Priana's POV
With trembling steps, I crept toward the door. The room inside was cloaked in shadows, punctuated only by flickering, dim lights.
But it was the sound that made my blood run cold—a guttural, agonizing scream of someone in pain, followed by the sickening thud of repeated blows.
I hid behind the doorframe, peering through the crack. My breath hitched.
There he was. The boy from the corridor.
He stood in the center of the room, flanked by five other boys. Two of them were pinning a student against the wall, his arms stretched out, while the others took turns striking him.His face was bruised, and it was clear he had taken far too many hits already.
I was paralyzed. How could this happen in such a prestigious, luxury school? A hidden, dark corridor where students were being tortured like animals?
Suddenly, a large, cold hand clamped over my mouth from behind.
I choked on a scream, my body thrashing as I tried to break free. But the grip was like iron. My captor dragged me into the center of the room, right into the middle of the nightmare.
The boys stopped. Their eyes turned toward me.
The boy from this morning—the leader—looked at me with pure, unfiltered irritation. With a negligent wave of his hand, he signaled my captor to let go.
I gasped for air, my chest heaving.
"President, do you know this girl?" one of the boys asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"I do," the 'President' replied, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. He began walking toward me, his presence so overwhelming that my entire body started to tremble. Don't be afraid, Priana. Don't let them see you shake, I screamed at myself internally.
"How did you get here?" he roared, the sound vibrating through the small room. "Don't you know this place is off-limits? How dare you step foot in here!"
His voice was so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst. But instead of backing down, a spark of defiance lit up inside me.
"Who are you to ask?" I snapped back, my voice surprisingly steady. "I'll go wherever I want! I'm not afraid of you. And look at what you're doing—you're killing that boy! I'm going to the principal right now to report this!"
A stunned silence fell over the room. One of the gang members chuckled darkly. "President, she really has no idea who you are, does she?"
The President stepped even closer, his eyes darkening. "She's new. That's the only reason she's still breathing. I don't give second chances to anyone... but I'll make an exception for you. Run. Now."
"I told you, I'm not scared of you!" I yelled, my frustration boiling over. "Do whatever you want!"
The words had barely left my mouth when he lunged. He grabbed my left arm, jerking me so close that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin. My heart hammered against my ribs—not just from fear, but from the sheer intensity of being this close to him.
"Do whatever I want, huh?" he whispered, his face inches from mine, his eyes burning with a predatory fire.
The air between us grew heavy, charged with something I couldn't explain.
Fear… or something far more dangerous.
His gaze didn't leave mine—not even for a second.
"You want to see what I'm capable of?"
As he leaned in even closer, acting as if he was about to do something unforgivable, my instincts took over. Without thinking, I balled my other hand into a fist and swung.
THUD.
I punched him squarely in the chest with everything I had.
The President gasped, stumbling back as he clutched his chest in pain. The entire room went dead silent. The other boys looked like they had just seen a ghost—their mouths hanging open, completely speechless. No one had ever dared to touch him, let alone hit him.
Before they could recover from the shock, I turned and bolted out of the room, running through the dark corridor as fast as my legs could carry me.
I didn't stop running until I reached our main corridor. My lungs were on fire, and I leaned against the cool wall, gasping for air. It felt as if my soul had finally returned to my body. I had just escaped from the jaws of a monster.
They are terrifying, I thought, my hands still shaking. I never want to cross paths with them again. Not ever.
I tried to steady my breathing and began walking toward my classroom, my mind a whirlwind of fear and disbelief. But just as I turned the corner, a group of girls blocked my path.
It was Elisa and her crew.
I froze, surprised to see them there. Elisa's sharp eyes scanned my face, taking in my disheveled state and my frantic breathing.
"Where are you coming from, Priana?" Elisa asked, her voice surprisingly soft. "And why are you panting like you've just seen a ghost?"
She turned to one of the girls behind her. "Nerissa, go. Get some water for her."
"Of course, Leader," Nerissa replied and hurried away.
Elisa stepped closer, her movements graceful yet calculated. She reached out and gently stroked my hair, a gesture that felt oddly intimate yet unsettling.
"You can tell me everything, Priana. You can trust me," she whispered, her eyes locking onto mine. "I am Elisa, the leader of The Queens of Chaos."
A moment later, Nerissa returned with a bottle of water. Elisa took it from her hand and pressed it into mine. I took a few sips, the cold water finally soothing my parched throat.
As I drank, the other two members of her gang stepped forward to introduce themselves.
"I'm Sandra," one of them said with a sharp, knowing smile.
"And I'm Ifa," the other added, her gaze lingering on me for a second too long.
Elisa watched me closely, waiting for a reaction. I took a deep breath and managed a small nod. "Thank you. It's... it's nice to meet all of you."
Despite the lingering fear from the encounter in the dark room, I followed them back to the classroom. I felt safer being with them, but a small voice in the back of my head wondered: Why are the 'Queens of Chaos' being so kind to a nobody like me?
As I sat beside Elisa in the classroom, my mind was still stuck in that dark, decaying corridor. I couldn't hold back my curiosity any longer.
"Elisa," I whispered, leaning in. "This school is so luxurious... so why is there that old, terrifying wing? What's the point of it?"
Elisa froze. She turned to me, her eyes wide with genuine shock. "You... you went to that corridor?"
"Yes," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I was looking for the restroom and got lost in this labyrinth of a school. I ended up there by mistake and saw something horrible.
A group of boys were brutally beating another student. I barely managed to escape... I'm thinking of telling the Principal everything."
Elisa grabbed my arm, her grip sudden and tight. "No, Priana! Don't you dare say a word to the Principal. You'll only put yourself in grave danger."
I stared at her, confused. "But why?"
"Because of The Elites," she whispered, her voice laced with fear. "They fear no one. Not even the law. Even the Principal is in their pocket. They could kill someone without blinking an eye, and no one would lift a finger. You're incredibly lucky you made it out of there alive."
My blood ran cold. "Who were they beating?"
"Probably a member of The Rebels," Elisa explained. "They are the only ones who stand up for the students and refuse to follow the Principal's corrupt rules. That's why The Elites hate them. It's an ongoing war, Priana. In this school, you don't have a choice—you live by their rules, or you don't live at all."
She took a shaky breath and continued, "And there's something worse. If something 'bad' happens during the week, The Elites hold a special program.
They choose one student to become their 'Assistant.' But don't let the name fool you—it's a living hell. That student becomes their puppet, their slave. Most of them end up leaving the school in ruins. And there's no way out; attendance at that ceremony is mandatory for everyone."
As Elisa spoke, a cold wave of realization washed over me. My heart started thumping so hard I thought it would burst through my chest.
I didn't just see them, I thought, my vision blurring with panic. I punched their President. I assaulted the leader of The Elites.
Fear, raw and paralyzing, took hold of me. What have I done? What is going to happen to me now?