Escape: Heaven’s Temple

START OF HIGH SCHOOL LIFE

Kate pointed out every place in their school to Emery. They still had time before their class starts, so Kate was able to take her friend around their school. Hellviore High was the name of the academy. Emery was amazed at the place. In elementary school, she did not have the experience of going to a school. Especially since her parents died early and she was only taught in the Heaven’s Temple when she was a child.

“I’ll introduce you later to some of my friends that can also be your friends, Emery! I have known them for a long time so I also want to introduce them to you,” Kate said excitedly. Emery would also like to be happy because she will have other friends. But she remembered what Sister Anasha had told her just before she entered the school.

“Emery, you have to remember all my rules. You are not allowed to have friends except to Kate. You are also not allowed to talk to anyone, except to your teachers. You can talk to your classmates if it’s about school works or activities. Do you understand me?" Sister Anasha told her before.

“But why am I not allowed to talk to other people? Can you please tell me the reason, Sister?” Emery curiously asked her. She felt sad by the thought that she isn’t allowed to talk to others, unless it is a teacher or Kate.

“Many bad spirits are living outside. The moment that you step outside the Heaven’s Temple, the bad spirits will come near you. That is why you need to avoid them. You can only talk to Kate and your teachers at the school you will attend. You will attend in Hellviore High,” the nun replied.

Emery couldn’t understand why the nun referred to bad spirits as the normal people that she would meet at Hellviore High. That's why she couldn't be happy when Kate said that she would introduce new friends.

“Let's go first to our classroom and attend our class. I'm tired of walking,” Emery replied to her friend. Kate agreed and they went to their classroom. Because Emery and Kate were smart kids, they will going to attend to the section one of the first year of high school. They saw that most of their classmates were women. But they didn’t expect it when they saw Steph.

“Steph? What are you doing here in the first year’s classroom?” Kate asked her and looking so shocked. All they knew was that Steph was older than Emery. Kate stopped studying for two years to wait for Emery to come in, but they wonder why Steph is also a first year. Steph was shocked to see the two.

The memories that Steph had made for their deceased friend came back to Emery. To this day, she feels angry with Steph for her misdeeds towards Angel when they were kids. Especially when Steph never showed up again after Angel died.

“How about you? What are you doing here? Aren't you two years ahead of your friend?” Steph replied to her. “I stopped two years from studying to wait for Emery to go to high school. How about you? Why are you here?” Kate asked her again. But Steph just rolled her eyes. She ignored Kate again and just talked to her friends.

"Come and let's just sit there," Emery said. She pulled Kate into the chair near the window. Emery recalled what Steph had wanted to tell her about Angel's death. It never left her mind ever since that happened. But she didn’t know how to ask Steph again about that. She thought she might have forgotten what she should have said to Emery.

Their teacher came and they introduced themselves one by one. Emery had no emotion when she introduced herself. She did not want her classmates to think that she was friendly. She wanted her classmates thinks that to be the first impression to her, so that she should not befriend with them. That's the only way she can't talk to other people. Especially and she thinks someone is watching his actions at that academy.

After they introduced themselves, the teacher began to teach. Emery listened carefully. Only now did she feel that she was really in school. But she felt that she was still confined to Heaven’s Temple. Their teacher joked, so her classmates laughed, but she even laugh with them. She also felt that maybe laughing with her classmates will be a sin. She was choked even though the nuns who were with her were no longer there to watch her.

When the first class ended, they had vacant time. Kate told Emery that she would only earn her friends for a while. She just nodded and let Kate go. Emery saw Steph come out of the classroom and she was alone. So she decided to follow her.

She saw Steph go to the comfort room. She also went in there and it was the right moment that there was no one else inside besides the two of them. Steph was about to enter a cubicle when Emery stopped her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Steph asked annoyingly to Emery.

“I just want to ask you something, Steph. It is about what happened to Angel years ago—“

"Ah!"

Emery was shocked because of Steph’s reaction after hearing Angel’s name. She didn't expect Steph to react like that. Suddenly, she looked around as if she was losing her sanity. Steph didn't know what she was going to do. “What’s wrong with you, Steph? Stop acting like that and listen to me. What do you want to tell me about Angel’s death before? Do you know something?” she asked her again.

“Stop! Stop it! Stop mentioning her name in front of me! I don’t want to hear her name!” Steph shouted in Emery’s face. She got more shocked because of what Steph said.

“Why are you reacting like that just because you heard Angel’s name? Are you guilty? Did you do something wrong to her on the day she died? Tell me, Steph! You must tell me if you know something!”

Emery grabbed Steph's two arms to present her neatly to her. Steph suddenly burst into tears while shaking. “Please don’t hurt me. I didn’t do anything wrong! Please!” Steph begged her.

“What’s happening here? Are you bullying her?”

The two of them did not expect that a teacher will go inside the comfort room. Emery immediately let go of Steph. Then the other girl stopped crying. She adjusted her face and wiped away the tears. “I am not hurting or bullying her, Ma’am,” Emery answered.

“But why is she crying? And it seemed like you were hurting her physically earlier,” the teacher said again. “That’s not true. I just want her to tell me the truth. That’s why I held her shoulders. But that’s all. I didn’t hurt Steph,” Emery explained.

"Is that true?" The teacher looked at Steph and they waited for her answer. “She’s lying, Ma’am. She’s harassing me and telling me to confess something that I didn’t even do!” Steph said.

Emery couldn't believe what she heard Steph answer. “I was just asking you, Steph! You know that I did not hurt you.”

“Liar! You even bullied me when we were kids! You choked me. And now, you were trying to bully me again after you saw that I was in the same section and classroom with you. Aren’t you aware that your friend was the reason why I stopped going to school for two years!”

Emery couldn't understand what Steph's last words means. “Who are you referring to? What do you mean by what you have said just now? Don't try to lie to me again. I know you had something to do with what happened to Angel back then!”

“Stop it, the both of you! Or I will report you to the guidance office right now!” the teacher shouted to them.

"I'm sorry, Ma’am.”

Steph hurried out of the comfort room after apologizing to the teacher. Emery just sighed then apologized to the teacher too and left the comfort room. She went back to their classroom and Kate met her. Emery searched for Steph but she was not inside their classroom.

“Hey, where did you go? I was looking for you earlier. Sister Anasha told me that I shouldn’t left my eyes on you,” Kate said. Emery frowned at what she heard from her friend.

“She really did said that to you? That you need to keep your eyes on me?” Emery asked her. She can’t believe what she just heard.

“Yes. She wants me to keep my eyes on your every move and actions. I can’t disobey her since I will get punished,” her friend answered.

I could not understand why I needed someone to watch my every move. It was as if they considered me a criminal who could not get out of their sight. They need to be updated on what I’m doing even when I’m not in Heaven’s Temple. Why are they doing that to me?

“I don’t understand why they always keep an eye on me,” she said.

“Maybe they just don’t want you to get hurt. That’s why they are keeping you safe. It’s fine, Emery,” her friend answered.

But it's not okay with me.