St. Văduva's School for Prestigious Girls

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓

So far, there were four suspects — Kanani, JJ, Zhanna, and herself. She could not truly strike her name off the metaphorical list, what with no recollection whatsoever of the event, but out of bias, placed her name at the bottom of suspects.

The weekend came and went, Temperance holing herself up in her room for the majority. Only when she wanted more coffee or needed to use the bathroom did she crawl out of her quarters. Even when she shuffled down to the lower level, the laundry room was still off-limits, a sign on the door that read:

CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE!

Temperance shivered to look toward the end of the hall, wondering just how large the hidden space was in its entirety. It was chilling to think that the killer could have used those hidden tunnels as a way in and out of the room. Slithering out like the deceitful snake it was to ensnare its prey and place blame on the unlucky unconscious mouse in its den.

She was suddenly reminded of the thing she thought she saw at the back of the hidden hallway, a specter in the shadows, roaming wherever the dark may linger. She brushed it off as nothing but a hallucination, but was it true? Or did she completely brush off the actual murderer?

Brushing off the guilt that bubbled in her already nauseous gut, she finished her shower briskly, barely having any time to wash out the conditioner as she ensured she was free of suds. 

She quickly toweled off, dressing in the cubicle at record-breaking speed. She had to get to class early to analyze students, and the second period was where she was to get her first suspect alone. Zhanna. From what she could see about the girl's outwardly personality, she was bubbly, awkward, and kind. But that could be a ruse. Maybe helping Temperance to the nurse's office made her unreasonably angry to kill someone? Temperance shook her head, admonishing herself. That was stupid; no one kills someone else because a total stranger burdened them. She would have to figure out another angle.

She exited the shower, gathered her accessories and dirty clothes, and headed for the sink. She placed her items on the empty countertop next to her, dug out her toothbrush from her baggy of toiletries, and turned to the mirror, nearly dropping the toothbrush as she stared at her reflection.

She looked... normal. Her face was still thin, but the dark blotches that had been living under her eyes were gone, leaving behind peachy-olive skin. Her hair looked a little fuller without her having to tease it. She looked healthier than she should for a woman who was doomed to die. It unnerved her. But that was not the only thing to churn her already turbulent tummy. Minus the steel gray eyes, she could pass as a double for her mother. The strong jaw, the dark hair, the scowl. A haunting reminder of a broken childhood stared back at her, and she simply reached up to feel her face, if only to remind herself that she was herself, not the ghost of her mother coming back to haunt her. 

The sound of incoming laughter echoing off the tiles snapped her out of her daze as students began to seep in to get ready for the day. She broke eye contact with her reflection and began brushing her teeth.

☽☼☾

Geometry was tedious. She had been secretly wishing for that studying session with Ji-Yeong and her exceedingly violent roommate. She knew there was no way she could make new friends with the current state of her health — a promise she made to herself that she would desperately try not to break. The promise to never be a burden. 

But that did not mean she could not make lasting memories, for however long those memories lasted. And Ji-Yeong was someone she could see herself being cordial with. She was solemn to say the least over the girl's death. 

Her canvassing turned nothing up, everyone too busy with the math equations swimming around their brains to think of anything else. They were no help. Perhaps her next class would provide some answers.

Upon her entry to Art History, Zhanna smiled and waved her over.

Curious reaction after someone was violently murdered.

She cataloged that away for later, hurrying over with a faint whisper of a smile. Zhanna had been a very cheerful deskmate. They shared space at the same table after Zhanna had insisted on it following the first fainting incident in the stairwell.

"Making sure you're not going to do it again, yes?" Zhanna had explained then. Temperance did not fight it; it seemed more tiring to say no than to just comply.

"Morning!" Zhanna chirped currently, smile bright and beaming.

Temperance's brow quirked despite herself. "Ah, morning."

"Did you do Friday's homework? I had trouble with the last two questions, and usually when I have trouble is when a random test is passed out."

Temperance placed her books on the table before her, sliding over the homework page. "Yeah, here. This is what I got."

Zhanna snatched the page up excitedly, eyes skimming through answers. "Oh! That's a really insightful answer! That actually helps me out a lot! Thanks!" She placed the paper back on Temperance's side of the table.

This was beyond bizarre. Zhanna was acting like herself. But she, too, was one of those held for questioning, right?

Temperance, unable to hold it back anymore, turned to the blonde girl who was happily digging around for her favorite pink pen in her pencil holder. "Aren't you... Aren't you upset?"

Zhanna's eyebrows creased. "Upset about what?"

"Uh... about Ji-Yeong?"

Temperance then clocked quick movement in Zhanna's pale green orbs. It perplexed her. It looked as if her pupil was moving, a tendril of inky blackness branching out into the sclera and the iris, before being drawn back to the center like a plume of obsidian smoke.

What the fuck is that...?

Zhanna tilted her head, much like a dog as Temperance squinted and moved closer to see what was in Zhanna's pupil. "What about Ji—"

It happened too fast for her to understand. One second, she was sitting down, analyzing the darkness of Zhanna's apparently moving pupil, and the next, pain was blooming throughout her cranium as her body cried out in protest.

She suddenly found herself staring up at a familiar form blocking out the white fluorescents. Kanani. She straddled Temperance, having tackled her to the ground and holding her hands down with her knees. Her lips drew back to reveal straight, bone-white teeth as her wide infuriated eyes bore into Temperance's.

But Temperance could not react, she just lay there, head throbbing violently where it connected with the floor as shapes and colors blurred. Her lids quivered as she attempted to stay above the swamp of her mind.

"Why the fuck do you know that?!" Kanani screeched, smashing her fist into the tile by Temperance's head. The force of the punch reverberated into Temperance's aching head and she moaned low in her throat.

Temperance's lips flapped like an airborne fish as she tried to answer but nothing tangible came out. A primal, low growl tore from Kanani's throat in response to the silence. Temperance felt the sensation of fainting closing in on her, her vision rimmed with darkness as her eyelids fluttered closed, and the last thing she swore she saw was Kanani's June-bug green eyes glowing like a cat's eyes under a flashlight as the shadows danced across her features like ballerinas.