It's Ninety Nine [On hiatus]

Curse Ten

THE TENTH MISFORTUNE:
PHANTOM

As they stepped into the nurse's office, Isabel glanced up at them, her face already etched with exasperation. She let out a deep sigh, adjusting her spectacles as she set her eyes on the familiar group. "Seriously, students," she muttered, shaking her head slightly. "Your group, I swear… this is the third time you’re all here today." Her eyes flicked between them before she settled back in her chair, arms crossed. "What does it take for you guys to be a little bit more careful?"

Stella, feeling slightly embarrassed, stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Sorry, Señora Isabel," she began hesitantly. "But someone pushed Lara into the vending machine. Her head hurts because of the bump."

Without further ado, Isabel rose from her seat, the chair swiveling behind her with a soft creak. She motioned for Lara to lie down on one of the beds and began examining her head with gentle fingers, probing for any sign of serious injury. Her brow furrowed slightly as she worked, and after a few quiet moments, she nodded, satisfied with her assessment.

"She'll be fine, but she needs to rest for a while," Isabel finally declared, turning her attention back to the rest of the group. She adjusted her spectacles once again as she settled into her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "As for the rest of you, off to class you go." She gestured towards the door, her tone one of finality.

The friends exchanged brief smiles with Lara, assuring her with silent nods before heading out of the nurse’s office. The air felt heavier as they walked down the corridor towards their classroom, none of them saying a word. The silence, however, was quickly broken by Jui, who let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"You know, guys, it's so weird that we keep getting hurt like this," she muttered, glancing around at her friends. "It’s only been, what, five days since the new academic year started, and look at us."

Janed nodded, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. "You're right," he agreed. "It’s like the nurse is already tired of seeing us. Three trips to her office in a single day—if we keep this up, she might just ban us from getting hurt." He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

Jui smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood, but there was something else on her mind, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She sighed again, this time more quietly, her thoughts swirling around like an unseen storm.

Rosch and Stella, walking ahead, were equally lost in their thoughts, both of them concerned for Lara. Janed’s mind, however, was preoccupied with another worry: who was that who hurt Lara in the first place? And why? As for Jui, a sense of unease gnawed at her—was all of this happening by coincidence, or was something more sinister at play?

They continued walking in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts, when suddenly, a figure rushed past them, shoving Jui hard against the wall. The impact was sharp and immediate—Jui’s body collided with the wall, her nose taking the brunt of the hit. She stumbled backward, clutching her face in pain.

Stella reacted instinctively, reaching out to grab Jui by the waist, steadying her before she could fall. "What the hell!" Stella gasped, looking at the blood beginning to drip from Jui’s nose. "At least apologize, dammit!" Janed roared, turning to face the culprit—but the girl who had pushed Jui was already gone, vanished into the crowd.

"Oh god, her nose is bleeding," Stella muttered, panic creeping into her voice as she guided Jui to stand upright. Jui winced, her eyes squeezed shut in pain, while Rosch stood by her side, concern etched into his features.

"Ha," a familiar, mocking voice echoed from behind them. The group turned to see none other than Camila, her stride confident and haughty as she approached. Her long hair flowed behind her as she folded her arms across her chest, the corners of her mouth tugging into a smirk. "Look at her, causing a scene," she sneered. "Just like her friend Lara. Again. What do you get out of causing trouble for the students here, Jui?"