Getting to their room, Gwen opened the door and walked inside, not minding the darkness draped over the room like a veil.
It was so thick that one could barely make out any object within it.
Still, she moved without slowing down.
She knew her way around the darkness.
It was nothing new.
She stopped in front of June’s bed and stared at her roommate.
June lay on her back, hands resting on her stomach, staring at the ceiling.
Her blanket had been kicked aside.
Gwen stood unmoving.
Her eyes held emotions that were difficult to decipher.
Then she scoffed, a scowl appearing on her face.
Running a hand through her hair, she spoke under her breath.
“In the end, it’s my fault. The least you can do is make things easier for me.”
Finally averting her gaze, she walked toward the wardrobe to change her clothes.
“Did you hear about Derek being missing since Thursday?” June asked as they headed toward the bathhouse.
“Who didn’t?” Elaine replied.
“We were at the auditorium. Where were you? I didn’t see you there, even though I searched through the sea of people.”
“Oh! I was at the dorm.”
“Didn’t you hear the speakers? They specifically said all students should head to the auditorium.”
“I did, but who would’ve thought it would be something this serious? And on that Derek.” June wore a thoughtful expression.
“He was such a nice guy.”
“Was?!” Elaine exclaimed with a laugh.
“June, you make it sound as though he’s dead.”
“Well, there’s a very high chance of that,” June answered casually, as though discussing the weather instead of a human life.
Elaine frowned internally.
June spoke too lightly about it.
To be precise, everyone spoke lightly about it.
Just passing gossip.
Nothing had been done.
No search.
No interrogation.
Nothing.
If I were to go missing in this school, would I be treated the same way?
Swept under the rug?
The thought made her shudder.
“Do you think something serious happened to him?” Elaine asked quietly.
“Wel—”
“Please, enough of that!” Gwen cut in sharply, stomping her foot as she stopped walking.
Frustration was etched across her beautiful features.
“Everyone keeps talking about the same thing. It’s maddening. Derek here, Derek there. Aren’t you all tired of it? Because I am.”
“You know it’s our classmate we’re talking about,” Elaine said, not liking Gwen’s words as she turned to face her fully.
“So?”
“So?” Elaine echoed in disbelief.
“Someone was announced missing, and this is all you can say? What if something bad happened to him and you just shrug it off as if he’s not a living person? That’s cruel and heartless. He may not be someone you know, but it’s simple human sympathy.”
“People like you are always so ignorant,” Gwen shot back, glaring down at her.
“You act as though you’re the most caring and sympathetic people in the world, when in truth, you can’t even do anything to help.”
She stepped closer.
“Tell me, Elaine. What can you actually do about the situation?”
Elaine fell silent.
“You’d better keep in mind that you’re new here.”
Gwen’s eyes hardened. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“And lay low.”
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Elaine and June standing in the middle of the hallway.
Elaine was dumbfounded.
She had come to know Gwen as aloof but caring.
She had helped her after the basketball incident.
She had helped her with the assignment.
But right now?
All Elaine saw was someone cold.
Someone who lacked even the most basic sympathy for others.
“Lay low?” Elaine repeated.
A twisted smile tugged at her lips.
She would prove Gwen wrong.
She would show her that she could actually do something.
Which meant she had to start by confronting Allan.
“Um… please don’t take her words seriously,” June said carefully.
She could already see the distaste forming in Elaine’s eyes whenever Gwen was mentioned.
“She’s been grumpier than usual since this morning. She probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed. She’ll come around.”
“Hasn’t she always been like that?” Elaine replied, her eyes still fixed on the hallway Gwen had disappeared into.
“You know she doesn’t mean it that way.”
“That’s exactly what she means!” Elaine finally snapped, drawing attention from nearby students.
“That’s just Gwen being Gwen. At least stand up for what’s right instead of making excuses for her.”
“Sh—”
“Can we go to the bathhouse now?” Elaine interrupted.
“I can go by myself if you still want to stand here.”
“No, let’s go together,” June said quickly, reaching for Elaine’s hand.
Elaine brushed it off.
“Let’s use the steam room,” June suggested softly.
“It’ll help you relax.”
Later, Elaine and June sat in the dining hall.
Unlike other days, when they would talk endlessly, silence sat between them.
Around them, students chatted about one thing and one thing only.
Derek.
“Is this the first time a student has been reported missing?” Elaine asked calmly.
She had cooled down compared to earlier, though the fire still lingered beneath the surface.
“Um… well, no.”
“If it isn’t, why is everyone reacting as though it is?”
June hesitated.
“Let’s just say it’s gossip. Everyone is looking for something to pass the time with. Speculations and all that.”
She paused.
“And Derek was—is—a really nice guy.”
Elaine nodded.
“Let’s just hope nothing bad happened to him.”
Elaine noticed June was being careful with her words, probably trying not to upset her.
Strangely, that made her feel a little guilty.
June wasn’t the one she was angry with.
It was Gwen.
Lowering her voice, June continued.
“Students are somewhat fond of leaving the school premises.”
“What? That’s allowed?”
Even as she asked, she already knew the answer.
June shook her head.
“But what do they leave for?”
“To have fun, baby.” June laughed.
“Some of them leave the town entirely. Being in Herbert Wilbur for a whole academic session isn’t a small feat.”
“Have you ever left?”
“Of course. We once stayed away for almost a week.”
She gave Elaine a look.
“That’s one thing you absolutely have to do before graduating.”
Elaine nodded.
The word “we” didn’t escape her notice.
Tempting.
Reckless.
But tempting.
“Derek will be fine,” June assured her.
Elaine only hummed in response.
Deep down, she knew this felt different.
She had a bad feeling.
A terrible feeling.
As though Derek wasn’t coming back.
Ever.
Her eyes drifted around the dining hall.
No sign of Gwen.
“Why do I even bother?” she muttered.
Then she caught sight of Allan leaving the hall.
Her breath hitched.
Memories of their last encounter surfaced immediately.
“Um, June, I have to go.”
She stood up so quickly her chair scraped against the floor.
“Uh? Where are you going?” June asked.
“I want to meet someone. I’ll be back.”
“Who?!”
But Elaine was already gone.
She hurried out of the dining hall and chased after Allan.
The hallway beyond was empty.
She walked faster.
Then faster still.
At some point she was practically jogging.
Yet there wasn’t a trace of him.
“How fast does he walk?” she muttered, hands on her hips.
She had left barely seconds after him.
Yet now she had spent several minutes searching an empty corridor.
Nothing.
Then she heard footsteps behind her.
Slowly, she turned around.
And looked up.
Allan.