Vanessa's Point of View
A moment later, Matt emerged from the crowd of dancing students, carrying an unconscious Zein in his arms. His movements were calm, but when you looked into his eyes, you could see he was seething with anger.
"Hurry to the clinic!" I heard Mia shout from behind me. Jerome followed, carrying Dave, who was also unconscious. Dave's skin was noticeably dry and pale.
"Everyone who wasn't involved in the incident, leave them alone!" Madame Violet shouted with a wide, mocking grin.
I clenched my fists. So much for "Free Bloody Night." I guess words mean nothing here, especially when they come from the administration. What a load of lies.
"I must say... the bloodshed has begun," whispered the woman next to me—the one who had identified the drugs. She was the unique female member of the Black Blood Gang, Nicky.
"Shut up, bitch," I hissed. I left her at our table and ran to follow my friends to the clinic. As I ran, questions raced through my mind. Who did this? Why now?
I found Mia sobbing outside the clinic while Jerome helped her inside. Matt stood nearby, stunned and deep in thought. "Who do you think did this?" I asked.
Matt looked at me, a dark grin crossing his face as he shook his head. "Who do you think, Vanessa?" he asked back.
"I don't know. I have no idea," I stammered. I suspected that mad headmistress was behind it.
Silence enveloped us as we waited. The tension in our chests grew until the door finally opened. It was the school nurse, Nurse Cha. "You may enter now," she said coldly.
"Are they okay?" Mia asked. Nurse Cha didn't respond.
We rushed inside to find our friends. Dave's skin had returned to normal, but as I turned to Zein, my heart sank. Her condition seemed to be getting worse; her skin looked even more parched.
"A type of illegal drug was mixed with the alcohol," Nurse Cha explained. I almost rolled my eyes—was it mixed or intentionally poisoned? "The dosage was significant. Dave should wake up soon, but Zein still needs to be observed."
"But they'll be okay, right?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"They need to be observed," was her only answer. I felt a wave of depression wash over me, followed by a burning rage. These people weren't humans; they were demons.
"I'm just wondering why the effect on Ms. Shion is so severe," Nurse Cha added, frowning. "It's quite bad."
"How is that possible? They both drank it," Mia pointed out. Why was Zein's situation so much worse?
"I don't know. Perhaps it depends on how much they drank," Nurse Cha replied uncertainly.
"Zein only had two glasses! Dave drank more!" Jerome argued. "Why is it the other way around?"
"I can't answer that right now, but we will conduct an investigation. We will inform you once we have answers. Excuse me." With that, she left the clinic.
Matt sat on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. Jerome joined him. Mia and I stood by Zein and Dave. "Whoever did this... I swear, I will never forgive them," Mia whispered.
Up close, Zein looked like a corpse. Her lips had turned black, and her skin looked completely bloodless. "Damn that nurse," Matt whispered, pulling at his hair.
"Matt, the nurse isn't at fault," Jerome corrected him.
Matt suddenly let out a frustrated laugh and shook his head. "Do you really think they're going to help us? No. Even if we die, they won't do a thing." He stood up and stroked Zein's hair, his fists clenching.
"W-what do you mean?" Mia asked, confused.
"She didn't do anything," Matt replied. "She hasn't treated them or even checked on them."
I suddenly realized he was right. Zein should have been hooked up to monitors or given oxygen; it was obvious she was having difficulty breathing. But there was nothing.
"That bitch!" I screamed, turning to rush out, but Jerome caught my arm.
"Don't," he warned. "She shouldn't know we have doubts. If she finds out, she might do something even worse to us—especially to Zein and Dave. Calm down, Van. Acting rashly won't help."
I took a deep breath, tears welling up. "So what do we do? Just let them die?"
Suddenly, the window beside us shattered. Jerome ran outside to check, but found no one. However, I noticed Matt was now holding a small bottle filled with a glowing blue liquid.
"What is that?" I asked, approaching him.
"I think they want Zein and Dave to drink this," Matt said, staring at the bottle.
"Wait! We don't know where that came from!" I pleaded. "What if it makes Zein worse?"
"We have to trust whoever sent this," Matt explained. "Their lives are in danger. If they don't get treated soon, we're going to lose them."
Jerome agreed. "Matt is right. This could be the cure."
I sighed and nodded. We had to take the risk. Matt gave the serum to Dave first, then to Zein.
Minutes passed, and we watched them intensely. Nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?" Mia asked tearfully.
Our relief finally came when Dave's eyes snapped open. He was panting heavily and drank three glasses of water as if he'd been in a desert for days. Mia hugged him, crying with joy.
"W-where is Zein?" Dave asked.
We turned to Zein, who remained unconscious. "Zein?" I called out, my voice shaking. Matt hunched over, looking defeated.
"No! Zein will wake up!" I cried, shaking her shoulder. "She has to! She'll be so angry with us if she doesn't!" But she didn't move.
"Why did it work for Dave but not for her?" Jerome paced the room restlessly.
Just then, the door opened and a girl entered who looked slightly younger than us. "I'm not the enemy," she said before we could speak. "I'm here to help."
She went straight to Zein's side and pulled out a small knife. Before we could stop her, she made a small cut in the middle of Zein's chest.
"What are you doing?!" Jerome grabbed her, but she didn't flinch.
Suddenly, Zein let out a soft moan.
"Now," the girl said as Jerome released her. "Make her drink the rest of the medicine."
Matt quickly administered the remaining blue serum. "That is the blue serum," the girl explained. "It cleans the blood vessels in the heart. It didn't work earlier because her system was too stagnant while asleep. The small cut woke her body up enough for the serum to circulate."
I jumped for joy when Zein finally opened her eyes. Like Dave, she was incredibly thirsty. I turned to thank the girl, but she had already vanished.
"Where did she go?" I asked, but the others just shrugged, smiling through their relief.
Finally, Zein and Dave were safe. I was beyond grateful to whoever helped us, but one question kept bothering me. If the serum only works if the person is awake or "shocked" into consciousness... why did it work on Dave instantly?
Was it possible that Dave was awake the whole time and hadn't actually passed out? How could that be?