Classroom X

day six: cruelty

It escaped James how Sake could act so surprised when he earned fourteen votes for himself last night. It was true he hadn't been there when they found Juliet. Poor Juliet who was crying and bleeding on the desks because of what he did to her. Did he really think they wouldn't find out about him? He would have gotten the votes of the rest of the class too, if all of them had been there when Juliet was discovered.

Sake had looked so oblivious, so damn clueless when a bunch of boys stormed into the classroom and started thrashing him. James had wanted to join them then, he had wanted to hurt Sake too. He hated Sake. Because of what he did to Juliet. Because of how he  had been wearing such an innocent, surprised look on his face as though he really had no idea why they were attacking him. What an actor he was! Putting on such a flawless "good-student" facade all these years while he had been a monster all along. Just looking at his pretending face had chilled James's blood, then set it simmering. Did he really think acting innocent could save him then? For a moment James truly believed Sake was the Angel of Death.

They beat him within an inch of his life, their bellows clashing with one another's that none of their words could be distinguished. Sake was nearly unconscious when the soldiers called for attention, when it was finally time for the voting. Sake's face was badly abused—bruised heavily, lips torn and teeth knocked out—that he was barely recognisable. James winced at the sight, but he felt no pity. Sake deserved what he got. Oh, why oh why had he still been giving them all looks of such utter confusion with eyes that could barely open, as though they were the ones who were in the wrong.

There was another scuffle progressing at a different corner of the room. Mica and August were evenly matched, because neither of them were fighters. James didn't catch what August had snarled at Mica while slamming him against the whiteboard, because he had been so focused on what was happening to Sake. However, he still heard Mica yelling back at August for being such an idiot that he never realised what his friend was capable of. August rammed his elbow into Mica's nose. Mica swayed, then kicked August's legs from under him. August fell, and when he tried to get up, Mica stomped down on his hand with brute strength, crushing his painter's fingers.

Had August really not known the truth about Sake?

But it was believable. August hadn't known Sake for very long, and there would be no one in class who could admit that they were not fooled by Sake's fake personality, James included.

Hell.

James couldn't believe that one of his classmates, someone with whom he had shared classes for nearly two years would hurt another one of his classmates so callously. It was a bad wake up call. A reminder that they really didn't know the people they'd spent so much time with. Friends could be enemies. Confidants could be betrayers. Angels could be demons and demons could be angels.

In the end, this was the truth: they were all just strangers. Trapped together in the same hell, the same abominable nightmare.

If only Sake were the real Angel of Death. Then they would have gotten a respite from this mess, an end to this misery. How unfortunate it was that someone who deserved the title of Angel of Death wasn't the Angel of Death. But it was still fine, in a way, that an evil person died and not a good one.

What was going to happen to them? How long will they be forced to endure this ordeal? How much longer until every last one of them was driven into madness? In the end will they all turn out to be monsters?

In the end, will any of them even be alive?

James suddenly felt very tired.

"That's a foul!" screamed Cody Becker, waking James from his brooding. James found himself being thrust back into the bright morning sunlight, his eyes shifting towards where Cody and Andrew Friar were sitting on opposites sides of a desk, holding a match of arm wrestling to decide who can claim the packet of fries and roll sitting on the chair next to them.