Zein's Point of View
Matt was out cold from all the drinking. I sighed. Matt wasn't exactly a heavy drinker, so I had no idea why he decided to drown himself in alcohol today. I tried looking for my friends, but there was no single trace of them. Where did they go?
I walked toward Wide Space and felt the heavy tension in the air. No one trusted anyone. People veered away from anyone in their path, terrified that someone might pull out a knife and end their life at any moment.
"Hey!" Jerome barked, startling me. I shot him a dirty look because he scared me. "Is that supposed to be funny?" I snapped.
"Where are the others?" He sat next to me on the bench and pointed his chin toward my bitch of a friend sitting on the other side. She was with a guy I didn't recognize.
"Who's that with Van?" I asked.
"Liam."
I gave him a puzzled look before it clicked. Jerome was talking about the guy we used to tease Vanessa about—the one all the girls here usually ogled at. I looked back at Jerome, who was staring off elsewhere. I smirked.
"I know what you're thinking." He faced me with a scowl. I arched an eyebrow. "Really?"
"It's just annoying how she trusts that guy so easily," he grumbled. Pfft.
"Just come with me and find the others," I suggested, standing up. He nodded, and we started walking together. Before we left, Jerome stole one last glance at them. "Wh-who's yours?" I asked. That question had been eating at me for a while, and I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I asked.
"Anonymous," he joked. But sensing that I didn't find it funny, he let out a heavy sigh. "There are things we're better off not knowing. Things we shouldn't focus on."
I kept my mouth shut. Why was I being so nosy about it anyway? If I were in his shoes, I probably wouldn't be able to answer that either. I would keep it as secret as possible. Sigh. But I was sure he saw a name. He knew who to target to survive this mess.
"C-can you kill that person?"
Shit! Zein Shion! You really can't keep your mouth shut! I scolded myself. "Uh, sorry. It's okay if you don't ans—"
"Why not?" My breath hitched at his blunt answer. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice. "If that's the only way, I have no choice," he added. My throat went dry. I clamped my mouth shut and didn't ask anything else.
"How about you?" he asked back.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Of course the question got thrown right back at me. I really needed to learn how to shut the fuck up. Now I was scrambling for an answer. "I don't know," I whispered, looking down at my feet. I really had no idea.
It honestly didn't feel safe for me to be wandering around right now. Whoever was holding my name was just out there, waiting for the right time, and for all I know, that would be the end of me.
"That's bad." He stopped walking to face me, looking worried. "Does Matt know about this?" Well, that guy was just one more thing to think about. I didn't even know what was going on with him. "He's drunk. You guys didn't know?" I asked.
Jerome's frown deepened. So, he didn't know. Matt got wasted all by himself.
"Anyway, so what? I don't want to give Matt anything else to worry about."
"You really don't know, huh?" Jerome teased. "Or are you choosing to ignore it?" I just shook my head. Whatever it was, I had bigger things to worry about.
I looked away and saw Mia heading toward us, looking like she wasn't quite herself. I was about to wave when I noticed a girl walking up to her. I froze. Mia stopped and faced her.
"Shit!" Jerome cursed, and only then did I see the glint of a blade in the girl's hand. Before I knew it, I was running toward them. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Silence swallowed the noise. I wanted to scream her name, but nothing came out. Mia! Damn it!
The girl lunged at her, swinging the knife. At the last second, Mia managed to dodge, but the blade grazed her arm. In an instant, blood sprayed out. I paused, my body turning cold, while Jerome was only a few steps away from them. I gasped for air as I watched Mia quickly pull a knife from her bag and, without hesitation, plunge it into the girl's leg.
A scream echoed before the girl collapsed to the ground. Jerome rushed over and yanked Mia away from the girl, who was thrashing in pain, and it was the only time I felt relieved. I snapped out of it and hurried over.
"Hey! Look at me! Are you okay?" Jerome gently tapped Mia's cheek. She was still shocked, completely unaware of the deep, bleeding cut on her arm.
"I-I didn't mean to," Mia whispered, trembling as she apologized to the girl who was glaring at her with pure hatred. She pulled her hand away from me and Jerome to get closer to the girl. "A-are you okay?" Her voice shook.
"I will not be okay until I kill you!" Then the girl quickly scrambled up and lunged at Mia again. Jerome moved to pull Mia away, but he was too late. In the blink of an eye, blood burst from the girl's chest and mouth. It all happened too fast for me to see clearly. All I knew was that she hit the floor, lifeless.
Thank God Mia got to her first. Jerome caught Mia as she went weak and nearly collapsed. The pain from her arm wound must've started to set in. I hurried over to them. "Let's get her to the clinic!"
Jerome carried Mia. She dropped her knife next to the girl who wasn't moving anymore. Thick blood continued to pour from the girl's chest. Mia killed her. She's safe now. But knowing Mia, I knew she'd never forget about this incident. It would take time for her to fully recover. This would leave a scar, not just on her body but in her memory. For now, all that mattered was that she was safe.
When we got to the clinic, Nurse Cha met us with a frown. "What are you guys doing here?"
"It's a fucking clinic. Damn it!" I yelled. If I could, I would've added a punch.
"But the clinic is closed until tomorrow—"
"I don't fucking care!" I glanced at Mia, who was just staring blankly at me. "She's losing a lot of blood." I turned back to the nurse. "Heal her wound, please?" If I had to beg on my knees right now, I would.
"I am so sorry—"
"You'll regret it for the rest of your life if anything happens to our friend," Jerome warned, voice tight with suppressed rage. I was barely holding it together myself. If I lost control, she'd be the first person I'd kill in this place.
"These are the headmistress's orders," she replied.
I grabbed her by the collar, shaking with anger and worry, but she didn't budge. It looked like she really wasn't going to do what we asked. Only then did I think of the one person who could help. I let her go and bolted out of the clinic. Fuck them. They closed the clinic because they knew people would need help, especially during Bloody Week.
I practically shoved everyone out of my way until I reached the SSG office. Teacher Kath, Onel, and Ace were talking inside. I immediately got their attention and walked straight up to Supremo.
"Here you go. Good thing you arri—"
"Come with me." I tightly grabbed Supremo's arm. I knew I was being disrespectful. I might have even broken the most sacred law of this place, but I didn't care anymore.
"What are you doing?!" Teacher Kath shouted.
I ignored her and just looked at Ace with pleading eyes. "Please."
"We're discuss—"
"Come with me," I demanded, now pointing a knife at Supremo.
Everyone turned pale, but Supremo stayed calm. He didn't seem to care about the blade at his neck. He wasn't scared or even slightly intimidated. What was I even thinking? Threatening Supremo, of all people? This guy didn't know the meaning of fear. He had probably made a deal with Death himself.
"Ms. Shion. You have no idea what you're doing! Do you know what punishment awaits you?" I didn't know why, but Teacher Kath sounded almost... amused. Maybe she was right. Or maybe nothing mattered at this point anymore.
"You seem so desperate, Ms. Shion," Supremo remarked. "You badly need me, huh?"
"Please," I whispered. "I need your help."
The knife slipped from my shaking hand and hit the floor. I hung my head, feeling like I was going to burst into tears any second.
"Where did you get that knife?!" Teacher Kath asked, shocked. "That belongs to—"
My heart leaped when Supremo stood up. He stared at me intensely, and I met his, telling him I was ready to pay whatever the price was.
"I'll go with you, but you'll have to face the consequences." I nodded.
He gripped my hand tight, as if to remind me this wasn't a dream. That the audacity I just showed was very real. He leaned down and picked up the knife I dropped—the one he had given me. "Keep it."
Trembling, I put the blade back in its box. Then he pulled me out of the office. "What do you want?" he asked. Instead of answering, I just kept pulling him along. By the time we reached the clinic, Mia's mouth was already hung open, clearly struggling to keep herself awake. She had lost too much blood.
"Supremo. Please save her," I begged. I looked at Nurse Cha. She looked panicked as soon as Supremo looked her way.
"What are you waiting for, Nurse Cha? Heal her wound," Supremo demanded, his voice void of emotion.
"S-Supremo, it's strictly forbidden—"
"Nurse Cha," Supremo interrupted, his voice dropping even lower. "You don't want me to repeat myself. I'm going to count—"
"No need! I'll do it, Supremo."
I breathed a sigh of relief as Nurse Cha turned to get her supplies. I went over to Mia and gently tapped her cheek. "You're going to be fine. Just don't sleep, okay?" I said softly.
Mia nodded and smiled. "Thank you."
"How come?" Jerome said in disbelief, glancing at Supremo standing by the clinic door. I just shrugged. We stepped aside as Nurse Cha started treating Mia's arm. Mia winced in pain, so I looked away. It felt like I was the one being hurt. I turned to Supremo, catching his serious gaze on me. He shook his head, clearly not liking that I threatened the SSG president with a knife. What kind of punishment did I have to face anyway?
Dave suddenly burst in, out of breath. His eyes landed on Mia being treated. I gave him a small smile. "Hey! Are you okay?" Dave asked worriedly as he rushed over to her. Mia only gave a weak nod, clearly drained from the blood loss. I took a deep breath before facing Supremo and walking up to him.
"Punish me now," I whispered, keeping my voice low so my friends wouldn't hear, especially Mia. She'd just blame herself. Supremo just stared at me. "What's my punishment?" I repeated.
"Why are you always like this?" he asked, shaking his head. "Careless."
Careless? Yeah. Admittedly. I was a reckless teenager who thought I could handle whatever came my way. But nothing that happened today was due to carelessness. I pulled Supremo outside so we could talk privately. I led him behind the clinic where no one could hear us, even if we shouted.
"Dragging me around, as always. You're the only one who can do this to me." I couldn't tell if that was a threat or if he was actually impressed.
"What's the punishment?" I asked. "Am I cleaning the cafeteria for two months? Three months? Do I have to clean the whole Hell University?"
"No. Your punishment isn't anything like that." I swallowed hard. "I won't be allowed to leave Hell University?" He shook his head again. "Death."
I froze, his answer taking a moment to sink in. A moment later, I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the ground. I swallowed and took a deep breath, trying my hardest not to let the tears fall. Death. The word looped in my head like a broken record. My lips started to curl into a smile until I realized I was laughing. Louder and louder.
Supremo just watched me transform into a crazy woman who had just found out her days were numbered. But my tears betrayed me. They spilled out and ran down my cheeks, my laughter slowly turning into sobs.
"I-I get it, Supremo." I sucked in a breath and looked up at him, his figure blurred by the tears in my eyes.
"That's it?" he asked.
"What else can I do?"
He took a deep breath. "Don't worry. I'll give you until Saturday to live. Meet me here Saturday night."
I wiped my eyes hard before standing up. "Don't tell anyone about this. That's my last wish," I said before walking away.
If I'm going to die, I want to go without anyone knowing. I guess this is really the end for me. At least I saved my friend.