This is the moment when it seems to Joseph that time has stopped. With terrified eyes, he looks at his former friend, whose body hangs inertly on a rope hooked to a chandelier. People are lamenting loudly, adults are trying to chase the youth away from looking at this horrifying sight.
The brunet leans with his back against the wall as he gets weak. He puts his hand to his chest, getting the impression that he is beginning to run out of air.
He is frighteningly pale.
Eventually, he sits down on the floor, feeling that his legs are like cotton wool. With a blank stare, he watches as Solar's lifeless body swings through the air.
This is his fault. She wanted to talk to him, she wanted to tell him something important, and he ignored her.
She was right to scream that he had no heart.
He ignored her cries for help.
He hides his face in his hands and just then feels someone embrace him.
— God, Joseph, tell me this isn't really happening. — He hears the voice of his girlfriend crouching beside him. — Tell me that what I see is an illusion.
He, however, does not answer her. He is unable to.
Jin, who arrives accompanied by Danielle, looks at Solar's dead body with wide-open eyes. He does not express any emotion. He simply stares at a single point, on the one hand feeling terrible sadness and grief, and on the other relieved that he finally got away from her.
— She committed suicide — she whispers, and then Danielle embraces his hand. — She killed herself because of us. It was our fault.
The 15-year-old rolls her eyes. This sight doesn't make any impression on her, she's even satisfied that she got rid of the threat.
This is what her mother taught her. She instilled in her to eliminate enemies until they lose their last drop of blood.
— She would be better off there. She was a hopeless person — she declares dispassionately, not feeling guilty.
The boy pulls his hand from her grasp, looking at her with disbelief in his eyes.
— She killed herself because of us, Danielle — he says in a whisper, and his voice trembles. — She hangs dead in her room, and you say she did the right thing?
The police show up. The guardians disperse the youths, ordering them back to their rooms. Halsey helps her boyfriend to his feet, but as Solar's roommate, she has to stay here to testify first.
Joseph returns to his room. Jin goes outside with Danielle, taking advantage of the fact that the door is open.
He lifts his face to the sky and squints as it begins to snow.
Danielle doesn't leave his side.
— Do you really not feel any remorse after what you did? — He asks, without looking at her face.
— And why should I? It's not my fault that she was weak. She killed herself because she couldn't cope with life. That was her fate. — The 15-year-old shrugs her shoulders.
— Danielle! — He finally tears into her, unable to stand her indifference any longer. — She's dead! She killed herself an hour after you ridiculed her in front of the whole school!
— Don't blame it on me! It's also your fault that you made her fall in love with you!
The brunette corrects her coat, which is thrown over her shoulders. Jin is not wearing a jacket, yet he is not cold. He is so terrified of what has happened that he does not feel the low temperature.
He rubs his face with his hands and crouches down, feeling that he is getting sick with nerves.
— People gossiped that I'm cruel and don't have a heart, but I guess I do have one after all because currently I'm in terrible pain. You're the one who doesn't have one, Danielle — he says, looking at the ground.
The girl twists her lips in a diabolical smile.
— Having a heart is just an affliction. Look what happened to Solar.
Jin rises and grabs Danielle by the shoulders, shakes the girl and looks at her with frantic eyes.
— We killed her, and you speak with such calmness about how having a heart is an affliction!
— Don't pretend to be good. It doesn't suit you, Jin.
The boy lets go of her and shakes his head.
— Just go home already, Danielle. I would rather not see you now — he whispers, then turns his back on her and walks away toward the entrance. He disappears behind the door, and the teenager curls her lips in a slight smile when she spots the ghost.
— Will you tell me what happened there?
The phantom spins around, looking cheerful.
— You should thank a certain girl because she is the one who made Solar dead.
Danielle crinkles her eyebrows, wondering what the ghost has in mind.
— A certain girl? — she repeats. — So you're saying she didn't commit suicide because of me and Jin?
— Of course not, but you can't tell anyone about it. — The phantom puts his finger to his lips — You must take advantage of this situation and get close to the girl who had her fingers in her death.
— Why should I get close to this murderess? — The 15-year-old snorts under her breath, crossing her arms on her chest.
— Because she can be your shield in the future.
These words intrigue the teenager. She follows the ghost, leading her to the 18-year-old, who is leaning with her back against a tree. She stands there with her eyes closed and is not bothered by the snow, which is falling harder and harder every moment.
— Earth to you, Blondie. — Danielle snaps her fingers in front of her face, at which Lana threatens her with her eyes. — Have you been so moved by the death of this worthless ninny?
— Get lost. — The 18-year-old wants to dodge her, but Danielle presses her back against the tree. Her behavior outrages the blonde. No one is entitled to touch her. — Get your hands off her, shithead.
— Do you know me?
— I know you are Jin's foster sister. You are having an affair with him.
Lana pushes her hands away from her and corrects the hood on her head.
— You are the president of this school. You control my boyfriend. — For many years, the ghost has been Danielle's right hand. Thanks to him, the fifteen-year-old knows everything. — You have an older guy of more than twenty years, who is a shill in the city and to your credit, one murder.
The blonde stares at her with wide eyes, wondering how she knows all this.
— What are you talking about? — She swallows her saliva harder when she sees the diabolical smile on the fifteen-year-old's face.
— About the fact that I have you in my grasp, and you won't beat me for any reason. Don't even think about telling your lover the truth — she warns her. — I'm not that silly, afraid of life, Solar. I can see that you are shocked by what your guy did, so you don't really want to tell him about me, so as not to have another person on your conscience.
— What do you want?
— Relax, you are honest with me, I am honest with you. — She forces a smile, feeling satisfaction. — I will help you hide this terrible secret. After all, now I could go to Horace Mann and confess to the police that I witnessed the poor girl's murder while I was looking for the bathroom. I would describe to them in detail what happened, that your lover hired a paid killer to get rid of a witness to your drug trade.
— So why don't you do that?
— Because I want you on my side. You have character, and I like feisty people. Let's say you'll owe me a favor and in the future, if I ask you to, you'll help me.
At one point, Lana feels like laughing. This girl is worse whacked than she is.
— Don't you have friends?
— It's difficult to find decent friends these days, so let's just say I haven't cared so far. — She raises her hand, waiting for Lana to nail her. — Are you in on my deal? Remember, I'm the only one who knows your secret. — Out of the corner of her eye, she glances at the apparition, who is proud of her. — So what is your decision?
*
Recent days at Horace Mann have been and continue to be nightmarish. Students shun the room where the suicide occurred. Only Halsey is not afraid of the place because she has decided to stay there. She feels remorse that she didn't see anything and failed to help her roommate.
These remorseful feelings have plagued Joseph until now, as well as Jin, who blames himself for leading her to her death.
He believes it was his fault because he completely broke her heart.
He feels like a monster.
The roommates sit across from each other, not saying a word. They realize that they both led to this tragedy.
Joseph initiated it, and Jin ended it.
Scott reads a message from his girlfriend, who asks him to join her at the cafeteria. The boy has no appetite, but finally decides to keep her company.
Without a word, he leaves the room. Walking down the corridor, he feels the stares of the students on him. He is depressed and takes the loss of his old friend badly. He fears that once his sadness is gone, it will be replaced by anger, and this will lead him to take out his anger on others.
This is always the case when he goes through a turbulent period.
He squats down next to Halsey, who looks at him with sad eyes.
— Are you okay? — She asks, to which he nods.
Lana's loud laughter echoes through the room. She is the only person who is having a great time, although a student of the school committed suicide a few days ago.
— There is not even a hint of sympathy in her. She's horrible — mutters Halsey, glancing at the blonde out of the corner of her eye.
— She treated Solar like a dog, so she is unlikely to despair for her. — Joseph rubs his hands over his face, and then his attention is caught by a young woman who hasn't taken her eyes off him for a long time. Seeing that he has caught her, he turns his face in another direction.
This is not the first time. Since she arrived at the school, Joseph often catches her watching him. She is the new caretaker of the girls. The previous woman was not fulfilling her duties, it was found that she did not take care of the student, so the student committed suicide. They found a scapegoat, and eventually, her place was taken by the principal's daughter.
— I think I am experiencing Solar's death so much that something is happening to me.
Joseph looks with concern in his eyes at his girlfriend.
— What do you mean?
— For several days I've been hearing strange noises, tapping.... — He runs his hand through his hair and sighs loudly. — I think it's because I don't sleep well.
— Maybe you should change your room after all? I don't know if it's good to live in a place where a roommate committed suicide. That way you won't recover.
The girl looks at him with tired eyes for a long moment.
— I know, but I can't. I would rather not leave her there alone because I have a feeling that her soul is still there.
Scott rests his face on his hand.
— I don't believe in ghosts. — Halsey throws him an offended look. — Do you want me to sleep with you that night?
— I knew you'd suggest it.
Joseph watches Lana, who changes her seat and sits down at the sitter's table. They are too far away, so there is no way to overhear what they are talking about.
— I'm proud of you. You've fit in perfectly as president of the school. — The blonde curls her lips in a smile. — Who have you appointed as your successor?
— Jin, but the boy is stubborn, and I think he has mellowed recently. If he doesn't accept the offer, Joseph is also ideal for the role.
— I like the reserve better. — Irene bites her finger, and a smile creeps onto her face. — He's cute.
Lana crinkles her eyebrows.
— Seriously? Do you have a hankering for this kid? — She shakes her head, amused. — Well, but who can forbid the first Horace Mann queen from getting what she wants? If you hadn't started an elite group, this school wouldn't be so cool.
Irene's gaze once again finds the seventeen-year-old. She has set a goal that she will achieve. First she will get rid of the girl in whom he sees the eighth wonder of the world.
*
Four months later.
A lot has changed since then. Halsey left school tormented by her guardian. No one knew the real reason, not even Joseph. People gossiped that she was possessed by a suicidal spirit. Each day she looked worse and worse, was sleep-deprived and irritable. The day she was attacked by the sitter and learned the reason for her torment, she gave up on Horace Mann and on Joseph.
The perpetually furious Scott found comfort in the arms of the vicious caretaker. He became chairman of the school after Jin resigned from the position, claiming he didn't have an opportunity to play along. He felt that Joseph was ideally suited to serve in this role.
For a long time, Jin conflicted with Danielle. He couldn't get along with her after Solar's death, but the 15-year-old didn't let go, and they finally managed to talk frankly.
They recognized that they were both to blame and could no longer tear it up. Danielle convinced him that they had to move on with their lives and forget that they were one of the reasons the girl killed herself.
That day they gave themselves a second chance.
Danielle can't stop laughing when Jin tries to build a sand castle, but fails every time.
They sit alone on the beach, their parents decided to take a walk, so they have some time to themselves and don't have to hide with their feelings.
— Stop teasing. — Jin is offended by her behavior.
— But you look funny when you pout.
She walks over to him and lies on his back, snuggling into him tightly. She adores him and enjoys every day spent with him. She wants the vacation to last as long as possible before he returns to Horace Mann.
— You are the most important to me — she whispers in his ear, not intending to let him go. — With you, I know I'm safe.
— Now you say that, and in an hour you'll be clucking your tongue that you don't know if this relationship will survive.
She lets go of him and sits down next to him, looking at him with an offended gaze.
— Are you going to reproach me for this? I was angry with you, that's why the other day I told you that it would be better if we became siblings. — The girl crosses her arms. — Never in my life. I won't allow it. We can only be connected by a romantic relationship. I am in love with you to the point of madness.
The seventeen-year-old raises an eyebrow, looking amused.
— Is that why you splashed water in that girl's face yesterday?
Danielle wrinkles her nose.
— She brazenly hit on you in front of me, so what was I supposed to do?
— We were with our parents. She thought we were siblings. You drove your mother crazy again.
The 15-year-old shrugs her shoulders.
— I don't care.
— Will this madness ever pass you by? — He brushes a strand of hair away from her face. — Will you be so shot forever?
— Spend the rest of your life with me and you'll find out. — She wants to kiss him, but Jin spots her parents on the horizon. He moves away from Danielle, with movements signaling to her that they are being watched. — So what? I've had enough of hiding the truth from them.
— They have a wedding planned for next year, in July. Be polite.
She feels like shouting to the whole world how much she loves him, but she doesn't do it because of his requests.
He still prefers to keep it a secret.