SHADOW

The Fight

"The sheets beneath Sha shifted, and her world spun into chaos. Suddenly, gravity seized her, and she crashed onto the frigid wood floor, her buttocks absorbing the initial impact, soon followed by the back of her head, promising a painful bump.

'There she is, our sleeping beauty,' Nena chortled as she fixed her gaze on Sha.

Nena's sour candy breath mixed with powder and an overwhelming oriental perfume engulfed Sha's senses. Her white-blonde hair lay like a lifeless curtain, concealing her eyes.

The situation was disconcerting, but the two other girls were even more unsettling. One was Dina, Nena's red-haired sidekick, while the other remained a vague memory in Sha's mind.

As Nena's foot aimed for her ribs, Sha swiftly seized the briefcase tucked under her bed and countered the attack. The case connected with Nena's face, and its metallic corner found its mark in Dina's gut as she tried to shield her leader. The third girl backed against the wall, her bravado vanishing.

Sha dashed towards the door, but Nena clamped onto her foot, turning the action into a chaotic tangle of limbs, kicks, and bites.

In one chaotic moment, Dina's teeth, meant for Sha, found purchase in Nana's arm, and the blonde screamed, retaliating by kicking Dina in the nose. Blood sprayed across their shirts, and at that precise moment, Teacher Sana stormed into the room.

'You stop this instant!' she yelled, though her efforts proved futile as the fight ceased the moment blood entered the equation.

'You foolish wenches! How do you expect to attend the ball? Who would look at such ragged, bitten, and bruised girls like you?' the woman retorted.

More footsteps echoed in the corridor, causing the woman to pale. 'Not a sound, you fools.' She stared at them with wide eyes before retreating, closing the door behind her.

'What's going on here, Teacher SANA?'

'Everything is fine, Teacher Edna. I was instructing the girls on how to prepare better for the ball.'

'Yes, yes...' the second voice replied. 'You're granting them more time than they deserve; these little peasants aren't worth it this year.'

'Would you like a cup of coffee?' Teacher Sana offered, and the clinking of stilettos in the corridor signalled their departure.

All the girls sighed simultaneously. Everyone in the school knew Edna was the Etiquette teacher, the one who relished punishing girls and disqualifying them from the annual ball, thereby ruining their lives in one way or another. Not attending the ball meant facing the nunnery or the dreaded working camps, and Sha couldn't decide which was worse.

'I'm watching you,' Nena hissed as she dragged Dina and the unknown girl out of the room.

'I hope nobody picks you, and you return to your farm,' the unfamiliar girl whispered, spitting on the floor.

'Like a true lady,' Sha replied, surveying her room now resembling a war zone.

Sha cautiously opened her briefcase; one of her cherished books was hidden within. She wondered if her kung fu stunt with the briefcase had damaged the book. Fortunately, it remained unscathed—no bent corners or ruffled cover. Inevitably, she contemplated her secret-bound book hidden back at the farm.

'One day, I'll get my hands on it,' Sha mused, wondering if these books held the key to unravelling the mysteries of the past and the mansion's former owner to which they once belonged."