Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, places, etc., are either product of the author's imagination used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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I messed up—big time. My opportunity to escape... flew right away when I was about to reach it.

As I walked through an unfamiliar hallway together with this evil Vice President一Madame Evee, I secretly observed every corner and detail of our pathway. The hallways are dark marble floors and black walls, not a handprint or scuff mark anywhere. The doors are glossy black, numbered with gold digits that match the globe-shaped handles. It isn't just the materials, though; it's the dimensions, the width being at least twice that of Blackwood High.

Every single room was labeled with the words, "I am a sinner; I should be punished." And as I stared at them one by one, I saw blood trailing over within each wall. Some blood stains looked so gross as if they freshly came out from a person's body recently. While a few more doors have some old rust of blood creeping in it. I shivered when some stinky smell passes through my nose. Damn. It smelled so terrible. Isn't this a butcher's house or something? Cause hell, yeah, it looks and smells like one.

I'm not sure if this is literally a pathway to my death, but then, one thing that I'm sure of is that... this isn't my time. I wouldn't die inside this school no matter what happens. Even if they punish me for the escape I tried to work on, I wouldn't die. I can't die. I will not let myself die in here. I'm sure to be the first student to come out of this death school no matter how hard the odds I might encounter.

"Oh, you can't kill me with that mere little screwdriver, darling." I quickly hid the weapon behind my back when Madame Evee stopped at her steps and slightly turned to me.

"I suggest you find a better one if you're planning to kill me." She said sinisterly, causing my plans to shatter into pieces. What the hell? How on earth did she know that I was planning to stab her with a screwdriver? Does she have eyes between her back or something?

I rolled my eyes heavenly and clenched my jaw. Shitty shit. This old hag is so weird and scary. I want to stay away from her, but how can I? How can I escape from her when it seems like every action I make, she knows it right away?

"Wouldn't you love to go inside your cell, Ms. Demascenia?" I glared at her coldly. A few minutes later, I found myself being handcuffed by two other guys in black masks. With a single snap of Madame Evee's hand, they began dragging me towards a strange-looking cell. My body collapsed to the dark ground the exact second I heard the door of the cell locked.

Madame Evee dropped a walkie-talkie and kicked it in my direction, "Sorry, not sorry for imprisoning you inside that cage, darling. I have to stick onto my rules, and that includes you, an inquisitive teen who plans to escape within the walls of our dear Alma mater... the need to be punished."

Hearing her grating laugh, partnering with her eerie ladylike voice, I decided to speak out, "Let me out of this damn school, you bitch!"

My toneless guttural voice was heard all over the cage. It roared at the dark walls, as gravelly and penetrating as it was gruff.

Meanwhile, Madame Evee's reaction was the thing that made me shiver. She smiled sinisterly again, and a few little petrifying chuckles escape her scary twitching lips. I was taken aback by her sudden action and words, "I'm sorry, darling. But, aside from our dark rule 一 to never go outside when the clock strike six, which I think you already know, is that we also have another rule."

I fearfully anticipated her to continue her words. I bated deep breaths as I eyed her all of a dither. In a state of this nerve-wracking moment, I waited and waited until the ax of fretful phrases fell from her mouth.

"The golden rule that no one can bend and no power on earth can even change. Once you've entered Blackwood High and found out its secrets, you can never turn back and leave. The day that you have been stepped on your toes in this school, Avy. It is the same day that you became our property. And, I personally like our properties to be enclosed only inside our gates."

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw after overhearing her damn and bullshit rules all over again. I tried to run in her direction, but then, the chains of my handcuffs who's ends are stucked into the thick brick walls abruptly paused me from doing so, "You are the evilest tyrant一 dressed inside that elegant black dress of yours, was your most wicked and black heart! You're a devil in disguise! Damn you!"

I was so mad, all I could do was stand there and shout. While gritting my teeth, I tried so hard to break through the chains digging in between my icy skin so that I can escape my cell and hurt her through the bits of her devil body. All through non-sense conversation, Madame Evee bitch was laughing her ass off. She was really determined to scare and annoy me at the same time.

"Well, I'm glad you realized it sooner. Yes! I'm the right hand of the devil. Pretty much not surprising, isn't it?" She crackled an eerie laugh again before turning her exposed back, giving me a better view of a bleeding red tattoo一 the Blackwood High's Logo.

"By the way, better mark off your calendars cause this is the day that I'm officially announcing this. You can never see the outside world from now on, darling. You'll be forever imprisoned in BWH. Please, remember that, Ms. Avy Demascenia."

خ

Glaring at my dark hands, I calmed myself down. Deep inside me, my alter ego shouts that I should have been more careful not to be caught while making my escape. My freedom was almost dancing beneath my fingers and feet. I have practically done it. I almost take a flight back to the outside city.

But now, all my liberty is gone.

I'm nowhere, inside a tiny cell made of rigid walls, floors covered in dirt, and rodents—my very own cage. I have never imagined myself being a prisoner. Yeah, this idea might be listed in one of my bucket lists. Yet, I didn't know that I can fulfill that experience this soon. Life is indeed full of surprises. Who would have thought I could be imprisoned inside a school? No one.

I sighed deeply again. While my back was pressed down, leaning against the rigid walls, I wandered my eyes around. This might be my new home, so I better discover stuff about my cage sooner than later.

I'm fully aware that most people have the idea of a prison cell or inmate's room usually being small and dark with a few beds. And, now that I'm experiencing it, that idea is not very far from the truth. I was assigned a small cell一 wherein; unfortunately, there is no source of any light, electricity, or toilet and hygiene. I cannot see in the dark, and I'm obviously cannot be seen from outside. The only difference between the BWH cell compared to the city cell is that the rooms are completely dark, and you don't have any roommates stuck together. I'm alone, sitting deep in these fretful dungeons. The only thing that I got a little luck with was the fact that I have my bed; this bed consisted of a tiny hammock tied to opposite walls.

"Why aren't you eating, little Miss Transferee?"

I lifted my heavy head when I heard somebody speak as soon as I listened to that kind of tone 一 his smooth and deep soothing voice, a voice with impeccable timing. My mind recognized him right away.

"President L," I whispered carefully. I minded the volume of my mouth so that I couldn't bring him into trouble. I may not know anything, but then, I'm sure he's not supposed to be here. He's not supposed to be visiting a prisoner who's terribly punished like me.

"Light. That's my name. Don't you ever call me President again. It appears like I'm so old hearing you were respectfully adhering to me. It kinda feels weird," he chuckled while pushing the plate towards my cellar's little gaps.

"If you want to escape in this hell, eat up. That's an order from the highest supreme President, and you can't do anything about it," Despite his voice that delivers great superiority onto others, his supercilious voice almost deliberately trying to show off its power, presence, and control, I don't know what's wrong with me, but my instincts were telling me that he seemed to be hiding at least a warm heart within his deep abyss.

"Go on and eat," he continued to push my plate until it reached onto my feet, distancing an exactly single inch. Being aware prisoners were barely fed, I took this chance to fill my hungry stomach. There were small rations of bread and water given. And even if I don't like its odd taste dancing in my mouth, I endured it and drank a bottle of water seconds later to get rid of after taste. Many times the prisoners died of starvation and dehydration, and I don't have plans of contributing to their headcounts.

"Why are you here?" I straightforwardly asked him, "Aren't you prohibited to visit prisoners like me? I mean, you're a President; you must be with Madame Evee all the time because you two are the heads of BWH."

Upon hearing my statement, he threw back his head and let out a humorless laugh. His chuckle was light and laced with a hum of amusement at the matter. "Together all the time? Babe, let me tell you this. I can't stay long inside a room, together with that evil lady. I choose not to because I might strangle her till death if I had a chance."

My eyebrows perked up in interest. Bothered by both reasons why he called me babe and the way he says he hates Madame Evee's guts. I really can't understand. A President and Vice President must be allies, right?

"But, you were supposed to join forces. I thought... you formed those shitty rules and regulations in this hell, together with that bitch."

"Honestly, babe. She's the only one running the stuff behind this school. I'm just a fucking display here. A fuckin' embodiment of BWH's President yet, I don't do anything aside from waving on with her stupid rules." He steals a glance at me before prompting to sit inches away一 outside my cellar. A few seconds later, I found his perfect side view facing my front. This is one of the most closest distances between us ever since we've met. And even if I saw him up-close a few more times, I can't seem to shrug off his almost perfect appearance. He didn't wear his white face mask now, so; I took that opportunity to study him even more.

He had undercut-style hair and scythe-shaped eyebrows. His nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above a chiseled jaw一, whose I think edges are pretty sharp and can probably cut my fingers if I came into contact with it. While sitting here at my front, I realized that he wore his signature white hoodie again under his uniform. Although his body was relatively thin, his shoulders were broad and dominant, matching his tall height.

The orbs of his eyes, which appeared to be in a gleam of a lighter shade of gray, were Saturn round and were a-flush with sadness after he spilled a deep secret to me, "My father was the original founder of BWH, babe. He was the first President, and Madame Evee was his trusted Vice. I was like perhaps... a little kid back then. Sort of like 9 or 10 years old. I never knew anything about them, but I'm sure that they were the ultimate best friends. My father told me that their bond was like a true family一, exactly like a brother and sister. I was fully aware that they both handled Blackwood High pretty well in the first months but then, one day... everything changed. Just one fuckin' day, I found my dad in his office, sitting in his swivel chair with his glass name plaque, stabbed within his heart."

I automatically brought my hands to cover my mouth. I shuddered at the thought of Light's father being struck by a damn glass nameplate on his chest. I can vividly imagine it, his chest covered and trickling in blood.

"And you know what was even more shocking? I saw Madame Evee in his side. Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at my poor father. Her laugh... her eerie laugh was ringing on beneath the office walls while she pushed the plaque even deeper into my father's chest. Fuck it, but up until now, I could hear her psycho chuckles over and over again. That scene haunts me, serving as my scariest nightmare."

I felt goosebumps all over me, and all I could do was to emerge a gasp of shock and horror. Light's cold and dominant aura vanished all of a sudden, and now... all I can see is a boy sitting outside my cellar, head's bowed down while sobbing.

For the past days, I've only known him as the one of a hell mysterious President of BWH; his derring-do personality and bass voice were a big part of his dominant character. He always wore his signature white hoodie, and because of that, it made his aura even more appealing. It stands out; he stands out like a literal light between the dark abyss of Blackwood High.

But now, all I can see is a boy who's unfortunate like me. He had been trapped inside this hell school for several years since his childhood. He had been enduring his harsh fate in the palms of our Evil Vice President. He had to suffer trauma and phobia一, seeing his father die before his eyes.

Unconsciously, I found my hands reaching onto him again. I want to tap his shoulder, I want to console him, I want to assure him that all of this is going to end. But as my fingers as moving inches nearer from his face, a voice from the walkie-talkie rang and alerted our senses up.

"The President was not on his room, Madame Evee. His mask was the only thing left there."

We heard a ladylike chuckle on the other line, "That's new. I guess our President L wants to take a stroll around here, without his mask to cover his whole self up. I must say... he was definitely brave, huh? I wonder why. Go find him, make sure no one can see his face. Lock him in his room when you caught him. Now!"

The line went off the same time Light, and I met each other gazes, "I knew from the start that you're not allowed in here. Leave now before students of Section -Zero find you." I whispered to him while highlighting my senses out so that I can hear muffled footsteps if there were any within our area. Light stand up, obeying my command. He put up his white hoodie, and just before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, he stopped midway in his steps and faced me with his gloomy gray eyes.

"Blackwood High isn't an ordinary school, Avy. Section -Zero isn't what the others pertain them to be. They aren't murderers; they're also the victims trapped inside the enormous gates of this Hell school. Please, help them to escape this hell. Please, be our light, babe."

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To be continued