Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

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"The more you learn in deception class, the less you will have to learn in others," Professor Sanrakshit says from the end of the antique conference table. He's a short elderly man I might take as unassuming if it weren't for the fact he's teaching deception and could come off that way intentionally.

Sanrakshit, I think. Originally from India and means "protected."

The two torches on the walls makes the small room dance with shadows. It looks more like an office where medieval war strategists would plot an invasion than like any classroom I've ever been in. The walls are covered in dark wood paneling, and ornate wooden arches bracket the ceiling.

I sneak a glance at Taemin, wondering if he was responsible for the blood in my room this morning, and check his hands for any stray cuts. But I can't see anything from here. And of course there's always Jungkook. The message was written in English. Only he's not in this class for me to examine.

I catch Sehun looking at me from across the table and remember everything he read in my body language yesterday. I immediately relax my face and shift my gaze.

"Some of you will mistakenly believe that your fidgeting skills are what will help you most when you're out in the world," Sanrakshit looks around the table. "But I assure you that your fighting skills will only get you one-hundredth of the information that a mastery of deception will. Also, the more effort you put into concealing your intentions and reading others, the better prepared you'll be when you actually get to the fight. Now, the opposite is also true: deception can get you into situations that you can't back out of."

I swear the teachers, Yoo, and Kang have figured out a way to subtly weave manipulative strategies throughout all the classes. And what's more, I feel like they're secretly directed at me and my shortcomings. But maybe everyone feels that way.

"In 415 B.C.E., the Greek statesman Hercules was convinced that conquering Olympus would win the God War. The prudent general Diomedes considered the idea rash and chose to deal with it by telling him a lie. He greatly overestimated how many men would be required, thinking it would dissuade Hercules. But the lie backfired. The Greeks took Diomedes's word and sent nearly the entire army to Olympus, when a guerrilla tactic would probably haven been far more effective. Nearly everybody died. The only survivors were the deserters, and not surprisingly Hercules was among them. Many blame Hercules for his arrogance, but Diomedes was just as much at fault. He didn't take into account the personality of the man he was lying to, nor did he predict how his lie would be received, both of which were more important factors than the lie itself. Had Diomedes conquered Olympus, his bluff would likely have been forgotten or gone undetected, but his lie was sloppy, and despite his good intentions it makes him responsible for thousands of needless deaths." Sanrakshit pauses to look at all of our faces before his eyes fall on someone. "Jimin, come up to the front, please."

Jimin stands and makes his way to the end of the table.

"I would like you to tell the class two truths and a lie. Keep them short. I don't want you making it easy on them by giving too many details. And try your best to conceal your lie."

Jimin takes a deep breath. "I've broken seven bones, eight if I count my nose twice. I would prefer to be hot rather than to be cold. And I can hold my breath underwater for nine minutes and fifteen seconds." I study him for any of the lying tells I've been reading about. But he doesn't make any hand movements or weird facial expressions that I can detect, and his voice sounds steady and normal to me.

"Now, which was the lie?" Sanrakshit asks. "Hyuna?"

Hyuna's eyes are narrowed, like she's concentrating too hard. "The first one?"