I couldn’t believe it. I looked disbelievingly at Myungsoo and then back down to the note. Rather than scribbles, chicken scratch would be a better description of his handwriting. How the heck was I supposed to read this. I looked up again, Myungsoo was waiting expectantly. Under the table I gestured for a pen. He handed it to me.

I can’t read your writing. I handed the note and pen back. He sighed and then turned the piece of paper over and started writing again. I took this opportunity to start eating again so we wouldn’t look too suspicious. Another pinch. I wished he would stop doing that.

I opened the note again. The four of us will meet in the lobby tonight, after bedtime. I’ll tell the others. Try your best to sneak out. I looked at him and nodded, then crumpled up the note quietly and put it in my tracksuit pocket. It would be difficult as my room was in between instructor Jung and Mr. Young but I would try my best.

After lunch we were told that the PE classes were cancelled due to the storm outside. Instead we would be taking lessons in the conference room. Dr. Kang was waiting in the conference room. The medical forensics lecture was really interesting. This time we were all focused.

“Okay,” said Dr. Kang after the 50 minutes was up, “you have ten minutes to stretch your legs and then we will start again. We have a lot to cover today.”

I stood up and stretched. The room was becoming hot, I guess they had turned down the air conditioner as now the generator was needed for the extra rooms. Luckily, I had worn a t-shirt under the track jacket and could remove it. Hanging the jacket on the back of the chair I decided to confirm our meeting after dinner with Dr. Kang. I hoped she could shed some light on the current situation and the history of the island, especially as our guests had been less than forthcoming.

“Dr. Kang,” I started as I approached her, “I just wanted to confirm our meeting this evening after dinner.” She looked up at me, a little distracted while sorting through papers.

“Oh, I had forgotten about it. I think I should have 10 minutes or so before I have to meet the vice-dean to go through lesson plans for tomorrow. If you don’t mind I just need to find the next lesson plan right now.”

I murmured my thanks and went back to my seat. I found three expectant pairs of eyes and so I gave a small thumbs up. Myungsoo immediately started scribbling on a piece of paper, Dujun watched and then confiscated the paper. Ah, it must have been more chicken scratch for me.

The afternoon lessons flew by and it was 5 pm before we knew it. Instructor Jung walked in at the end of the last lecture and told us we had some free time until dinner at 6 pm and that there would be no testing together. After everything that had happened today I wanted to jump with joy but held it in although I couldn’t stop the smile on my face. I needed a little time to myself…

That was a useless wish. I found myself being dragged by Dujun as Myungsoo stepped furiously towards our rooms. Seungho followed close behind. We all piled into Myungsoo’s spotless room, I grabbed the office chair this time, I didn’t want to be standing. All three boys piled on the bed. My hair was starting to fall out of its braid and pull on my scalp so I pulled the scrunchie out and let the thick hair free. I didn’t care if I looked like a crazy person at this point. The relief was immediate and I relaxed back in the chair.

“We need to go through the questions for tonight, I tried to start earlier but Dujun stopped me.” Throwing Dujun a dirty look, Myungsoo continued. “First is to confirm the history of this island. Then confirming the identity of the people who just arrived, like Yongsun pointed out earlier they fit the description of the people on the island at the time of the murder. It’s too big a coincidence that they show up while we are here on the island. I have this feeling like it is all a set up. I think solving the mystery behind this island may be our actual test.”

Everything he said made sense, the discomfort I felt since coming to the island suddenly justified.

“So then do you think we leave this island when we tell them we know it’s a test or when we solve the mystery?” asked Seungho.

“I suppose it would only end once we solve the mystery, who killed John Ying and why?” Dujun ended.

“I’m going to do some more research on the internet,” Seungho said, “Maybe some motives will come out if we know more about the suspects and what was happening on the island before the incident.”

I nodded, right now we didn’t have any motives whatsoever. Then a thought hit me. “If this is a test, why would the school bring the real suspects to the island? And if they aren’t the real suspects then who are they? I guess we could check to see if the case was solved and the real murderer is in jail, there would be a news article for sure.”

And then there was the other possibility, that this wasn’t a test at all and we were on the island with a murderer.

We all split up after the quick discussion. I went back to my room and sat on my bed. There was still 45 minutes left till dinner. I decided to take a quick nap to relieve some of my exhaustion. I set an alarm on my phone and laid in bed and closed my eyes, falling asleep quickly.

------------

I was back in the dark forest, alone. An eerie white fog spread out through the forest floor, making it impossible to see any paths. Large oak trees stretched out, branches making unnerving shapes in the dark. I stood there frozen, unsure of whether to stay put or move forward. “Move forward to what?” I questioned.

Snap!

I whirled at the sound that came from behind. I couldn’t make anything out in the darkness. I strained my ears, trying to hear when I heard the sounds of twigs being broken in the direction I was looking. The sounds started to pick up and get louder until I heard the sound of footsteps.

Blood rushed to my head and I spun around and started to walk fast, then run as the sounds came closer and closer. My heart was pounding and I was breathing hard. I had been running for what seemed like forever, dodging large trees and stumbling over unseen objects.

Then I saw a light ahead. It was faint but a small hope flickered in my heart. I picked up the pace and forced my tired body to continue. The footsteps were closer than ever. I had to make it to the building.

I saw a small cabin in the distance, its windows glowing with a soft orange light. I was almost there!

BEEEEEP! An alarm screeched throughout the forest. I screamed and was hit with a bright light.

------------

I woke up with a start, the phone alarm going off. I was covered in sweat. I turned off the alarm and lay back in bed, heart pounding. I had never seen the cabin in the forest before, it was a new finding. These dreams were becoming more frequent. I had two in the last month whereas before I could go a year without them. I checked the phone again. I had only been asleep for 20 minutes, I had some time for a shower before dinner. I gathered everything and left my room quietly. As I was exiting I saw two figures at the end of the hallway, discussing something quietly. One of the figures was very familiar, the long hair in a ponytail signaling it was Dr. Kang. She was talking in hushed tones to someone I couldn’t quite see. I strained my eyes but then they moved into one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. Dr. Kang had seemed very familiar with the person. Did she know one of the strangers?

I showered quickly and got dressed and went down to dinner. The dining room was empty except for the buffet table which was filled with steaming food, it seemed like there was much less prepared than earlier today however. The food was the same as what we had had at lunch and I filled my plate and sat down. I was soon joined by Myungsoo and Dujun, and lastly Seungho. They all grabbed food and we were about to spread out at the two tables again to get some more information when instructor Jung walked in.

“You guys will be dining alone tonight. The guests requested that they eat in their rooms tonight so they can get some rest so Dr. Kang and I will be delivering their food to them. You guys can eat and then take the rest of the night off.” With that he turned and left the room.

There was a disappointed silence in the room and then boys sat down at the same table as I did. I relayed what I saw with Dr. Kang but now I supposed she was getting dinner orders or delivering food. We ate in silence for the first time.

I looked up at Seungho and asked, “So what did you find out in your research?”

He shrugged, “I couldn’t access the internet, for some reason it was switched off and I couldn’t find the network.” He was frowning now. “It’s even stranger because I know the vice-dean needs the internet to go through all the paperwork he’s been doing in his room.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I had been so distracted I hadn’t even checked if I had service. Nothing. “Did you have service before the internet stopped?” I asked Seungho.

“No, I never had service on the island, vice-dean was telling me he set up a special router on the island for the internet only. They communicate with the school through the internet as well, as backup they have the radio communicator.”

I looked down at my phone again and noticed the time.

“Oh,” I said standing up, “I’m going to be late, I’ll come and find you guys after I meet with Dr. Kang.” I put my dishes away and walked back to Dr. Kang’s room. The lobby and staircase were quiet.

I reached Dr. Kang’s room which was right opposite mine. I knocked on the door and was greeted by silence. I knocked again, this time louder. It was 7 pm on the dot. Maybe she was running late from dinner. I stood outside the door and waited for a couple of minutes and then went to my room, leaving the door open so I could see the hallway. I sat on my bed and watched her door. Something didn’t feel right. Dr. Kang didn’t seem like the type to forget an appointment. I heard voices in the hallway and stepped back outside. The boys were back after finishing dinner.

“Did you finish with Dr. Kang? Dujun asked.

I shook my head no, feeling a little more worried. “She didn’t answer when I knocked, I can’t shake this feeling like something is wrong.”

I went back to her door and knocked again. I heard something that sounded like a thump from inside the room. “Did you guys hear that..” I asked my voice trailing off. Worry pierced me and I grabbed the doorknob, twisting as I called Dr. Kang’s name. The door opened easily. We were left staring at an empty room, in a state of disarray. I felt my stomach drop as I stared at the large pool of bright red blood in the center of the room.