Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Fight

Flashes of her images were playing in your head even when you sleep, your eyes squint as you try to open them. It stings from all the crying you did last night after tearing the posters on the wall of your room that now lies beside you while your hair scatters everywhere. You lay there awake but barely moving, you didn't want to. You didn't want to move and face the miserable truth again. 

But you did anyway, slowly, creating a crispy sound from the crumpled paper. You sat first, taking it all in, that you have yet to face another dreadful day. Your chest feels heavy like every morning when your sister died.

You stood up and picked every poster that lies destroyed on the floor and bed of your room. You put it in the trash bin before finally getting ready for your first day of school. Your house were quite dark even when it's morning, your parents are fast asleep, not even bothering to help you get ready for school.

It has always been like this since she died. Your house became gloomy, dark, dimmed and you could feel the coldness everywhere like someone took the light of your house. Like someone took your sister away from all of you. The house that should make you feel home only contains loneliness.

After grabbing an apple from the fridge, you went out silently and walk to the charnel house where your sister is. The old lady from yesterday was there again, sweeping off the freshly fallen leaves.

You greet her with a smile before you go ahead and pay your visit. There again, you saw her smiling face framed beside the urn. It's like you but with a bubbly personality.

"Hey, Kara. It's first day, today. I don't know if I'm feeling nervous. I don't. In fact, I feel nothing. I'll just surround myself again with people that only knows how to judge me and not bother to ever listen." You sighed, the blank expression in your face never leaves.

"Dad wants to kick me out. That made me feel pain. Mom's about to give up on me too. I know I need to move out soon before they threw me out on the streets. I don't want them to suffer whenever they see my face." You tried to make it sound as casual as possible but deep inside, you can feel yourself breaking.

The insides of your throat feels like clenching, it hurts. It hurts stopping yourself from breaking down every minute. You glance at your wrist watch as an excuse for your teary eyes.

"I'll be late if I stay here with you for too long but I wish I can. I wish I'll just stay with you forever. Don't worry, it won't be long." You smiled bitterly, "I'll go ahead now, Kara."

After stepping out of the charnel house, you saw a man standing in front of the old woman that's still sweeping. The man had white and gray hair, wrinkles were all over his face but that didn't stop him from smiling.

"Father Ramil." You recognized.

He looked at you and smiled widely, "Y/n." He greets back.

His hand hold a mug of coffee while the other is inside of the pocket of black slacks. "School starts today? I hope you have fun and find new friends. One you could trust and share all your feelings with." He said softly as he pat your head.

You only smiled at him, "I was looking for you yesterday. But you were in another town."

He nodded, waiting for you to speak. Father Ramil looks kind and immaculate with his tan skin, square face, narrow nose, wide smile and dimple. He always wore this white polo shirt and black pants every morning or whenever he's out of the church. It was as if his traits were all naturally and not hard earned through his seminary. He speaks of wisdom and always welcomes you with a warm smile. Somehow, that made you feel that you could trust in him.

"I just wanted to ask you if you notice anyone visit my sister? Someone that is unfamiliar to you? Someone keeps on sending my sister flowers but the flowers that were given to her were my favorites." You look down on your shoes.

Father Ramil took a deep breath and stared from afar, his eyebrows furrowed as he think deeply. He shook his head later on, "I don't think I notice someone unfamiliar. I recognize everyone that visits the charnel house." He said.

You nodded to him, "If ever you find someone strange that visits my sister, could you tell me? My sister sure won't like white roses on her locker." You smiled sweetly at him.

He nodded gracefully. You said your gratitude to him before heading to school. There are two big schools that are popular on your hometown. The first one was where you and your sister used to study and the other one is where you will go starting from today. Both stood at the city's opposite sides.

Your school then was much nearer your house while your new school is a bus away from yours. You wait for the bus to come and you sat alone next to the window.

It was a typical day in Korea. The cold breeze of air even though the sun was brightly shining was perfect for the first day of school. The familiar feeling of the weather made the students excited to go back to school and see their friends. But then there's you, the one with gloomy and sorrowful eyes. The one who looks up at the sun with no life in her eyes.

What you will wish right now is not a happy student life with full of friends and high grades but a life that is quiet where nobody will notice you and see how disgusting you are. You so wanted to be a wallflower.

It was still too early, your room had a lot of vacant seats. The chairs that was occupied by the early birds, the one who held books instead of smartphones and would value studying more than socializing. So you wait for your room to be filled with teenagers that loves talking to each other while you sit beside the window and at the back of your class.

One by one, the chairs became occupied. The students had already began socializing with their friends, telling them the most exciting and expensive adventures and getaways they had in the summer. Squealing and shouting were heard from them and they never notice you.

Except for this one girl. She saw down beside you, slamming her bag on the desk. Her black straight hair was long and complementing her fair skin. Her big sparkling eyes were excited and her smile almost formed like a heart shape, showing her bunny teeth and gums.

"You're new here. I'm Nayeon, you are?" She said as she raise her eyebrows.

"Y/n." You answered. Something about this girl made her appearance friendly and nice, like she's someone you can talk to. But she's also like someone that is everyone's friend.

"That's nice. I'll be your seatmate for this school year since you sat beside my chair. Don't worry I don't bite." She snickered.

The good thing about this school is they don't know about you and what you did to your sister. They don't know your story so you're as good as innocent to them but you're not one to wait for them to stare at you and notice your flaws.

So you don't reply to her but her smile doesn't fade away. Instead she turned to her other side and teases her classmate. She seems normal, like how a normal teenager should act. But you know better about teenagers, they can be the most stupid creature alive but they can also be the monster that can hurt others.

Nayeon kept you in check the whole day. She guides you subtly and slowly tries to cling to you. You notice it when your break comes, you had your home room teacher and your world literature for your first two period.

"Are you going to eat? Because I'd like to take you to our cafeteria." Nayeon said, the moment your teacher exits your room.

Her eyes were expecting and she's flashing you her bright and perfect smile. "Uh, I'm not sure." You replied in a tiny voice.

Her eyes squints, "Or you'd rather visit the library? Are you a bookworm?" She said, slightly leaning in her face.

"No. I'm not a bookworm." You shook your head as you try to get inches apart from her.

This girl doesn't know personal space, obviously.

"Great. So we shall go to the cafeteria." She said before she clings her arm around yours and pull you up from your seat. You awkwardly watch her arms around yours as you follow her with no choice.

Your school then was very humble with its facilities and basic architecture but this school screams of money and time spent perfecting its interior design. Now you understand why most elite people choose to study here instead of your old school.

According to Nayeon, the school had four buildings with seven floors each and their are three cafeterias inside the school minus the convenience store near the second gate of your school. The third cafeteria contains the freshmen and the sophomores, the second contains the juniors and the faculty members while the main cafeteria contains the seniors and the elite groups of students.

It was kinda absurd to have these rules but it was there even before you came and you have no other choice but to abide it. No freshman is allowed to go to other cafeteria than theirs and the same goes to others. So it's a big deal for Nayeon to go to the cafeteria because its her first time there.

And from her words, this is where the big thing is. The real shits happen inside this cafeteria, the scandals, the issues and fights. They are held inside this cafeteria where no faculty members are in.

Maybe because it was the farthest among all the cafeteria from the faculty room or maybe because the power inside this were held by the elite group of students that's why no faculty members are seen inside it.

True enough, the moment you step inside the main cafeteria, a fight was being held at the moment. The seniors were cheering. Some were even on top of the tables watching the fight while the elite groups are sitting on their tables like they are at the front row seats of a show.

The people circled around the fight as they shout which team they are in. Everyone was excited, you even saw the staff behind the counter watching the fight. Nayeon tried to sneak in the crowd and get your bodies inside it to watch the fight.

Maybe Nayeon had superstrength because the next you know is nobody is in front of you anymore that can block the fight. Instead you are in front row and the one that is included in the fight had his back on you.

"Y/n, this is the real thing!" Nayeon squealed and you almost shook your head to her stupidity. What you're doing will cause you trouble. You were about to go back but everyone shouts and gasp when the opponent of the guy that had his back on you threw a punch.

The dodged it and you try to not get hit by anything. The guy who threw his fist almost had his face kiss the floor but his feet stopped him. He hissed and he looked pissed.

The guy had square face and his black hair was sticking out like spikes. His uniform was open revealing his undershirt. He radiates a very arrogant persona.

While the other guy that had his back on you earlier but is now facing you was wearing a black leather jacket and a white shirt. He didn't wear his uniform, instead he wore black jeans, making him look like an outsider. He had black hair too but is down and almost covering his eyes. His skin was tan and his lips were red. His jaw were as sharp as his eyes.

He seems cold. Dark and a little bit dangerous.

The guy with spikey hair was about to face the guy with leather jacket but the guy with leather jacket took his arm and twisted it from his back. The guy with spikey hair hissed in pain while the leather guy whispered something on his ear before he let the spikey guy go.

The spikey hair guy runs towards the crowd and disappeared from it while the guy with a leather jacket remained standing inside the crowd's circle with his eyes on you.

And you don't know why but he stares at you too intense and long. He stares at you like he wants to study you, like he never wanted you out of his sight. He stares at you like he knows you.