Escape: Heaven’s Temple

DEATH OF STEPH

“Hey Emery, are you okay? Looks like you didn't sleep well last night,” Kate asked her friend. She noticed that her eyes were puffy. Emery cried so much last night and she can’t even sleep properly. She still feel ashamed after what had happened to the competition.

“I am fine. I just feel tired,” Emery just replied to Kate. Sister Anasha still drove Emery earlier to Hellviore High. But even when Sister Anasha talked to her, she ignored her. But Emery still ate breakfast with the nuns even though she didn't want to. She still said goodbye to them before entering.

“Oh, I see. Maybe you just got tired because of the competition yesterday.”

As they walked towards their classroom, they heard loud laughters. They even mentioned Emery's name, so the two stopped walking.

“Did she won the mathematics competition yesterday? Did you all see the interview with her?” said by a female student. They deliberately let Emery and Kate hear what they were talking about.

“Yes, I laughed all night after watching it. I didn’t expect that a newbie like her would win the competition. But she doesn't seem happy that she won because her mother humiliated her,” another student replied.

“Can a nun be a mother? Maybe she was a child when the woman was in her younger age and then her mother became a nun.”

“Isn’t she ashamed ? She is already a high school student but the nun just humiliated her in the competition. What's worse is, it was included in the interview.”

Emery could not understand what they were saying. She thought that the interview with her did not end yesterday, so how did those students see anything? They still think what the group of women said when Steph approached them.

“Why did you bring Sister Anasha to the competition? You are just embarrassing the name of our academy. If only you had just backed out and I would have been the only one to compete in that event,” she said. She didn't raise her voice too much so only Emery and Kate could hear.

"If I let you compete in the mathematics competition, Hellviore High might not have won because of you," Emery replied boldly. Steph feel offended by what she have said. “What? Do you mean I will lose that competition?” she asked Emery incredulously.

“You did beat me, e. How about the other students that you would compete with there, right?”

“The thickness of your face, Emery. So now almost all the students here as well as in other schools are laughing at you. Why did you bring a nun?”

“Why are you talking like that way to Sister Anasha? It's like you didn't respect her back then when you went to—“

"Kate."

Kate couldn't continue what she was saying to Steph because Emery had already stopped her. They can’t mention Heaven’s Templs. “Oh, I get it. After all, other people can't find out about that place. That's why Sister Anasha answered like that in the interview,” commented by Steph.

“How did you watch the interview that took place with me? It didn’t go on and didn’t even finish,” Emery asked in surprise.

“Don’t you know? The interview was already posted in the Education’s website on the internet. That's why you're being laughed at here. You will be famous right away,” Steph laughed.

Kate quickly picked up her cell phone. Emery doesn't even have a cell phone because the nuns don't give or buy her one. They searched the website and there they found that the interview that was done with her yesterday was indeed posted.

Why does he even need to upload that video? I even heard Sister Anasha say that I was scolded and banned. Even Sister Anasha’s pulling on me is obvious in the video.

Emery felt even more embarrassed after she watched the video. There's even a caption posted there.

Congratulations to the first year mathematics competition winner, Emery Quinn.

But the interview did not go well. Clark was insulted by the nun's behavior yesterday so he just thought of uploading that video. He hasn't edit it also. That's why he's happy now because that video went viral. There are lots of likes, comments and shares on that video. Most of the students at Hellviore High are laughing at Emery.

“Are you more ashamed right now? That's just right for you because you're too pretentious. Next time, don't compete with me for what is right for me.”

Steph left in front of them after she said that. Emery didn't even notice other people laughing at her. They just entered their classroom. Upon entering their teacher, she praised Emery for her win yesterday. Emery only smiled slightly as her classmates laughed at her.

When their class ended and they had vacant time, she was immediately surrounded by her classmates.

"Is it true that your mother is a nun?"

“How did she become your mother? Isn't it forbidden to have a child or a wife when you become a nun?”

“Which church nun were you with yesterday in the mathematics competition? I don't see her at my church.”

“If your mother is a nun, does that mean you live in a church? What church do you live in? Are you just poor?”

“Stop asking me those questions! You don't care about my life, so can you just let me go?” Emery shouted angrily at them. She was annoyed by their repeated questions to her. She could hardly understand all the speakers because of the volume of their voices.

“You should at least answer one of our questions. Why are you afraid to answer? Is it because the nun with you yesterday forbidden you to talk to others? Is she your mother?”

Her friend Kate could not defend her. Steph, on the other hand, just laughs to one side and watches Emery.

"There is no truth in what you said so leave me and stay away from me."

“How can you say that everything they said is not true? Isn't it true that you live in a church?” Steph replied to their conversation.

Emery frowned and looked at her. She insisted on signaling her. Hoping that she doesn’t say where she lives. She respected the nuns' order to her not to tell anyone about Heaven's Temple.

"Steph," she called. But Steph laughed, “Why are you calling me? Will you stop me?” she said, laughing.

"What's that? Why does Emery not want to let you know where she lives? Is she hiding something there or what?”

"Is it true you said she lives in a church?"

“I am already curious. Is that why Emery was kind of weird?”

Their classmates asked a series of questions. Kate quickly pulled her friend to get out of there but Steph stopped her. She pushed Kate so it fell to the floor.

“What do you think you’re doing to her?!” Emery shouted angrily at Steph. "Don't hurt my friend!" she added. She helps her stand up but her classmates are still around her. "Answer all our questions so we can stop you!"

“I don’t need to answer all of your questions. This is my life and mind your own lives!”

"But we want to know the truth!"

“I will tell you what I know. She lives in a place called Heaven’s Temple. It was a weird church and they were doing—“

Steph could not continue what she was saying when she suddenly fell to the floor. Her eyes were wide open but suddenly blood came out of her body. All the students were shocked and could not find any wounds on Steph's body. They don’t know where the blood that is now spreading on the floor came from.

“What happened to Steph? Oh my gosh!”

There was no one else inside their classroom, just besides them. So they wondered how Steph bled after she fell to the floor. "Is she dead?" Kate asked her classmates.

Emery couldn't believe what had happened to Steph. She felt it had something to do with it because she suddenly mentioned about Heaven’s Temple. "We need to call an ambulance!" Emery shouted. She quickly ran out of their classroom, but suddenly she saw an old man walking away. She was familiar with the robe and nun's dress. She already saw that back of an old man from the Heaven’s Temple.

Why is that old man here right now?