It was Wednesday.
Elaine’s first two days of classes had been okay, apart from the Math punishment she still wasn’t making much progress with and the fact that she felt or rather knew that she wasn’t exactly accepted by the others in class.
Lately, she hadn’t been hearing those strange noises or feeling that bone-numbing fear, and she had been sleeping peacefully.
Though sometimes, it felt as if someone else was in the room with her.
The feeling was always fleeting.
And she didn’t even have a roommate.
At least not yet.
Just her.
“Agh!” June yelled dramatically as they changed into their sportswear in the locker room.
“I hate P.E. classes.”
“Why? I love them,” Elaine replied with a smile as she tied her hair into a high ponytail, secretly enjoying June’s suffering.
“Look at me! Do I look even remotely athletic?” June groaned, spreading her arms before slumping onto the bench.
Elaine laughed.
“Do you know the only thing I like about this class?” June asked.
“What?”
“The sportswear.”
“Seriously, June?” Elaine asked, brows raised.
“Yes. It’s pretty and comfortable. And somehow, you make it look even prettier,” June complimented.
Elaine had discarded the jersey and replaced it with a black cropped hoodie that paired with the shorts, exposing a little skin.
“Thanks,” Elaine said, finally satisfied with her hair.
“No worries. Stick with me and soon you’ll start loving P.E. too.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“You’ll see,” Elaine said as they walked out of the locker room.
By now, she was almost used to Herbert Wilbur—the beautiful architecture, the students, and the strange atmosphere that clung to the school.
The game for the day was basketball.
Elaine stood beside Gwen, whose white hair was also tied up neatly.
Gwen held the ball in one hand as the students divided themselves into two groups: those who would play and those who would watch.
June had already gone to sit down before the grouping even finished.
“You sure you can play, newbie?” a girl asked with a scoff, directing the comment toward Elaine.
Elaine looked left and right at first, wondering whether the girl meant her or Gwen.
But Gwen’s eyes remained fixed elsewhere.
So it was definitely her.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Elaine replied with a smile.
What Elaine had realized in her short time at Herbert Wilbur was that the students were predators.
They constantly looked for ways to demean others.
More than once, she had seen students openly bully one another—both boys and girls.
It was disgusting.
And apparently, the school authorities barely interfered.
That was why Elaine had decided never to show weakness.
The girl smirked, lowering her gaze briefly before looking back up.
But before Elaine could meet her eyes properly, Gwen shifted slightly, blocking her view.
Deciding to let it go, Elaine walked toward the bleachers where June sat.
“You really aren’t playing?” Elaine asked.
“Yup,” June replied casually.
“Can’t play or don’t want to?”
“Don’t want to.”
“You really want to stand on the sidelines while everyone else has fun?”
“I won’t stand and watch,” June corrected.
“I’ll sit.”
Elaine sighed dramatically.
“Really?”
“What?” June asked defensively.
“Fine then,” Elaine said.
“I’m not participating in the next Sunday night wager. Not even the one after that.”
“No!” June exclaimed immediately, eyes widening.
Elaine smirked internally.
She had gotten her.
“I really don’t want to play,” June grumbled, though her resolve was already crumbling.
“And I really am not doing any more wagers,” Elaine replied.
June groaned before finally standing up.
“Fine.”
Together, they walked toward the court where Gwen and the others waited.
“June’s playing,” Elaine announced proudly.
A few minutes later, the game began.
June, Gwen, and Elaine were all on the same team.
“Are you sure you want to play?”
Elaine stared at her, confused by the question.
Gwen’s face remained unreadable.
Was it because of what the girl earlier had said?
Mirroring Gwen’s expression, Elaine answered firmly.
“I am.”
The game started normally enough, with the gym coach supervising nearby.
Contrary to what the girl earlier had implied, Elaine was actually very good at basketball.
She wasn’t particularly tall, but her aim was excellent.
She rarely missed a shot.
Still, the other girls were just as skilled.
The game quickly became rougher than any basketball match Elaine had ever witnessed.
Students shoved each other while fighting for possession of the ball, blocked aggressively, and slammed into one another without hesitation.
Even when someone fell, the game barely paused unless the coach intervened directly.
It felt chaotic.
Almost lawless.
Elaine tried her best to avoid getting hit as she ran toward the net.
Suddenly—
Someone slammed into her.
Hard, deliberate as she was careful enough to avoid anyone.
It didn’t feel like a person rather it felt like a truck.
Elaine crashed onto the floor violently, pain exploding through her body.
Her breathing stopped temporarily, her head spun badly as she struggled to understand what had happened.
Before she could properly recover, another player stumbled over her and knocked her down again, directly on her head, hitting it hard on the floor.
Pain burst through her skull as something metallic filled her mouth.
Blood.
She could taste blood.
Dazed, Elaine remained on the floor as the game continued around her.
Nobody was stopping.
She was still on the floor in the middle of the court.
This was bad.
But no matter how much she tried, her body refused to co-operate
She sensed movement again.
Another person rushing toward her.
She instinctively braced herself for another impact—
But it never came.
Instead, loud shouting erupted nearby.
A commotion.
The game had paused.
Struggling to open her eyes, Elaine saw everyone gathered around two girls, even in this state, she could recognize that white hair.
Gwen.
She was gripping a blonde-haired girl by the hair, it was the same girl who had spoken to her earlier, yanking her head harshly as the girl screamed and clawed at Gwen’s hands but Gwen was relentless.
No one Interrupted then rather they seemed thrilled.
How typical.
“Let go of me!” the girl shrieked.
“Make me,” Gwen replied coldly.
“You bitch! I’m going to kill you!”
This was chaotic.
Elaine thought as she slowly stood up, holding her head.
When suddenly-
BANG!
A loud sound echoed through the entire court, instantly silencing everyone.
The sound loud enough to send shivers down their spine.
Slowly, everyone’s attention shifted toward the boys’ side of the gym.
A boy lay sprawled on the floor, blood pouring from his head in a horrifying trail.
Elaine gasped.
Blinking rapidly.
“Is… is he alive?” she whispered faintly to herself.
Staff members immediately rushed in and carried the unconscious boy away.
Then, almost unbelievably, the noise started again.
Students whispering.
Watching.
Gwen had already released the blonde-haired girl, also looking at the staffs carrying the body away.
Eventually, everyone was dismissed, though most students lingered around anyway.
“Elaine, are you alright?” June asked worriedly, rushing toward her.
“I… I am,” Elaine managed weakly.
“Alright? You’re bleeding!”
Only then did Elaine touch the side of her head.
Her fingers came away red.
Her black cropped hoodie was stained with blood, her lip was split, and both palms were bruised badly.
“It’s okay,” Elaine whispered.
“I’ll clean up.”
“You should go to the infirmary,” June insisted.
“No. Could you just help me get antiseptic, spirit, wipes, and bandages?” Elaine asked, her voice growing weaker.
June glanced at her worriedly before nodding.
“Sure. I’ll grab you something to eat too.”
“Thanks.”
Before leaving the court, Elaine glanced back.
Her eyes met Gwen’s.
Gwen stood silently, head tilted slightly upward as she stared at Elaine.
Did Gwen really help her?
She did.
And strangely, Elaine felt grateful.
But she also felt like she might collapse at any moment.
Cold sweat covered her skin.
Staggering slightly, Elaine made her way toward the girls’ bathroom in the sports building.
The moment she reached the sink, she threw up everything she had eaten earlier.
Splashing water onto her face, she stared at her reflection.
She had gone pale.
Blood mixed with water streamed down from her head.
But it wasn’t the pain making her tremble.
It was what she had seen earlier.
As her vision had wandered across the court during the chaos, it had landed on Allan.
He had been standing calmly in his black hoodie and gym shorts, holding the basketball.
And then—
He had deliberately slammed it straight into the boy’s head.
She had seen it clearly.
The way he watched the blood stream down with that calm expression on his face, as if nothing had happened.
As if he were simply watching the sky.
“Why?”
“Herbert Wilbur… what exactly are you?” Elaine whispered shakily.
Lowering her head, body trembling, she eventually walked outside and sat on one of the benches where June and Gwen soon joined her.
June carefully treated her injuries while Gwen stood nearby silently.
For some reason, the sight comforted Elaine.
It made her strangely emotional.
But she refused to cry.
“Thanks,” she murmured softly, glancing between both of them before her eyes settled briefly on Gwen.
Elaine missed the rest of the classes and returned to the dorm to rest, which made it impossible for her to sleep later that night.
Eventually, she sat up and decided to do something productive instead.
She began working on Mr.
Steven’s assignment or punishment that was due on Friday.
“I should ask Kyle for help since he’s partly the reason I got into this mess,” she muttered while solving another question.
“He should’ve just let me sleep peacefully.”
She had barely solved a dozen questions.
None of them were easy.
Elaine still wasn’t used to the nightly power outages, so she relied on her flashlight whenever she wanted to study past ten.
As she stared at the remaining questions, unsure where to continue from, her mind slowly began registering the darkness surrounding her.
Fear crept in quietly.
The hairs at the back of her neck rose.
Elaine let out a shaky breath and listened carefully.
Nothing.
Just silence.
And fear.
Keeping the flashlight on, she curled up on her bed and eventually drifted asleep, unaware of the shadows hovering silently above and around her room.