Maxim had ran towards her locker, luckily for her the hallway was empty and she stood there with her hand on her mouth, trembling because of Sarah’s death. Why would she kill herself? Maxim asked in her mind, she was preventing herself to cry but she heard a sob echoed throughout the hallway. She followed the sobs and found Jeff sitting on the floor with his back against the lockers; he was crying and didn’t care if anyone saw him in that state. He noticed a figure from afar and realized it was Maxim.
“Maxim…I – I tried stopping her but she wouldn’t listen” Jeff croaked and Maxim ran to his side.
“What happened?” Maxim was determined to know the reason why Sarah committed suicide.
“I told her it wasn’t her fault, I-I told her that it’s going to be okay but she wouldn’t listen!” Jeff sobbed even harder and Maxim found herself comforting the boy.
“Why did she do it?” Maxim said in a whisper and Jeff’s hot tears continued to flow even more as he remembered what Sarah have been telling him.
“She said she had been receiving calls from Bridget’s phone around one in the morning, she didn’t answer the first two missed calls because she was asleep but when she answered the third one she couldn’t understand what Bridget wanted because all she heard was screaming…the screams of Bridget and her friends. She thought that Bridget was just playing pranks on her but around five in the morning her mom told her that Bridget died around 10pm last night and that scared her, how could Bridget call her three times around 1am if she died around 10pm right?” Jeff tried his best to speak clearly and this bothered Maxim as well.
“I don’t understand it either how that could happen!” Jeff tugged on his hair as if he was going to lose his sanity as well, “She didn’t sleep well that she got here really early, we are classmates around third period earlier and I kept telling her that it’s going to be okay but she just cried. She even said that maybe they were being punished because of what they did to you”
Maxim was taken aback by that one, so Sarah did had something to do with what happened to her yesterday.
“She was really sorry Maxim, she told me everything. She got jealous and all that’s why she played along with Bridget’s plan. She couldn’t tell you how guilty she felt and how sorry she was this morning. She hoped you could forgive her but her phone…that damn phone started ringing again!” Jeff sniffed, he was sobbing in between his words as he kept pulling on his hair.
“What about her phone?” Maxim asked worriedly.
“Her phone rang in the middle of the class and it was Bridget’s number calling her again. She answered it and she heard their screams once more, screaming while they burn. So she ran from class and I didn’t see her until she fell from the school building!”
Maxim embraced Jeff, they weren’t particularly close but that’s the least she could do. It was as if comforting Jeff comforted her as well.
“Just go home Jeff” Maxim helped him stand up and patted his back, “It will do you no good staying here”
Jeff just nodded and walked away sobbing. Maxim couldn’t help remembering what Jeff said earlier about Bridget and Sarah being punished because of what they did to her. It all sounded coincidental. Her legs started to wander around school and she decided to settle in the abandoned stairway near the school’s garden.
She walked slowly reaching the steps, sighing heavily as she did so. Her eyes caught on something white at the top end of the stairs and wondered if anyone could be there. She hurriedly went up and got startled when she saw Youngmin sitting there lazily but his eyes were staring at her, as if he was waiting there all along. He was wearing all white again, with his white skinny pants and long sleeve knitted shirt and white shoes made him look really bright and perfectly clean.
Youngmin knew what happened quite well, he knew about the death of Bridget and Sarah and Kwangmin was responsible for it. He finally knows where Kwangmin is, and of course he knew where Enlil is now. He stood up and dusted himself as he approached Maxim, his hands on his pockets as he looked sternly at her, a face which was different from what Maxim saw last night where the boy smiled often.
“You need to know something” Youngmin started still looking at her. “Kwangmin, your dear friend is my brother. My twin brother.”
Maxim’s speculations were finally confirmed but the truth still shocked her. Youngmin walked closer to her, and now he is inches away.
“He is not what you think he is Maxim; he’s a demon in disguised. He is evil and corrupted and in order for him to go away you must reject him, make him go away yourself” Youngmin said and Maxim furrowed her eyebrows.
“What are you saying? How could you say those things to Kwangmin! He had done nothing wrong to me; he has been the nicest person towards me in school since he transferred here!” Maxim defended with full of conviction, Kwangmin was sincere to her and helped her…that’s what she thought.
“He’s lying to you! He may show kindness but he seeks something from you Maxim, he does good things to you but he has his own selfish intentions! Please Maxim, wake up! Don’t let him brainwash you!” Youngmin shook her shoulders but she slapped his hands away.
“No! He’s done nothing wrong! He defended me and I will defend him against those who insult him as well, I don’t know what you have against him but he is my only friend. The one who comforted me when I have no one to tell my worries to. The one who helped me changed!”
Youngmin’s heart sank as he heard the last part, Kwangmin already initiated the change in her but it was in a wrong way, the evil way.
“If you won’t leave him then please just open your eyes to the possibility that he could do anything, why must you learn things the hard way Maxim?” Youngmin ran his hand on his hair with irritation, “Don’t let him take it from you!” he had desperation in his eyes and in his tone of voice as he said those words, which made Maxim confused.
“Take what?” Maxim asked and Youngmin held her shoulders firmly once again.
“Your soul” Youngmin whispered, “Don’t let the demon in him take your precious soul because that is what he wants, he will turn you into an impure one and eat your soul, don’t give it to him no matter what. Fight the urge Maxim, don’t let him tempt you!” the blonde boy took something from his pocket, the silver necklace with the cross pendant that he found on the church. He placed it around her neck and hoped that it will remind Maxim.
“What the hell? He is not a demon! Kwangmin’s human!” Maxim swatted his hands and found herself stepping back and running away from Youngmin, this time her tears fell freely as she ran, wiping them away not letting anybody see them as she passed by a crowd of students.
Youngmin sighed heavily, convincing Maxim didn’t go well but he won’t give up though he was disappointed himself.
“She has affection for your twin that’s why it’s hard for her to believe, let’s just hope she wouldn’t harm herself in the process” Lucien whispered and Youngmin cried.
“She said Kwangmin is human…” the boy tried to stop his tears, “She doesn’t know how much I wish what she said was true…”
