They're Made of Glass | SEVENTEEN

04 | first time for everything

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The hallways were empty. A looming silence lingered, smothering everything from the squeaky clean floors to the just washed windows in a suffocating kind of quiet that made me shiver. It was too clean, too perfect, and the strong scent of lemon floor polish was making my nose burn. I looked around in this supposedly perfect school for any signs that would explain why it was so clean. Just before I opened the door to the Principal's office, I saw it. My stomach churned as my eyes flickered over the splatter of dried blood on the floor.

Was it too late to change my mind?

"How dare you!" A screech stopped me from opening the door. I stood frozen, petrified as a shrill voice continued to shriek. "I gave you one job! One job, Mr. Jung! How could you lose him?"

Lose who? "Search everywhere! I don't care if you have to give him one hundred infractions, Kwon Soonyoung must be stopped in any way possible! I've got the girl coming in any minute now and if Soonyoung gets to her with that stupid necklace-"

She suddenly stopped and a fear coursed through my veins. My breathing hitched in my throat as the silence came again. I thought I heard a click - the sound of someone very angrily slamming a phone down on a table. Then came the click-clack of high heels. I just stood there like a deer caught in headlights, breathing heavily as the footsteps stopped right in front of the door. On one side was my new Principal. On the other side was me.

The door suddenly swung open as the lady who had just been screaming her head off for the past few minutes smiled at me as if she had just come back from a lovely walk in the park. This was Principal Cho.

"Good morning," She said with a smile, "you must be Eunji."

I grasped her outstretched hand and shook lightly. "Yes, good morning."

Principal Cho quickly ushered me into her office as she scanned the hallways for anything out of the ordinary. I nearly jumped out of my own skin when she gasped, probably spotting the blood. As I settled into one of her cushioned chairs, she quietly called for a janitor to come clean it up. Even in her office, I couldn't escape that horrible lemony scent. It was so artificial and plastic. No wonder the school reeked of it.

"All your papers were filled out in advance. I just need you to sign here and here." Principal Cho motioned to two lines underneath Inha's signature for me to sign. I quickly signed the papers.

"Great. Whenever you need to leave, just show your Student ID to the guards at the gate and they'll let you through. How are you feeling, Miss Eunji?"

It took me a second to realize that she was referring to me. "I'm feeling...fine."

She gave me a tired smile. "Feel free to spend today settling in. Fourth period will be ending in about ten minutes. I've already called for a student to come and show you around. He'll be showing you where the lunchroom is along with all your classes."

There was a loud knock at the door.

"That must be him." She said. "If you have any questions, just ask him. He's a very reliable person."

"Thank you, Principal Cho." I said, bowing.

"Oh and Eunji?"