In denial

HUXLEE

Present—Tuesday, 12:35 PM

“What the hell... is this?” Signy blurts out the moment the video in the group chat ends.

No one answers.

A suffocating silence settles over us, so heavy that it feels impossible to breathe. I slowly lift my gaze from my screen and look at Ciela. She's staring blankly at her phone. The video has already ended, yet she doesn't move. Her thumb remains frozen against the edge of the screen while her eyes stay locked on the black display, as if she's waiting for it to play again or for something—anything—to appear.

The video... it isn't real, right? It can't be. Ciela would never be capable of doing something like that. Something so horrifying... so heartless. I know her. No... I know her better than anyone. She would never do something like that. She couldn't.

Yes, people misunderstand her all the time because of the way she looks. She has that intimidating expression that makes strangers keep their distance, but beneath that cold exterior is the kindest person I've ever met. She's the one who secretly feeds stray cats behind the school. The one who cries whenever she sees someone else in pain. The one who always puts everyone before herself.

The girl in that video… She isn't the Ciela I know… Right?

A sliver of doubt quietly creeps into my chest, wrapping icy fingers around my heart. Or... do I really know her at all?

"Well?" Cleovon's voice slices through the silence like a knife. He lowers his phone, his expression hard and unreadable. "Speak up, will you? Did you really do that?"

I don't say a word. I wait for Ciela to lift her head. I wait for her to laugh bitterly and tell us the video is fake. That someone edited it. That the admin used AI to ruin her reputation. That none of it actually happened. Please… Just tell us it isn't true.

But no words leave her lips. My stomach twists painfully.

I saw the girl's face in the video. It was unmistakably Ciela. Every feature. Every detail. Still… AI technology has become frighteningly realistic these days. Faces can be copied. Voices can be cloned. Videos can be fabricated so perfectly that they're almost impossible to distinguish from reality. Maybe that's what happened. Maybe the anonymous admin discovered our plan and decided to strike first. Maybe this is nothing more than a warning—a twisted way of telling us to stop digging.

I cling desperately to that possibility. It's the only explanation I can bear to believe.

"Why won't you deny it?" Cyprus asks quietly, his eyes never leaving Ciela's face. His calm voice somehow feels even heavier than shouting.

I bite down on my lower lip until it stings. Forcing my shaky legs to move, I stand up. My heart pounds violently against my ribs as I force a weak, unconvincing smile onto my face.

"Come on, guys..." My voice comes out smaller than I intended. "You don't seriously believe that's real... do you?"

No one answers. They simply look at me. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I continue, trying to convince them—and maybe even myself.

"The admin probably found out about what we were planning," I say quickly. "They wanted to scare us before we could do anything, so they framed Ciela. They used AI or edited the footage. It's just their way of getting back at us... a warning that we shouldn't mess with them."

Signy slowly shakes her head. "No." Her voice is firm. "I don't think that's what's happening." She raises a trembling finger and points directly at Ciela. "Look at her."

I immediately defend her. "She's in shock," I argue. "Wouldn't you be? If someone spread a fake video of you across the internet, you'd freeze too. Anyone would."

Signy lets out a humourless scoff. "Then why isn't she denying it?"

The question hits me harder than I expect. I slowly turn my head to Ciela. She still hasn't looked at any of us. She's just... sitting there. Silent.

"Ciela..." I whisper. My voice cracks despite my efforts to stay composed. "Please... just tell them." I search her face, silently begging her to save herself. "Tell them you didn't do it. I know you." I force a small smile, hoping she'll return it. "I know you would never do something like that."

After what feels like an eternity, Ciela finally lowers her phone. Her fingers tremble as the screen goes dark, but she still can't bring herself to meet anyone's eyes. Instead, she stares into the empty distance, her expression hollow, as though every bit of life has drained from her.

When she finally speaks, her voice is barely louder than a whisper. "I..." Her words catch in her throat. She closes her eyes for a brief second before forcing herself to continue, "I did it, Huxlee."

The confession shatters the silence like glass. Finally, she looks at me. Her eyes are overflowing with guilt and quiet despair. A single tear slips down her cheek as her lips tremble. "I'm... sorry."

“What?!” I blurt out, the word ripping from my throat. I shake my head in disbelief, my voice rising with every step as I march straight toward her. Before she can pull away, I grab both of her hands, forcing her to face me. My fingers tighten around her trembling wrists. “Look at me.”

Slowly, she lifts her head. Her eyes are glossy, shimmering beneath the afternoon light, and it doesn't take long for me to realise she's desperately fighting back tears. Her lips quiver ever so slightly, but she keeps them pressed together, as if she's terrified that the moment she opens her mouth, she'll completely fall apart.

I draw in a slow, shaky breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside my chest. “You don't have to lie, okay?” I say softly, my voice cracking despite my efforts to stay composed. “I know you. I know you better than anyone here. You're not someone who would do something like that.”

For a brief moment, hope flickers inside me. Maybe she'll deny it. Maybe she'll tell me this is all some terrible misunderstanding. Instead, she gently slips her hands out of my grasp. She doesn't look away—not even for a second. She holds my gaze with a painful steadiness that makes my heart sink before she even speaks.

“I would be lying if I said I didn't do it.” She pauses, swallowing the lump in her throat before quietly continuing. “I did it, Huxlee... and that's the truth.”

“Oh my God...” Signy whispers, her voice barely audible.

The world around me suddenly feels distant. My breath catches in my throat, and my knees give out beneath me. I collapse onto the grass, the cool blades brushing against my palms as I struggle to steady myself. My entire body feels numb.

No. No… I refuse to believe it. This can't be real. This isn't the Ciela I know.

“It'll be okay,” Cyprus says quietly as he kneels beside me. His hands rest firmly on my shoulders, trying to keep me grounded.

But all I can do is shake my head. My lips remain sealed because I don't know what to say anymore. She admitted it. She admitted everything. A thousand questions race through my mind, but one overwhelms the rest. Why? Why would she do something like that?

The question burns inside me, yet somehow I can't bring myself to ask it.

Ting!

The sharp notification slices through the heavy silence. Every one of us instinctively reaches for our phones. My heart pounds as I unlock mine and open the group chat. A new message from the admin appears.

“Do any of you know where those people are now?”

Ting!

“I guess you don't know, huh?”

Ting!

“Well, they're all in a coma... except for the person who recorded the video.”

A cold chill crawls down my spine. The air around us suddenly feels suffocating.

Ting!

“This is only a warning. If any of you keep trying to find out who I am, you'd better stop now—unless you want your own secrets exposed even sooner.”

Ting!

“The second warning won't be as kind. And you definitely don't want to find out what happens after the final one.”

“Damn it!” Cleovon explodes, his voice echoing. In one furious motion, he hurls his phone to the ground. It hits the grass with a dull thud before bouncing once, the screen narrowly avoiding a crack.

Ciela lets out a long, exhausted sigh before pushing herself to her feet. “I should go.”

“Where are you going?” I ask immediately, scrambling to my feet despite the lingering weakness in my legs.

She turns to face me. “I'm going to find the guy who has the original recording of me.”

“And then what?” Signy cuts in sharply, crossing her arms. Her expression hardens as she glares at Ciela. “Are you going to put him in a coma too?”

My head snaps toward Signy. What the hell is she talking about?

“Hey!” Cyprus says, stepping forward. “That's enough.”

Ciela doesn't argue. She simply turns around, ready to leave. Before she can take another step, I instinctively reach out and grab her wrist.

“I'll come with you.”

She glances over her shoulder, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips—a smile that carries no warmth. “Why?” she asks. “Are you afraid I'll smash his head with a brick too?”

I immediately shake my head. “No,” I answer without hesitation, meeting her eyes. “Of course not.”