Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一(3)

I take a seat on one of the navy couches in the assessment office, which is mostly lit by the glow of flames coming from a large fireplace. Portraits of sour-looking old men and women cover the walls, and the ceiling is crossed with wooden beams. I drag my boots along a faded rug and look out the tall, narrow window, which reveals nothing but thick tree branches.

Dr. Yoo places a silver tray bearing steaming-hot bread, butter, and jam on the table in front of me. My stomach rumbles in response. There are few things in the world better than fresh bread. And because of the drugging, I'm not even sure how long it's been since I last ate.

"Now, Suzy, I'm going to ask you a series of questions," Dr. Yoo says as he lowers himself onto the couch across from me. His accent sounds like he's from Seoul, and he wears a black blazer similar to Kang's, only his has a navy pocket square. If I had to guess, he's about appa's age or maybe even a few years younger.

"The most important thing is that you answer honestly," Dr. Yoo says as he crosses his legs and opens a leather folder. "It will greatly increase our chances of getting you into the appropriate classes. As it unusual for us to accept a student midyear, especially one as old as you, we don't have the time to leisurely assess your strengths and weaknesses they way we normally would."

"Absolutely. Fire away," I say as my brain races through its own assessment. Yoo - meaning "inspector" and "to examine."  "Did you get any transcripts from my school?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Certainly not. I can assure you that none of that information exists here. And everything said in this office is confidential and used only for teaching purposes. No one else has access to your files besides Headmaster Kang and myself."

Sejeong's and Kang's warnings ring in my head. Did he think I was testing him to see if any of my personal information was on record here?"

"Oh, good. Then let's tackle your questions," I say with less pep.

He runs his hand over his chin and frowns at me. "Are you an introvert or an extrovert?"

"Extrovert. Hundred percent," I reply.

"Do you have any injuries that currently limit your movements."

"No. No injuries."

"Which level of balance most accurately describes you - the ability to walk a ledge, a tree branch, or a tightrope?"

I can feel my forehead scrunching as I consider my answer. Where is he possibly going with this? It feels more like an assessment for playing extreme sports than for a school. "Tree branch. Are there really people at this school who can walk a tightrope?"

"Climbing skills?" Yoo asks, ignoring my question.

"Excellent."

He looks up for a moment. "How excellent?"

It's starting to seem like none of these questions are going to be about my academic strengths. "Trees are my best, but I can climb rocks, shinny up poles . . . basically, if there is a texture and a handhold, I can climb it. it's sort of a -" I stop myself before telling him that there's a running bet among my friends in Jeongseon about what I can climb and how fast. Rule number one, I remind myself.

He lifts his brows. "Nighttime or daytime?"

"Either."

"Nighttime or daytime?"

"Really, both are fine."

"I'm glad you think so," he says in a way he tells me he's not glad. "But when I give you a choice, I expect you to choose."