T W O. 

SM High school ; last day of midterms

5:00 PM.

So it was the last day of midterms.  First day of the advanced study group.  Hours before the first Death Bell.  

    Once the clock hit 4:30, school was dismissed.  Kids were cleared out.  All except 20.  The two teachers that were left to look over the study group pupils were at the copy center, leisurely gathering up paperwork, stretching out their arms, relieved that midterm periods were finally over.  

    The security guard closed the gates of the school, letting the head principal of the school lock it from outside.  

    Then, the entire school settled into an eerie quiet.   No music, no laughter, no footsteps, no shutting of the rickety metal locker doors,  no hushed gossip, no squeaky sounds made by the soles of Chuck Taylors.  

    In the huge academy,  20 kids were residing to the dormitory wing, or the canteen- exactly an hour before the study group session started.  Some were at the office, making last minute phone calls to their parents.  Then, the sun started to set.  Evening had started to settle in.

    Right about then, Naeun woke up from her short nap.  Rubbing her eyes, she slowly pulled back the covers of her bunk bed.   Overnight study.  She smiled, remembering her mom’s voice through the phone, happy as ever.   She still couldn’t believe that she had made it into the study group.  This would go on her record, give her loads of specs.  Not to mention, secure a solid college application for her.  

    She whipped her head around to see Park Chorong entering the room.  Her expression was terse, her hair pulled back into an uber tight ponytail.  

    Naeun bolted up, rubbing her eyes incase she had any evidence of sleep encrusted in the inner corner of her eyes.  “What’s up?”

    “Hey, Naeun.”  Chorong sooped in a breath before grabbing a Clinique makeup pouch from her bottom bunk.  Naeun’s eyes traveled to the front of Chorong’s SM plaid uniform skirt, which was now wet.  

    “What happened?”

    “Nana and Hyuna happened.   Even without their posse, their still annoying as hell.”

    Im Jinah, more commonly known as Nana, was the vinidictive ring-leader of her clique composed of seven other girls.  The grade dubbed her clique as ‘After School’ because the clique was a mix of seniors and sophmores- the seniors would graduate, and so on, making them the revolving door members.   Besides her, the only other girl in her group of friends that placed on the Study Group list was Uee (Kim Yujin).  With her shoulder-lengthed, soft amber layers, framing her heart-shaped face, tall, curvy model figure, she was the school’s goddess, no doubt.  

    Kim Hyuna.  The school’s front-runner flirt.  No one knows if she slept around, but everyone knows she’s kissed practically every guy.  All except Kim Myungsoo.  She was always sporting red lips and a winged cat-eye, making her seem y in every angle possible.  Hyuna was the one that started the trend of rolling up the uniform skirt and cinching your blazer.  If Nana was the goddess, Hyuna was the all-kill bombshell.  She swayed and moved like honey, but she stung like a bee.

    Naeun, Chorong, and their friends Namjoo and Bomi? Weak little fairies that feigned nothing but innocence.  Pretty and fair, but the guys would never date any of them.  

    “I’m sorry,” Naeun gave her a weak smile and tucked a loose curl behind her ear.   Chorong slid her skirt off and pulled on their school’s varisty track pants begrudgingly.  

    “Let’s go.  We have to report to Classroom 1.3 by half an hour before seven.”

    “O-okay.” Naeun smoothed the pleats on her skirt and ran to catch up with Chorong who was already speeding down the hallway.

                        ~

“I’ll meet you there, then.” Jiyeon heard the click on the other line of her cellphone and continued to trudge down the empty hallway.   Her phone buzzed in her hand, signaling it was dying short of battery power.  Even though she could’ve sworn it had been at 60% less than twenty minutes ago.

    She stopped infront of class 1.3 and peered in.  Sitting by the windowsill was Myungsoo, holding a DSLR camera to his face, his back arched to get the perfect angle of the candid he was about to take.  The sunlight seemed to bounce off his reflective dark hair, making him look like an angel.

    It was his cold front that turned her off.

    “Done staring?”  Myungsoo brought the camera down from his face.  He didn’t even bother looking up.

    “Done dreaming?”  Jiyeon shot back, walking right into the classroom.   She heard him scoff as she slid into the seat.  Three rows to the center.  

    Myungsoo gave her sort of an incredulous stare before walking torwards her.   Then, to her surprise, he leaned in closer until his chin was touching her neck, his face dangerous close to her hair.  She was too flustered to even respond.  

    “What the ,” she leaned back in her seat, giving him a searing onceover.

    “You reek.  Were you smoking on campus?” He smirked. 

    Jiyeon cracked a smile before freeing a cigarette from the back of her ear, concealed behind a curtain of hair.  “Want a hit?”  Myungsoo grabbed the unlit Malboro from her fingers and casually sauntered to the window where he flicked it out.

    “Okay, double what the-” That was for Krystal.

    “I think the real question is, do you know how much trouble you’re going to be in?”  

    Coyly, Jiyeon stood up from her seat.  “L, you’re no fun.”  

    “Why are you even here.”  His question sounded like an accusation.  This threw her off guard.  Why are you even here? What kind of question is that?

    “What do you mean?  I’m obviously here for the study group.  You know, the one without the ‘dumb’ kids.” There was a slight edge to her voice.  

    “No, you’re not.  You don’t get it.” Myungsoo turned to face her.  “You, Jinyoung, Hyuna, and the other forty percent of the class don’t even want to be here.  So why are you here? You guys don’t listen to the classes, how did you even get in?”  

    “I-” Wait a second.  Jiyeon cut herself off, furrowing her brows.  Since when did I ever need to explain myself?  “Are you implying that we got in by cheating?”

    “That’s not what I meant.”  His face seemed to soften.

    “Oh, yeah.  Sure.  Okay.  Why am I even talking to you?”  Jiyeon moved to the seat farther to the right, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.   Myungsoo opened his mouth to speak but Ms. Choi walked right in with the rest of the class, just as the clock hit 6:30.

    “What are you two doing? Sit down.”  

    Jiyeon kicked her chair back, thinking of how irrevocable L was.   The teacher walked to the front of the room for roll call and everyone filed into their seats.   Myungsoo shot her a pleading look but she didn’t even pivot a quarter turn.

    “Alright, pass the phones up, class is starting.”  

    L.Joe walked over to the back of the room to collect the phones into the paynes grey tub.  He plodded his way through the aisles as the teacher took attendance.  Nonchantly, and very much so cluelessly, each person dropped their phones into the bucket.  

    Strike one.

    The teacher sent L.Joe off to put the phones away in the staffroom where Mr. Dae was.

    Strike two.

    And then when he disappeared into the hallways, Dasom was marked ‘late’.  The study group started without Dasom and then, the once stagnant sunset dipped into the horizon until it was dark.  

    Strike three.

    “All of you are at the top of your classes, the best of the best.  Much to say, the elite.  Our sister school, YG will be looking at our representatives of SM during their visiting day.  And those representatives,” Ms. Choi started, looking at the students just for the kicks, “are you guys.  The advanced study group.  You won’t be learning with the kids that are sub of your level anymore.  You’ll have to work for the number one position now.  Remember, you all are holding SM’s reputation.  The head principal has high expectations.”  

    Bull.  Jiyeon simmered down to a micro-smile, really wishing Myungsoo hadn’t thrown her last cigarette out the window.  

    “Now, any questions?” The teacher smoothed a hand over her tight chignon and fiddled with the remote in her hand.  

    Soyou, who was in the back of the room, timidly raised her hand.  “U-uhm... Ms. Choi? Dasom still isn’t here.” 

    “Late.  Slacking off.  Or went home early to skip study group.  That’s an example of the lack of dedication the other students have compared to-”

    “But she was here.  At school.  The gates were locked after five there was no way she could’ve...”  The air around the classroom became very, very tense and very, very stale.  A feeling of uneasiness settled as the kids shot eachother questioning glances.  

    “Soyou.  Do you want to go search the school for her or can we start with the self-study?”  Ms. Choi lowered her glasses to the bridge of her nose.  

    “N-no ma’am.” Soyou slumped in her seat, drilling the end of her Monte Blanc pencil into the desk.  

    “Thank you.  Now, starting with tangents.” 

    The clocked hit seven once L.Joe came back with empty hands, the phones safely locked away.  Then the lesson began.  Still no Dasom.  

                        ~

SM High School ; the first Deathbell

10:00 PM.

Krystal felt her eyelids get heavy.  When she glanced at the clock, it read 9:50 PM.  A backbreaking three hours of laborous study surely had taken its toll.  The air was literally out of the room, making the atmosphere even more suffocating than it had been just a few hours ago.  

    Slowly, she surveyed her surroundings.  People were hunched over their desks, handling their pencils and driving them straight to the papers.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hyuna, who was wearing a less than modest leather bralette over her uniform, flipping a deck of neon que-flashcards.  

    Hyuna caught her staring and paused before narrowing her feline eyes.  In response, Krystal eyed her warily for another good three seconds before rolling her eyes.  

    The classroom was still quiet.

    Too quiet, even. 

    Jiyeon stretched her arms out and put her cheek to the cold, waxy surface of her desk.  She found Soyou, a few rows behind her, biting down on her cuticles nervously.  Was she thinking about Dasom?

    10:00 PM.

    Then the TV screen next to the blackboard lit up.  Confused, the teacher stood up, grabbing for the remote.  Surprised, the students began to scan the room.  No one said anything.  “Who turned it on?  This is self-study period, not-”

    Murmurs arose as Soyou let out a high-pitched, blood curdling scream.  She was pointing at the screen.  One by one, the students averted their eyes to the screen.  On the screen was Dasom, standing in a narrow encased glass box.  

    Naeun’s eyes widened.  

    “Ohmygod,” Hyuna stood up, strutting to the front of the room to get a better look.  “What the hell is she doing in there?”

    “Kim Hyuna! Sit down!” The teacher seemed to wrestle with the button on the remote, clearly anxious.  Hyuna ignored her.  

    Realization dawned on Soyou as she felt herself quiver.      

    About a second later, the PA system crackled to life.  Beethoven’s Fur Elise rang through the entire school, loud and hauntingly clear.  Then, a disoriented voice spoke through the speakers.  

    “That, everyone, was the first Deathbell.”

    “Everyone! Be quiet!” 

    “All of you from the revel advanced group of students will be taking a very special test henceforth.”  The confusion was real.  “And henceforth, one by one, all students will die.”

    “Who’s doing this?” Ken bolted from his seat, feeling his chest tighten.  

    “Everytime you hear the Deathbell, you’ll be given a question.  Everytime you hear the Deathbell, know that one of you will die.”  

    “Nam Woohyun, go to the main office right now and see if you can contact security as soon as possible!”

    “This isn’t real! This is just some crazy psycho who’s ing with us!” Ken started again, with N nodding besides him.

    “Watch your language!”

    The PA system rang again.  “Now, quiet.  You’re not allowed to be noisy during a test.”  Soyou broke down, shaking profusely.  “Answer the question in time.  Or else, this girl dies.”  Everyone looked at the screen, seeing Dasom slapping the glass with her fists, her yells muffled.  

    Jiyeon ran over to Krystal, hugging her tightly.  She already felt Krystal’s arms go weak. “It’s okay.  It’s going to be okay.”

    “But the ultimate question?  Who will die? Who is doing the killing? And Why are these people being killed? Those who answer the questions right will leave this place alive.”

    Nana made a beeline for her totebag, muttering.  “I’m not staying here, no.  I’m getting out.  Right now.”  

    “Im Jinah! Sit down!” The teacher grabbed her wrist, trying to stay firm.

    Nana wriggled herself free from her grasp, seething.  “I’m calling my dad’s lawyer!”

    “With what?” Hyuna sneered, just the tiniest bit amused.  

    “Guys! Listen!”  Sungyeol tapped the desk impatiently.

    “Remember this.  Do not try to leave.  Those who try to escape will fail.  Those who try to escape, death will bid you earlier than planned.”

    Nana’s totebag dropped to the ground with a dull thud.  Soyou’s sobs reverbated off the walls.  “What’s going on.”

    “Also, your intelligence and rote standing just might save you.”  Naeun felt a shiver go down her spine as the masked voice cackled.  “Is everyone ready to start the test?”

    “Ohmygod. Ohmygod.”

    “Where are the phones?”

    “We need to call the cops!”

    “I don’t want to die!”

    “Now for the first question.  Let’s let the test begin.”

    That’s when the tank on the screen starting filling up with water.   

(A/N) Hey guys!

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