Day 1,826:

2014-12-01

Same day. Same routine. But today was a little different.

As SeHun passed by the usual alleyway, the same small voice begged, “Help me please.” SeHun stopped, turned his head to see a beaten and bruised classmate that he recognized as Chen. SeHun felt a wave of disgust wash over him. SeHun knew the rules; all he needed to do was pretend he didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything. He just needed to walk away.

“Are you okay?” SeHun heard a familiar voice say. Chen looked up in disbelief. Realization hit SeHun; it was his own voice. An expression overtook SeHun’s face that matched the bruised boy’s face.

“Are you talking to me?” Chen squeaked. SeHun held his breath; he still had time. He still had time to pretend it wasn’t him and simply walk away but when SeHun met the bruised boy’s eyes, he decided to stay.

SeHun rolled his eyes. “Well I’m not talking to the garbage can,” he snorted.

SeHun let out a groan before kneeling down to his level. “Tell anyone and I’ll kill you,” he seethed.

Chen quickly nodded his head and thanked him fervorously. After SeHun finished applying the medicine to the boy’s face, he immediately fled the scene, praying that no one saw him. Too bad, he should have long known that they have eyes everywhere.

SeHun did not slow his pace until he reached the “sanctuary” of his seat. Laying his head down on the table, he let out a loud sigh of relief. Although SeHun heard the murmurs, he did not feel the thick tension that filled the room. With each passing second the murmuring only grew louder.

SeHun could not take it anymore. He lifted his head slightly to see what the commotion was all about. However, the minute he did, all movement ceased and all eyes diverted.

“What?” he asked.

His eyes shifted left and right but no one dared to meet them. They were ignoring, no, scared of him. It was almost as if he was a…

His thought was cut short but a slamming door. “Yo, congrats,” the intruder smiled. SeHun gave him a questioning look. No, it can’t be, can it? They would never agree to such a thing, would they?

“You’re an Untouchable again!” the intruder shouted with glee.

Running over to SeHun, Kai grabbed his hands and threw them up in air. Conflicting feelings welled up inside him but he quickly shook them away and forced a tight smile. After all, being an Untouchable was better than being a Pawn…... right?

Before SeHun could celebrate with Kai, a loud piercing sound filled the school. The school day has just started.

SeHun yawned once again at the math teacher’s lecture. With a roll of the eye and a sigh of the lips, he laid his head down for a quick nap, hoping the teacher wouldn’t catch him.

His peaceful slumber was quickly interrupted by a soft nudge. “Wake up,” a quiet voice peeped. The nudging gradually grew more impatient, until SeHun snapped.

“What?” SeHun seethed at the shy girl besides him.

She jumped slightly and darted her eyes to the front of the room, refusing to make eye contact with him. The slight trembling of her body indicated that she was afraid, afraid of what would happen to her if she made an Untouchable angry.

“Ah SeHun, sleeping in class?” Mr. Lee asked.

Mr. Lee, although a fantastic teacher loved harsh punishments. His favorite was appointing one student to clean the entire school my himself. And so, SeHun had the misfortune of being that student.

As the last bell of the day rang, a giddy Kai ran over to SeHun’s side. “This is what you get for getting caught idiot,” Kai cackled as he swung an arm around SeHun’s neck and pinched his cheek. SeHun felt a bit weirded out by this gesture since Kai had not acted this friendly since year 10.

Swatting his friend’s hand away, SeHun grunted an annoyed, “ off,” a profanity word that would not have even dared to escape his pink lips if he was not an Untouchable.

“Have fun cleaning. I’m going on a date,” Kai, blowing a kiss, skipped out the room. SeHun cringed at the cheesiness of his gesture. Letting out a soul sigh, he proceeded to move the desks out of the way to start cleaning.

The sky dimmed as night approached. Cleaning the classroom was annoying enough but doing it alone was the absolute worst. SeHun moved the last desk in place as the clock struck eight. The school was unbearably creepy at night, with the occasional flickering of lights, abandoned halls and an eerie silence that always seemed to engulf the school when the sky darkens.

SeHun barely escaped the classroom when a bloody screech filled the empty halls. SeHun froze in place; terror overtook his body once again. His heart pumped faster and faster; he was ready to bolt.

And bolt he did. He ran and ran, not stopping for anything or anyone. He only stopped once he reached the front gates of the school. Just two more years, SeHun thought, just two more years.