Zein's Point of View
Someone was holding me; that was the last thing I remembered before I completely lost consciousness. Everything had been a blur. My head was throbbing so painfully it felt like it was going to split open.
"Thank goodness you're okay. It's a good thing that mysterious woman came when she did. She's only going to leave a small scar on your chest," Mia said, her voice filled with relief.
I couldn't help but smile, though I remembered the sharp pain from earlier. I could still feel the stinging sensation in my throat from the liquid I was forced to drink, even after several glasses of water.
"That blue serum... who do you think gave it to us?" Vanessa asked.
No one answered. We didn't have any leads. Whoever those mysterious people were, we owed them our lives.
Suddenly, the door opened and Nurse Cha emerged. Her smile faded the moment she saw the broken window. A hint of shock flashed in her eyes before her gaze shifted to us. "You're awake," she said, forcing a smile. "That's good."
"Bitch," I heard Vanessa whisper. I quickly grabbed her hand to keep her quiet.
"Yes. Thank you so much for your 'help,' Nurse Cha," Matt replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened to our friends?"
Nurse Cha didn't seem to catch the tone; her smile actually widened. "You are very welcome. It is our duty to save lives," she said.
I mentally rolled my eyes. Really, Nurse Cha? Save lives or end them? I looked at her, wondering if she realized how transparent she was. She was just a puppet for the administration, and in the end, her life wouldn't matter to them any more than ours did.
The next day, everything seemed to return to normal. After the incident at the party, no one was gossiping. It was as if the students were used to such horrors happening all the time.
"Good morning, class," Sir Alvarez greeted us. As usual, no one bothered to greet him back. I wanted to be polite, but I was too exhausted and just yawned instead.
As he began the lesson, my mind started to wander. "Look around," Celine whispered from the seat next to me.
I looked at our classmates. Everyone was listening quietly, acting like ordinary students trying to get high grades—perhaps to satisfy their parents or to find some sense of validation in this hell.
"Who do you think is the enemy?" Celine asked suddenly.
I turned to her. She was looking straight at Sir Alvarez with a faint, unsettling smile. What was she talking about? In this place, everyone was a potential enemy. I felt that I could only trust my friends, especially after what happened last night.
Celine's smile widened as she watched Sir Alvarez write an equation on the chalkboard. She leaned down, her hair covering her face, and I heard a soft, chilling laugh.
"Too innocent and numb," she whispered. "Not everything you see is true. Not everything you learn is the truth. Not all your friends actually consider you a friend. In the end, they will still think only of themselves."
She turned to look me in the eye. "In every innocent smile, there is a hidden secret. Don't hug anyone too tightly, Zein; you never know who is holding the knife behind your back. 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 betray me. I trusted them with my life.
"Tell me, Zein... could you abandon your friends to save yourself?"
The question startled me so much that I stood up abruptly, my heart pounding.
"Yes, Ms. Shion?" Sir Alvarez asked, stopping his lecture.
"May I go out?" was all I could manage. I didn't even wait for his answer before rushing out of the room.
I ran to the restroom, gasping for air. I leaned against the sink, my knees shaking. No. I could never abandon them. Even if I die, I won't betray them. And I know they wouldn't abandon me.
I stayed there for a few minutes to compose myself. I didn't want to go back to class; I was terrified of Celine. I decided to head to the gymnasium instead, knowing it would be empty during class hours. But as I was about to enter, someone bumped into me.
It was the woman Matt and I had met before—the one who had been so terrified of us. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were rumpled, and tears were welling in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't speak; she just let out a low, guttural groan, shaking with fear.
"Hey! Are you okay?" I reached out to calm her, but she just shook her head violently. "Why won't you talk? Is someone chasing you?"
I looked around, but we were alone. She wiped her eyes and suddenly ran away, looking back as if she were hiding from a monster. I chased after her, but before I could get close, she collapsed.
I approached her slowly, my eyes widening in horror. I covered my mouth to keep from screaming. Her tongue was sticking out, branded with a horrific nail mark—burned with a hot iron. Blood was spurting from her neck, where a large nail had been driven deep into her flesh.
"Help! Someone help!" I screamed.
She was struggling to breathe, her eyes bulging. She tried to speak, but only blood and rasps came out. It felt like she was trying to tell me a final secret.
"Zein!"
"Oh, my God!"
Matt and Dave suddenly appeared and pulled me away from the lifeless woman. Her dying gaze remained fixed on me, her finger pointing directly at my chest. What was she trying to say?
Jerome handed me some water, but I couldn't drink. Who could have done this? How could they have driven a nail into her like that?
"Zein! Are you okay?" Matt asked, his voice full of worry. I just nodded, finally taking a sip of water as the guards arrived to carry the body away.
"Did you see who did it?" Dave asked.
"No," I replied truthfully. "It happened so fast. But she... she wanted to say something to me. She couldn't because of her tongue. It had that mark."
"Ms. Zein Shion?" A woman with a principal's ID appeared. "Could I invite you to my office? We need to speak with you."
"Wait! Zein didn't do anything!" Jerome insisted.
"We aren't accusing her; we just need to talk," Principal Carmie replied calmly.
"We're coming with you!" Matt stated.
"No," I interrupted. "Go back to the dorm. I'll follow you soon."
I followed Principal Carmie to her office, feeling the heavy, accusatory stares of the students we passed. When we entered, Ace was already there, lounging in the Principal's swivel chair.
"Ah, Madame Carmie. It's good you're here. I was getting bored," the Supreme President said dismissively.
The Principal actually apologized to him. I frowned—why was even the Principal afraid of this arrogant guy? Ace stood up and sat on the sofa right next to me. I moved away slightly.
"What do you want?" I asked. "If you're going to blame me for that woman's death, I didn't do it."
"How rude, Ms. Shion," Ace said softly but firmly. "Don't forget you're facing your Principal and the SSG President. Learn some respect."
I rolled my eyes. That was all the respect he was getting.
"This is regarding your role as the new Secretary, Ms. Shion," Principal Carmie began.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested," I snapped. I thought this was about the murder, but it was just about this job again.
"As if you had a choice," Ace said. "I chose you personally, and that is final."
"Do I need to spell it out? I. Do. Not. Want. It," I insisted.
Ace stood up and sat on the edge of the Principal's desk—so much for his lecture on "respect."
"Ms. Shion, you will benefit from this," Principal Carmie said. "You will know everything you want to know once you accept. You'll have power over the lower-class students. They will fear you."
I almost laughed. Did they think I wanted to feel superior to others? Is that all power meant to them? Control?
"We aren't negotiating, Ms. Shion," Madame Carmie added. "We are informing you."
I saw Ace smirk. They weren't going to let this go. "I'll think about it," I said, just to end the argument. I hated them both.
"Fine. Anyway, how are you feeling? I heard about the... incident," Ace said, sounding almost concerned.
"Thank you for your 'concern,' but I am fine," I replied sarcastically. I stood up to leave, but Ace's next words stopped me cold.
"I know who did that to you at the party."
I froze and looked back at him. He jumped down from the desk and walked toward the door.
"Don't make a fool of yourself, Zein. You've noticed it already. Your suspicions are correct," he said, looking back at me one last time. "HE did it."
He left me standing there, speechless. I realized then why he got on my nerves so much. It wasn't just the power—it was the fact that he always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.
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