Everywhere she looked, she could only see darkness.  It stretched out to the horizon and made her feel small and insignificant.  Her eyes accomodated slowly and she began making out large blurry figures in front of her, and she took a trembling step forward, and then another.  The figures cleared and took shape as enormous oak trees, their full branches blocking out what little moonlight there was.  Her heartbeat kicked up and she began to sweat.

"Not again," she whispered, her voice hoarse.  The forest loomed around her, silent and threatening.  And then the sound started, quiet at first, muffled by the trees, getting louder as it got closer.  It was all too familiar and yet unknown, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in what she realized was fear.  She was scared, but why?

A branch cracked somewhere nearby and she whirled towards the direction of the sound. the fear making her eyes widen.  She was hyperventilating, looking in every which direction for whatever made it when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

I was screaming.  I was screaming and the pretty face in front of me was screaming back.  I stopped, blinking the sleep from my eyes, then taking a deep breath.  The older woman looked shocked, her hands pulled back as if she was surrendering.  Squinting, I quickly surveilled the room, it was a sterile white-washed nursing office with three other beds and a large wooden desk.

"I'm sorry I scared you, I ju-" began the older woman when the door banged open behind her.  A tall boy burst in, his eyes quickly scanning the scene.  Both of them just stared at him, it was hard not to.  He was handsome with mussed up black hair cut longer and swept back as if he had been dragging his hands through his hair recently and just a little dangerous looking.  His warm brown eyes were surveying me, as if assessing if I was a threat.  The silence stretched on for a good 30 seconds, it was all very ... awkward.  

I cleared my throat and asked every question coming to her mind, "Who are you people and where am I? What is this place? Oh no, the exam, what time is it?"  I tried to sit up, frantic, only to be pushed down gently by the older woman.

"Relax, Kim Yongsun is it, you are at the Sterling Institute. I am the school doctor, Dr. Kang and you were brought here by Dujun over there.  From what he told me, he hit you with his bike this morning and you passed out but mentioned that you were coming here," Dr. Kang answered.

I sat up slowly, the back of my head pounding a little and brushed back the thick curtain of long messy auburn hair that had come free of its ponytail.  Massaging my face, I sighed and tried to gather my thoughts.  So I had missed my exam and the only chance I would get to be a detective for the next two years.  The burn of tears stung at my eyes and I looked down desperately.  "What about the entrance exam?"  Even I could hear the sadness in my voice.  One tear escaped, dropping onto the white sheet that covered my legs.  I rubbed at my eyes angrily and looked up again.  The boy was still gaping which annoyed me.

"What?" I snapped, childishly taking my anger out on him,

He jumped a little, probably at the sudden change in my tone.  Then looking a little sheepish, he mumbled, "The Dean asked me to bring you to him once you were awake, if you were up to it, to discuss about the entrance exam.  Since three of us missed it, he was..."  He was still talking but I wasn't listening anymore, swinging my legs off the bed, I stood slowly.  

The doctor made a noise of disapproval, and started to open to stop her but I cut her off saying, "Please, I feel okay now, I need to know whether I can still take the admission exam."

Dr. Kang just nodded, perhaps hearing the desperation in my voice, and stepped aside, worry lines creasing her pretty face.  "I'll agree to you seeing the Dean now but if you feel any nausea or sudden sleepiness, I want you to come straight back here.  I will also need to get your guardian's contact information from you later so make sure you come back, I will need to give them instructions on your care to make sure you don't have a concussion."

I nodded and took a shaky step forward, I must have hit my head hard than I thought.  Looking at the silver watch on my left wrist, I saw that it was now 2 pm, I had been sleeping for a good 6 hours now. 

Dujun came to stand closer to me, as if worried I would fall and asked me to follow him.  Before we left the room, I realized I didn't have my backpack or wooden registration block.

I turned to Doctor Kang and asked where my stuff was.  "I believe Dujun took them with him to the Dean," she replied.  He confirmed this by nodding and I felt relieved.  

We stepped out the door and I looked around the hallway.  It had the similar sterile feeling that the nursing office had, but rather than white the walls were all painted a beige color.  The hallway was rather narrow and there were no other doors that I could see.  We walked to the end and at the turn the hallway widened, the walls now a pretty creamy white with a beautiful grey marbled floor.  This new hallway opended up into a wide entrance hall with a magnificent wrought-iron curling staircase on the left.  I stopped taking in the view.  Sculptures of what I assumed were prior Deans of the school were palced on pedestals on either side on the hall, and a small security office could be seen from where I was standing, directly adjacent to the sliding glass doors of the entrance.

 Dujun had started to climb the staircase and then noticed I wasn't following.  His eyes followed mine to the stunning glass chandelier  that hung two stories up from an intricately painted ceiling.  

"It's quite showy isn't it, not like a detective academy at all."  His deep voice broke my concentration and I turned to stare at him.  Up to this point we had been walking in silence, but it now registered that this was the voice that belonged to the person who destroyed my chance at becoming a detective.  

He shiften nervously, sensing the change in my attitude and started to climb again in silence.  I followed this time.

We reached the top floor after two flights of stairs, neither of us winded I observed.  The hallway was brighter here and I could seen many empty class rooms through the glass windows on either side of the hallway.  Each desk had a computer and enough space for a notebook if necessary.  It was much nicer than my desk at home.  At the end of this hallway, there was a bench which was occupied by another boy.  As we got closer I was able to see him better, he was very neatly groomed, his black hair perfectly set.  He had a more delicate face than the boy I was following, with sharp features that gave him a decidedly colder look.  He turned at our approach, his eyes observing me as if I was a bug on the sole of his shoe.  I immediately disliked him.

"So this is the reason we missed our entrance exam," he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  I narrowed my eyes at him, ready to argue when Dujun stepped forward.  

"L," Dujun sighed,"you know it was my fault that we all missed the entrance exam.  I mean I rode my bike right into her because we were late."  He turned to me and said, "I guess I should introduce us, my name is Yoon Dujun and this is Kim Myungsoo or L as I call him.  We've been friends since childhood.  The doctor told me your name was Kim Yongsun, can I just call you Yongsun?"

I just nodded, not really trusting myself to be nice at this point. 

He grinned, he had a nice smile.  I shook that traiterous thought right out my head and turned toward the ornate oak door in front of L.  "Is this the Dean's office?"

L barely shook his head which I assumed meant yes.  He stood up then and walked to the door, pushing it open and going inside.  Dujun followed.  I took one last deep breath, my palms were starting to get sweaty.  This was it.  And then I walked inside.