Zein's POV
We went to Madam Violet's office ASAP as soon as we woke up. We found her sitting in front of the desk, tapping her ballpen repeatedly. She looked like a black lady in her black dress with black lips and nails.
"What can I do for you?" the headmistress asked with a smile.
"Good morning, Madam Violet. We want to leave this school," Vanessa said politely.
Her eyebrows rose and then she burst out laughing. She stood up and folded her arms in front of us. "Why? What's the problem? I thought it was COOL here?"
"This university is a complete mess! It's useless! Why hasn't the government shut it down yet?" I couldn't help myself.
"Easy, Miss Zein Shion. Hell University is an independent school. It's not under the government's control and they can't interfere with it."
"How come? We're leaving this crappy school!" said Dave.
Madam Violet looked at us fiercely. It was scary and it seemed like she was going to hurt us just by looking at us. Who is she really?
"We have a motto here. Once you enter, there's no turning back." She laughed.
I was stunned. We can't leave? No way! We're not safe in this place! All students here are evil! They're scary and if we stay here too long, we'll definitely be in danger.
"What do you mean?!" Mia asked angrily.
Madam Violet played with the ends of her hair before sitting back in the swivel chair. Once she sat down, she spun it around.
I looked away because I felt dizzy from what she was doing. She's not taking us seriously.
"We're not joking here! Lead us the way!" Matt ordered.
"No, you came in here without anyone forcing you. That's why you have to stand up for it!"
Jerome stood up and slammed the table aggressively. "Bullshit! We're leaving here! We will find a way out and we will report you to the police!" Jerome's jaw clenched tight.
Vanessa approached Jerome to calm him down.
"Go ahead, Mr. Jerome Marques. Find the way out, if there is. No one is stopping you," Madam Violet replied with a laugh.
My eyes narrowed. Is she playing with us? What is she planning?
"Anyway, here are your uniforms. Together with your schedule." We looked at the uniforms she pulled out. They had our names on them.
"Wait, do we still need to study? Do you have anything to teach us? Or just learn how to murder someone?" Vanessa asked sarcastically.
"Hell University is still a school. The teachers here are very selective. We only hire the best teachers. You can learn more here than the other schools," Madam Violet replied.
It slowly sunk in on me that Hell University is literally hell when it comes to their one and only rule. Madam Violet seemed to be telling the truth but I'm still not convinced to study here. No way.
"Woah! Some teachers chose to teach here despite the danger. Amazing!" Matt replied sarcastically.
"Let's just assume that their salaries are not normal either. It's not just double or triple the amount of salary they get. Enough with the discussion. Go to your respective classes now and wear your uniforms. The president might catch you and you won't like the punishment if that happens."
We had no choice but to follow. We went to the bathroom and got dressed. The boys left for their classes first because we had different schedules.
"I must say their uniforms are cute," Mia complimented the miniskirt she's wearing.
Mia and Vanessa tied their hair while I let mine hang loose.
We were interrupted in our preparations when a girl entered. She was a little taller than me. Since I'm the tallest among me, Mia and Vanessa. The girl's straight hair was pitch black, as were her eyes. She was beautiful.
She stood next to us and washed her hands. "Newbies," she said without even looking at us.
I looked back at the mirror and adjusted my blouse. I saw her looking at me from the corner of my eye. There was something different about her look. It seemed scary.
"The news is true. There are six new rats here. How pitiful?"
My ears perked up. I turned to face her and raised my eyebrows.
"Don't worry, we're leaving soon," Vanessa said, annoyed.
She laughed softly. She faced the mirror again and put on some lipstick. We watched her every move. She had a scar on her neck, but it wasn't very noticeable.
"If so? Show me the way when you find it, hm?"
"Huh?! You don't know?" I asked.
She grinned before putting the lipstick back in her shoulder bag. "No one knows. Once you enter, there's no turning back… unless you're dead or…" She walked towards the door. "You can leave if someone with a high rank in HU helps you. Guess who?" she added before exiting and slamming the door shut.
"Huh?!" we asked in unison.
__**__
Madam Violet wasn't kidding about the teachers here. Math is the first subject we took. I knew it was hard to understand the long methods for solving problems but the teacher had her own short and simple method so we understood right away.
"Zein, don't you notice anything?" Vanessa whispered to my right while Mia was on my left. We're in the back of the classroom.
I didn't answer, I observed the class. Our classmates' attention was on us. Some were glancing at us, staring openly, smiling, and some seemed worried.
"Mia?" I call to her but her eyes are focused outside the classroom.
I was surprised when Mia suddenly cried and hugged me tightly. I looked outside where she had been staring earlier.
I gasped loudly when I saw a man tied to a chair. His hands were tied to the backrest of the chair while he was naked and had stab wounds all over his body. His tongue was also hanging out.
Some people whispered and screamed when they saw the poor man. Our classmates came out, led by Sir Alvarez. I couldn't follow because Mia was crying and hugging me.
"Shit! Who did that? That's heartless," Vanessa commented, rubbing Mia's back.
I looked outside but I couldn't see the man because he was surrounded by a group of students. Other students stayed inside as if they were scared by the incident.
"Devil. Only evil people can do such a thing," I said.
They're demons! Damn! We really need to get out of this place. We're not safe here, no one is.
"Are y'all okay?!"
"What happened to Mia?"
Our male friends rushed over to us, panting. Worried.
"She's okay. She was just scared. We should take her back to the dormitory so she can rest," I suggested, which they agreed to.
Dave picked up Mia and Vanessa and Jerome were helping him.
"We found something about this university," Matt said seriously.
I was about to ask when Matt ran to the group of students, curious about what had happened. I followed him. I covered my mouth when I saw the lifeless man up close.
My eyes widened and I almost vomited when I saw his tongue hanging out with a nail mark. It looked like it had been stamped with a hot iron.
"They did it again," a girl wearing eyeglasses whispered. She looked at me with a smile. "Zein, right?" she asked.
I nodded.
"I'm Meico, a 3rd year student," she introduced herself.
I just nodded at her again because I had no interest in getting to know anyone. I couldn't trust anyone. Damn! Our situation is difficult!
"The nail marked on his tongue symbolized the Black Blood Gang. They only showed up again after what happened last week."
That caught my attention. I listened even though I was a little confused by what she was saying.
"It means another war will happen soon. It seems to be more intense now because they killed Raze Silvenia's only brother, the leader of the Devil God Warrior."
I gulped. Shit! We need to leave as soon as possible because we might get caught up in the war Meico is talking about.
"Shall we go?" Matt asked, showing up from somewhere. I glanced at the poor man for a moment before nodding.
We were far away but I still remember the look of the dead man. Especially the nail mark on his tongue. How brutal! Or maybe, this was just a taste of their malevolence.
"Rouge Silvenia. He is Raze Silvenia's only brother," Matt said, looking seriously at the hallway.
I waited for Matt to continue talking about the incident. "Who are they?" I asked even though I already knew who Matt was referring to. Raze was the leader of the Devil God Warrior.
Matt smiled and walked over to me. "Enough. You don't need to know anything, Zein. Even if they say we can't leave here, I will never let that happen."
I can't understand him. Why does he know so much, when we've only been here for a while?
We continued walking until we reached the dormitory. There, we caught up with Vanessa, who was setting the food on the table.
"Where's Mia?" I asked Vanessa.
"She's in the room, sleeping," Vanessa replied.
I nodded and looked at the door of the girls' room. She must have been frightened.
"You guys should eat. By the way, do you still have classes?" Vanessa asked.
We approached the table. Matt pulled out a chair for me. I smiled at him before sitting down.
Matt also sat down. "I still have English class," Matt replied as he spooned me some rice.
Vanessa turned to me as if waiting for my answer.
"I still have History class," I replied. I had memorized my schedule.
"You're the only one who will be separated," Vanessa said.
Matt paused while spooning food.
"So, are you all in English class?" I asked.
Vanessa nodded.
"You're alone, Zein. Do you want me to be with you?" Matt suggested, staring at me.
"No, it's okay," I said with a smile. I felt giddy by Matt's concern. I've had a crush on him for a long time but he's oblivious.
We ate in silence while Matt continued to take care of me.
We were about to finish eating when the door to the girls' room opened. Mia came out and sat on the sofa. Her eyes were puffy.
We quickly finished eating and approached Mia. We sat in front of her. Soon, Jerome and Dave came out of the boy's room.
"Are you feeling okay?" Dave asked, sitting next to Mia.
"Oh, yes, thank you," Mia replied.
I wanted to ask but I held back. Mia might get more traumatized. I knew she saw the people behind that horrifying incident.
Mia stood up and went to the dining table. She drank water and looked at the wall clock. "I've been asleep for a long time. I'm going to get dressed, we still have class, right?"
"Are you sure you want to go?" I asked.
Mia nodded and walked back to our room. I quickly followed Mia as she entered the room.
I approached her worriedly. "Mia, don't force yourself to go if you can't."
Mia paused while getting dressed but quickly recovered and smiled at me. "I'm the one who's worried about you because you're the only one who will be separated from us."
"What do you think of me? I can take care of myself. I can do karate," I joked.
__**__
IT WAS NOON, I was walking alone to the far end of the building where my class was assigned. I only met a few students because they were already in class. I looked at my wristwatch, and since I'm already late I just walked.
I just shrugged when some students stared at me. What's their problem? Can't move on to the fact that some 'idiots' have entered this school? I thought to myself.
The classroom was quiet when I entered. Our teacher was still not there. I walked with my head bowed to the empty seat at the end of the classroom. Since everyone is looking at me. How awkward.
"Late? You're brave."
I raised my face and looked at the person who had said that. My eyes widened when I saw the same girl in the bathroom earlier.
"You better be thankful that Supremo didn't catch you," she said, shaking her head before looking back at her notebook.
My eyes widened when I saw what she was drawing.
A nail?