Zein's Point of View
Darkness. Total darkness. Where was I?
With no idea where to go, I ran and ran and ran. No one was chasing me, but I kept going, my legs moving on their own. I only paused for a second to catch my breath when someone suddenly grabbed my arm. I looked up, but I couldn't make out a face. Their features were a total blur. I tried to pull my arm away, but they wouldn't let go. Before I knew it, someone else grabbed my other arm. Then my feet too.
They dragged me along while I thrashed and fought to get free. I tried to scream over and over, but no sound left my mouth. All I could hear was my captors laughing while I stayed completely mute. It was terrifying. Haunting.
Someone shook me, and I snapped awake. The worried face of Mr. Alvarez was the first thing I saw. I scrambled up and hugged my knees to my chest. "Are you okay? You've been making noises in your sleep for a while," he said, looking genuinely concerned.
I swallowed hard. That dream. What did it mean? Why were they pulling at me? What did they want from me?
"I'll go get you some water."
I looked around. There wasn't much else in the room except for the bare cream-colored walls and a wardrobe that I assumed was for clothes. "Where am I?" I asked when he got back. I downed the glass of water instantly. My whole body felt absolutely drained.
"You're in my dorm. What happened?" He handed me another bottle of water. "I found you near the woods. You were unconscious."
His words made me come to my senses. "Celine! She went into the woods!" Panic washed over me again as everything that happened earlier started sinking in. I peered through the window and found the world outside cloaked in pitch black. The rain was still pouring, accompanied by loud cracks of thunder and lightning.
"Celine? I didn't see her. You were the only one there."
I looked back at Sir Alvarez and shook my head. "There were people in the woods. A lot of them. Celine went in there. I was about to follow her but..." My head suddenly throbbed, and I winced, clutching my temples. "I can't remember. Everything just went black." I sat there, stunned. Did Celine make it out? I hope she's okay.
"Did you see the people you're talking about?"
"No..." I looked down at my lap. "But I felt them."
I suddenly remembered what happened the night Matt walked me to the restroom and we got caught in the middle of Bloody Night. We felt eyes watching us back then too, and it was that exact same feeling.
"Must be one of the gangs," Sir Alvarez concluded, looking puzzled. "Either BBG or DGW. They're the only ones who are always lurking around."
I let out a long sigh. My friends must be worried sick by now. "I need to go." I tossed the blanket aside and tried to stand, but my legs gave out, so I slumped back down.
"Just stay here for now. It is no longer safe outside. It's already eight thirty, and the rain is still heavy." I glanced outside once more, and just then, a brilliant flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Seeing how frightened I was, Sir Alvarez quickly drew the curtains. "Come eat with me," he invited.
I followed him, unable to hide a small smile. He reminded me of Daddy, which made me suddenly miss him. "Are you the only one living here?" I asked, wondering if there were other teachers in the dorm. He glanced at me and gave a small smile. "Yeah. I'm alone here."
When we got to the kitchen, bowls of soup were already laid out on the table. He must have made it while I was unconscious. He even pulled out a chair for me, which made me feel a little shy. "Do you want coffee?" Sir Alvarez asked, his back to me as he stood by the sink. "Sure, please," I replied as I watched him make the drinks.
I suddenly remembered the task he gave me. He hadn't brought it up yet, probably because he didn't want to pressure me. I looked away quickly when he turned around with two mugs. He set one in front of me and sat across the table. "Thank you, sir," I said softly. He responded with a small smile and started eating. The soup was incredible, so I couldn't help but smile.
"Did you cook this, sir?" I asked, looking up.
"Yeah. Why? You don't like it?" he asked, sounding a bit worried. I shook my head fast. "No, it's really good. Thank you."
"There's plenty more. Have as much as you want," he said with a smile.
I continued eating, but the way Sir Alvarez kept glancing at me made me feel uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?" I asked, breaking the silence. He shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "Just remembered something..." I wondered what it was.
"Ah, sir," I muttered, shifting the subject and feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I still haven't found their hidden laboratory."
"It's fine. They're just extremely careful about those things."
After eating, he insisted I take the bedroom. He said he'd just crash on the sofa in the living room. Because I was so exhausted, I fell asleep instantly. When I woke up, I got ready to head back to my dorm right away. I didn't get to say goodbye to Sir Alvarez because he was still fast asleep on the couch. The second I got back to my dorm, I was hit with a barrage of questions. The interrogation had me reeling, and Vanessa topped it off with a hit to the back of my head.
Today marked the last day of Foundation Week. But that wasn't all. Today was also the last day Supremo had granted me before I would face my punishment—death. I wonder what kind of death is waiting for me. I shook my head. I couldn't think about that right now.
I stared blankly into the mirror, calmly brushing my hair. I didn't even notice Mia walk up until she snatched the brush out of my hand. "Hey!" I protested when she started fiddling with my hair.
"Let me try. I'm bored of your usual style." I let her do her thing. Out of the three of us girls, Mia was the fashionista. Every piece of outfit she wore was planned ahead. "Done! Any violent reactions?" she asked excitedly. She braided sections of my hair on each side and then wove them together. It looked like a style from one of those Barbie movies we used to watch.
"Speechless?" she asked with a smile.
"I love it!"
"See? You just needed a little transformation." She giggled.
Mia and I headed out, and Jerome, the first to notice, gasped. "Is that really you, Zein? I almost didn't recognize you!" Matt was standing next to him, just staring at me. My cheeks turned bright red.
"Watch the drool!" Vanessa teased Matt before smacking him. She hit him so hard that he nearly bumped into Jerome.
"Looks like the secretary is trying to look pretty, huh?" Dave teased.
My mouth hung open. I wanted to snap back, but Matt beat me to it. "What do you mean 'trying'? She's always been beautiful," Matt argued. I jumped a bit when he pulled me close and tucked my arm into his. "But she looks even better standing next to me."
"There, there! Classic moves from Matthew 101," Dave joked, giving Matt a high-five.
"Ew. You guys are so corny!" Mia remarked.
"Matt's right, though. Zein is beautiful." Vanessa walked over with a smile and pulled me away from Matt. "That's why she needs someone just as good-looking standing next to her." Then she started dragging me away. I just let out a long breath.
"Hey, I'm good-looking too!" Matt shouted as he followed.
"Us!" Jerome cut in. "Not just you."
"But admit it, I'm the best-looking!"
"Talk is cheap, Matt. Prove it. You better win!" Vanessa yelled back.
I turned to Matt. "Win what?"
We walked into the gymnasium, and I face-palmed when I realized that the Mr. and Ms. Face of the Year pageant was also happening today. "Matt is our section's representative," Vanessa whispered. I looked at Matt. Jerome and Dave were patting his shoulders, like they were pumping him up. He didn't look nervous at all. I'd seen Matt compete in these things before, where I'd usually end up losing my voice from cheering so much. I wasn't even exaggerating. Matt becomes a totally different person during pageants.
"Close your mouth..." Mia giggled. I quickly shut my mouth, not realizing I'd been gaping at him.
"No 'good luck' kiss for me?" I almost jumped out of my skin, completely unaware that Matthew was right there beside me.
"Go for it, Zein!" Dave nudged.
"Just a friendly kiss," Jerome barked with a laugh.
Vanessa and Mia shoved me forward, and I ended up face-first against Matt's chest. I shot my friends a playful glare before looking up at Matt. "Just one," he said with a smirk. I swallowed hard. Just one.
"You don't know the rules of this competition?" Supremo interrupted, appearing out of nowhere and catching us all off guard. As usual, he had his poker face on. The whole place was bright and lively because of the booths, but he seemed like the only one not having fun. Such a killjoy.
"Which one?" I asked.
He didn't even look at me. He was staring straight at Matt, who didn't back down either. "I organized the rules for this pageant," I added, confused by his reaction. "We aren't breaking anything. Especially Matt."
Supremo spared me a glance before a mocking smirk played on his lips. "There's one." He looked back at Matt. "If you are one of the participants, you aren't allowed to kiss anyone, not even a friendly kiss." Then he turned his back. My jaw dropped. What the hell?! What kind of rule is that, Supremo?!
"Supremo is so unfair. Fine. A hug then." Matt opened his arms to hug me, but Supremo stepped in just in time. What the hell?! I thought he left! "Not even a hug," Supremo added before grabbing my arm and pulling me away.
I had no choice but to gesture for Matt to do his best. Vanessa just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. I turned to Supremo, who was looking straight ahead, still holding my arm. "What kind of rule was that?"
"Shut up."
I scoffed. Today was supposed to be festive. Actually, it was festive for everyone, except for this guy. We sat in the front row. I had Supremo on my left and Vice Ty on my right, who greeted me with a small smile. I spotted Fritzy, all dressed up, likely a contestant herself, already charming the judges with her conversation.
"Stay still, Ms. Shion. You're looking all over the place," Supremo muttered. "What are you looking for?" I adjusted my seat and ignored him. Seriously, what was his problem?
Everyone cheered as the pageant started. The participants were called out one by one, and they all looked great and sexy. Some of the guys in the crowd were even whistling. I caught a glimpse of Supremo, who was just staring at the stage with zero reaction. Geez, this guy was unbelievable.
"They're so sexy..." I murmured to myself.
"Not really," Supremo replied.
"Are you even watching?"
There was no way he didn't find any of them sexy. One contestant suddenly ripped his shirt off, revealing a perfectly sculpted body. My jaw dropped. The crowd went wild, and the gymnasium erupted with a deafening roar. I was enjoying the show so much until everything went dark. Or rather, Supremo covered my eyes with his hand.
"Rated SPG. Supremo's guidance is required," he whispered. I brushed his hand away, but when I looked up, he was already standing right in front of me, blocking my view of the stage. "Supremo! I'm trying to watch!" I complained. I was so annoyed that I almost wanted to throw my chair at him.
He finally sat back down once the guy who took his shirt off left the stage. I winced, feeling like I missed out on a great view because of him. Such a killjoy!
"You look pissed," Supremo noted. I turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "What?"
"Oh, I know why. You wanted to watch that fucking guy's body?" he challenged, sounding angry.
I just turned back to the stage and bottled up my frustration. This was supposed to be a fun show, but now I was just irritated. I frowned when Matt's name was called but he didn't come out. There was some commotion backstage, then I overheard people saying his partner had backed out. I grabbed Supremo's arm when he suddenly stood up. I had a bad feeling about what he was going to do.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to disqualify Matthew Hart."
I stood up immediately and glared at him. He already ruined the start of the show for me, and I wasn't going to let him ruin this too. "No!" I insisted.
"He doesn't have—"
"Me. I'll take her place."
I ran backstage as fast as I could and found everyone in a panic. Matt was just sitting there, scowling. "I'll be his partner," I announced, feeling a bit self-conscious when everyone turned to look at me. Matt looked up, his lips slightly parted.
"Well, there we go!" someone shouted.
"Are you sure?" Matt asked. I just nodded.
They rushed me into the dressing room and put me in a two-piece outfit. I wasn't too bothered since I was used to wearing stuff like this. They did my makeup, but they left my hair alone because they said the way it was styled already looked perfect. Matt took my arm once I was ready. He was wearing black shorts and a plain white shirt, his hair neatly done. He looked so handsome.
They called us onto the stage. As we walked out, the crowd went absolutely wild, but Vanessa's voice was definitely the loudest in the room. The stage director gave us cues on what to do, so it wasn't hard to follow. I gasped when Matt pulled me close. "You look so hot," he whispered in my ear. I let out a soft laugh.
For our final pose, I wrapped my arms around Matt's neck and looked up at him. He met my gaze, serious at first, then broke into a grin. We moved to the side to join the other contestants who had finished. I looked for my friends in the crowd and laughed when I saw Jerome's hair was a mess. It looked like Vanessa had been shaking him in excitement.
Just when I thought I'd seen it all, the next contestants took the game to another level. Fritzy and Ace. Fritzy took the stage and owned it, while Ace took the stage while staring at me. He didn't even bother to look at the judges.
I gripped Matt's arm when Supremo suddenly ripped his shirt open. At that point, the screaming was so loud that I literally couldn't hear anything else. Then... he walked toward our direction. He stood right in front of me, eyebrows raised, as if he was teasing me. A playful smirk sat on his lips. I swear... I thought I was about to pass out.
"Now you can stare at my body until you've had enough. Just my body, nobody else's. That's an order from the highest Supreme Student Government, and you can't do anything about it."