A wave of whispers immediately spreads throughout the corridor. Students exchange shocked glances while others keep their eyes glued to their phones.

I'm not sure what's causing more commotion—the exposed photos circulating through the group chat or the dead body sitting inside the classroom.

Catherine's lifeless body is already more than enough to overwhelm me, and now this? I don't even know where to focus anymore. My thoughts are spinning in every direction, making it impossible to think straight.

I snap back to reality when someone suddenly grabs my shoulders and shakes me.

Startled, I look up and find Cyprus standing directly in front of me. His broad frame blocks my view of the classroom, shielding whatever is happening inside from my sight.

“Move,” I tell Cyprus firmly.

He shakes his head. "The scene is horrible," he says, his voice unusually serious. "You won't be able to handle it."

I stare at him in disbelief.

Seriously, what is wrong with him?

“I said move,” I repeat, and without waiting for another argument, I shove him aside.

The moment my eyes land on Catherine's body again, my stomach twists violently. A wave of nausea crashes over me, and I quickly cover my mouth.

“Move! Move!”

Around us, panic spreads like wildfire.

"Move! Everyone move back!"

"The police are here!"

The voices echo through the hallway as officers rush toward the classroom.

Still covering my mouth, I take one last look at Catherine before turning away. My chest tightens painfully, and I can't bear to look any longer.

I run. My footsteps pound against the hallway floor as I rush toward the nearest comfort room. The moment I reach it, I push open the door and stumble into the first empty cubicle I can find.

I barely make it before I vomit. The bitter taste burns my throat as everything I have eaten comes up. I grip the edge of the toilet bowl, breathing heavily while my body trembles uncontrollably.

I stay there for a while, breathing hard and trying to steady myself. When I am finally done, I sit on the cold tiled floor of the comfort room and flush the bowl. I wipe my lips with the back of my hand, and once I begin to calm down, everything I have just seen starts rushing back into my mind.

I squeeze my eyes shut, but the memories refuse to leave.

Catherine is dead. Someone took her life. Someone did that to her, but who? And more importantly, why?