UNFORGIVEN (FORSAKEN #1)

raging inferno

Eunchae flicks her hair over her shoulder and loops her arm through mine. We're walking up the stairs, heading to our science class. With Ms Kim. Once we reach the landing, Eunchae groans and rests her head on my shoulder. "Honestly, I'd rather be outside running laps than going to that witch's class. I can't stand chemistry."

I laugh. What else could I say? She has a point.

Eunchae suddenly comes to a halt, pulling me to a stop with her, and turns to face me, our arms still linked. "Oh my gosh," she gasps, her gaze fixed on mine. "She's going to talk about the class exams we did last week, isn't she? Ready to drill our ears in and whatever."

I scrunch up my nose, pondering over it. "Didn't she say we're doing it tomorrow?"

"Wait, what?" Eunchae's eyes widen with excitement. "Really?"

I shrug. "Girl, I don't know. Aren't we supposed to do the class experiment tod–"

"Yo, Hong," a voice calls out. We both pivot around to see a tall, black-haired boy leaning against the doorframe of a classroom. "Where you headed?"

Eunchae rolls her eyes. "To class, you idiot. What do you want, Nishimura?"

Nishimura. His name rings a bell. I'm sure I've heard it before. But where? Students start pouring out of the classroom, almost in a hurry. While the two converse about heaven-knows-what, I take a moment to look around. To my surprise, the nerds, band geeks, stoners, drama people, and even taekwondo athletes all press themselves against the lockers, avoiding us like the plague. Strange.

And then it hits me.

Yunjin's words from earlier echo in my mind: "They're scared of them."

I shoot a look at Eunchae. There's only one Nishimura at this school. And his friends won't be too far from him.

"Bro, why the fuck are just standing there?" I turn my head and catch sight of another boy, just as tall as Nishimura, with the most stunning ash-grey hair, walking out of the classroom. "Move out of the way, Ri –" His words fall flat at the sight of me.

Then that would mean –

Blonde hair appears at the classroom door, but he's blocked by his two friends. Sweat forms in my palm, making it clammy. Not knowing what to do with it, I hide it behind my back. Jaeyun glances over at us, but the moment our eyes meet, the moisture in my mouth dries up, and I lose track of my surroundings. In the span of a single second, I was no longer standing –

– I was lying on the ground, surrounded by a raging inferno that licked at my skin with fiery tongues. The heat was unbearable and I was consumed with a pain that felt like my heart was being ripped apart. I tried to scream, but my throat was constricted, and no sound escaped my lips. My chest burned with each breath. My body was paralyzed, as if it were fused to the ground, and I couldn't move a single muscle.

The sound of bells filled my ears, ringing out like a warning. From the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure walking towards me. My vision blurred with tears as I tried to make out who it was. I opened my mouth to call out for help, but my voice was weak and barely audible. The figure drew closer, and I could see a hand reaching out to me.

With my remaining energy, I mustered up the strength to whisper, "Help me –"

– A sharp pain hits my chest and I double over, gasping for air as I clutch my shirt. What the hell was that?

"Kazu, are you okay?" Eunchae asks, her concern evident. She searches my face, as she's rubbing my back. "What happened?"

"I – " I look up just enough to catch one of the boys step forward, but I'm not sure if he wants to help or is just being curious. I shake off the thought and feel the pain slowly fading away. Clearing my throat, I take Eunchae's free hand and turn in the opposite direction. "I'm fine, let's go. We don't want to be late for class."