When Brilliant Turns Bloody | The Secrets of The Academy

IV

Douglas's POV

"We can't say anything," Douglas blurted. "Look, we don't know if this person is serious with their threats or not, but we do know that the school is definitely serious with their threats. We could get our scores taken away, or worse, expelled."

Douglas was not about to lose his scholarship. Ever since he was accepted into the Academy, Dongyeoun had been working four times as hard as he normally did. He had to prove to his parents that he wasn't the useless, stupid son they thought him to be. When the Fall Exam shot them to the top ranking of the school sophomore year, all he had to do was work just a little bit harder and he had the scholarship for sure. If word that he had cheated came out, there'd be no chance at redemption. He'd forever be a loser. This wasn't going to happen if he had anything to say about it.

"But, what if someone dies?" Siddhart says nervously.

"Do you actually think whoever sent that text was serious?" Alessya scowled. "If anything, it was probably a figure of speech. 'Our own lives' as in our reputation."

Siddhart winced at Alessya's harsh response, but he, like Douglas and the rest of the group, knew Alessya had only lashed out because she was stressed. 

Absentmindedly, Douglas glanced at Alister to hear if he had anything to say, but Alister only nodded with the rest of the group. No one was ready to come clean about this. It was a shameful secret that they wanted to stay buried for their own good.

Trying to get their minds off the dark topic, Dongyeoun exclaimed, "How about La Centerra?"

La Centerra was the local outdoor shopping center that most teenagers went to grab a bite to eat after class.The eight students had gathered together after to school to go hang out, and all the worry about their secrets and the texts had really ruined the mood. Everyone was eager to change the subject.

Someone's phone rang out, but no one bothered to check it. If it was a friend, they could wait. If it was the mysterious messenger, their texts certainly weren't wanted then.

Douglas shrugged on his backpack and adjusted his wrist brace, feeling a sharp pain in his wrist that must've been from having it awkwardly positioned when they had been sitting down. He exhaled slowly; the wrist brace only served as a reminder that he was a disappointment. He had practiced his cello for countless of tiring hours until he wrist popped painfully at the slightest movement just to make his parents proud, but they had only scoffed.

The group stood at the stop sign, and made sure the road was clear before running to the "safe zone" of grass in between two roads. As frivolous as it was, jaywalking was a harmless "crime" that gave them all a thrill just the same. Once again, they checked the road but as they ran across this time, something happened that no one expected.

"Alessya!" Douglas cried in horror.