Nethania

Chapter 7: Bloody Corpse

AVIA

THIS is the day that my wish comes true!

I have been dreaming of living in the academy's dormitory for several years! I envied my friends because they were enjoying their life living in a school while I was living in my house several blocks away from the academy. Since my family owned Alviana Academy, my dad wouldn't let me live by myself in a dormitory because, according to him, I'm not accustomed to living on my own without any maids, yet I was still able to manage myself.

He wouldn't let me even though Hilary would be my roommate. I was so upset at that time that I didn't go home for several days. I lived with Hilary whenever I hated going home and it made me love dormitories even more!

This is my last day in the mansion. And the thought that I'd be with Hilary and Hannah made me excited and I couldn't wait to live with them. My maids packed my things last night and this morning I was ready to go with my baggage.

"Bye honey. Take care and don't forget to call me!" Mommy exclaimed, then kissed my cheeks and hugged me.

I was holding my handbag while we were having a farewell moment on the porch. Mom and Dad were standing next to each other and I was facing them with a wide smile on my face.

"I'll call you Mom," I replied.

"I'm expecting that," she cheered.

I rolled my eyes mentally. As if she wasn't too busy answering my calls. I shook my head. Even though you're too busy, I'll still call you Mom.

"Bye, Dad," I said, and I just received a nod from him and went straight to his car. I looked down and heaved a sigh. I knew I would never make Dad comfortable with me anymore. I didn't know if he still considered me as his child.

Mom hugged me for the last time. "Be safe, Avia. You're the last gem left for us." She smiled and got in the car and they drove away from the Mansion.

I was left standing alone, staring at them until they vanished from my sight. I lumbered toward the car and before I got in, I faced the mansion and took a look at it for the last time. Not literally the last time, but I don't know when I would be back here.

I got in the car and my driver started the engine and we began travelling down the highway. My parents will be gone for several weeks on a business trip. It was a good thing that I was living in the academy. I wouldn't feel so lonely as when I was in the Mansion.

We entered the academy's premises and we headed straight to Dorm 1F, where Hilary and Hannah lived. We stopped in front of the building and I got off.

I stared at the building from below to the top and fixed my gaze on the fourth floor.

"Can you show us the way to your room, my lady?" My butler asked.

"Of course," I replied.

I strode along the hallway and bounded up the stairs. It was five o'clock in the morning, so no doubt the hallways were empty. The roomers were probably still sleeping. I wanted to surprise them. They didn't know that my parents had let me live in the dormitory because they knew adequately that my father would never let me stay here.

I stopped in front of a walnut-colored door. My maids who were carrying my baggage felt relieved when I finally reached my destination.

"Just leave it here, I'll manage it myself," I said, motioning my hand to them.

"We want to make sure that you entered the right room, my Lady," my butler stated.

I frowned and rolled my eyes. Was I dumb not to know my room number? I lazily turned my body to the door and smiled wickedly when an idea struck my mind.

I raised my hand and clenched it. I repeatedly banged my hand on the door and shouted, "Girls! Open the door! Faster! Girls!" My hand didn't stop banging on the door until the knob moved and the door burst open.

"What the—Avia?" Hannah appeared, blinking multiple times. She was still wearing her pajamas and had chaotic hair. Her sleepy eyes widened and smiled from ear to ear. "Avia, you're here! Hilary look! Avia's here!" She hopped and hugged me. Hilary came, scratching her head while yawning.

"Via?" She squinted her eyes and peered at me. "Wahhh! You're really here!" She hugged me and we swayed our heads sideways.

"You can go now. You already saw that I found the right room," I ordered. The butler and his constituents walked away from us and disappeared from our sight.

"Come inside girl," Hannah opened the door widely and carried some of my baggage. Hilary got some bags too.

Hannah dropped the baggage beside a vacant bed and, actually, I was in the middle and two of them were on both sides. "You didn't tell us that you were going to transfer her. We could have prepared your bed," she said. "Good thing there is a vacant compartment in our walk-in closet. You can arrange your things there," she added.

I nodded and placed my handbag on the bed and doffed my cardigan. I wandered my eyes around the room and I felt euphoria when my imagination actually came true. I couldn't believe I was in a dormitory! I could watch several movies with them. Eat everything to our heart's content and we will never be separated again!

"Hey, girl, tell us the truth," Hannah called, interrupting my daydream. I faced her with a smile. "Did you abscond your house just to be with us?"

I shook my head. "No, my parents finally decided to let me live here," I replied.

Hilary sat on her bed. "I'm so happy that you're finally here! Was it okay with them?"

"Kinda, I guess. But I'm not thinking that now. I was really grateful they let me live with you."

"It's almost six in the morning. We have to get ready for school!" Hannah giggled.

I'd decided to put away my things and belongings after school, since it was too late to get them done this morning. We had our shower and Hilary cooked us a delectable breakfast. We enjoyed eating our food and talking like we had never met for several years. After our satisfying breakfast, we donned our uniforms and had our hair fixed and kempt. And of course, we didn't forget our light makeup, except Hannah. She was putting heavy makeup on her face.

Our room was full of laughter and it seemed the day would last longer if we were together.

"Let's go girls! Time to surprise the boys!" Hannah exclaimed, holding her handbag up in the air while cheerfully hopping.

"Hannah, you might have tripped over something. Stop hopping," Hilary said, stopping Hannah from moving recklessly.

We went out of the room and the students along the hallway stood still with their eyes flashing with amazement. They were all looking at me. I smiled and held my chin up and sashayed down the hallway. Hilary and Hannah followed behind me. I checked them over my shoulders and I saw Hannah was swaying her hips gently, but Hilary was just looking below and avoiding people's glare.

I wrapped my hands around her arms. "Girl, chin up! You're pretty and you deserve to be noticed."

"O-Okay, but you know, I'm not that used to this kind of attention," she lowly said, combing her hair to cover her face on both sides.

"Uh-hu, keep your face noticeable, Hilary, don't be shy," I said.

We climbed down the stairs and now we were walking on the pavement. It was such a great feeling to have a good day at school, especially if you got what you wanted.

"Oh s**t s**t!"

We halted immediately when Hannah screamed behind us. I turned my head and rushed beside her only to find out that she was holding her phone and there was a video playing. It was a live video posted on social media.

"There was a dead girl found in the stockroom—"

"Stop it boy! Stop taking a video!"

The live recording was interrupted. Viewers were disappointed with the sudden stoppage and most reactions were sad and angry emojis. However, there were others who reacted with 'haha' emojis.

We stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Hilary's eyes started to fill with tears and Hannah just rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. A dead girl? It was so early in the morning and then the morning news was about death. What a nice thing to ruin my morning? Hey! I wasn't worried about the dead girl. I was worried that my dad would find out about this death and withdraw his words about letting me live here.

I eyed Hannah. "Have you seen the girl?"

"W-Who was it?" Hilary mumbled. Her voice was shaky.

She shook her head while looking at her phone. "No, the video was unstable and it's more of background noises and mumblings. And then it stopped suddenly." Hannah shrugged. "This is the first time that a murder has happened in the academy."

"Yeah, you're right," I replied. "This is unprecedented. I wonder who did it."

Since this academy was built, no murder has ever been reported to the administration. Nothing until this happened.

"Hey guys! There you are!" Vino's voice reached out to our ears.

We turned our heads to notice Vino and Jamsen, who were heading toward us. Vino bowed down and placed his hand, on his knees while panting. While Jamsen just straightened his uniform and looked at us, he was also breathing heavily.

"Oh Vino, Jamsen," I called out. "Have you seen—"

"Yes we have!" Vino responded. "That's why we came here right away."

"Avia? Why are you so early?" Jamsen noticed my early appearance and went to my side.

"I'll tell you later, Jamsen. But now we have to know what happened." They nodded. We began walking along with the students.

"In our dorm, we watched a live video of a boy talking about a dead girl," Vino shared.

"We saw it too!" Hannah conceded. "But it stopped. Someone stopped the recording."

"Do you know where it is?" Hilary asked Vino. She was hiding behind me, holding my bag like a child who didn't want to separate from her mother.

"No." Vino replied. "But we would if we see a horde of people looking into an area where the crime happened," he stated while touching his chin.

"So you didn't go to the crime scene before fetching us?" Hannah asked, looking irritated and eyeing Vino sharply.

"Yes. We went here first so that we could see the murder together," Vino chuckled, turning to us. Jamsen simply gave him a thumbs up and a mocking nod.

I smirked. "Wow, Vino, you really want some companion to see what's happening, huh?"

"Of course! I need someone to talk to."

Hannah let out a disappointed sigh. "I see no horde of people ahead, Vino."

I saw nothing too. Only students walk in the hallways.

"But you see students marching toward a passage, right? Maybe the murder happened inside that passage," Vino confidently replied.

I stopped in front of them and faced them. "I know it now guys," I began, raising a forefinger. "I heard from the video earlier that the girl was found in the stockroom."

"There are many stockrooms in your academy, Avia," Hannah recalled and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I agree." Jamsen nodded.

"At the stockroom beside the library. There are fewer people who were passing by in the hallway. Let's take a look there!" I replied, turning my back to them and started walking.

"As you wish, princess." I heard Hannah respond.

We strode down along the hallway and turned at the corner, heading to the stockroom beside the library. We slowed down a bit when a horde of students were found at the exact spot I was talking about.

"It's real! I thought it was just a prank, " Hilary anxiously mumbled. I felt her hand shiver, so I held it to comfort her.

"No, Hilary, it wasn't," Hannah opposed.

We walked closer and finally joined the crowd. We pushed ourselves to the front to witness the allegedly dead girl inside.

I gasped and quickly covered my mouth with my hand while my widened eyes couldn't leave the grotesque scene before me.

The rotting stench of blood and decaying flesh filled my nostrils. The room was filled with blood, even on the walls. My eyes nailed at the top corner of the wall where scribbled letters were written using the victim's blood.

One down,

you're next.

My heart raced. A million legs of a centipede crawled onto my skin. Apparently, it means that the killer is planning to kill his next victim. That was absurdly creepy. It wasn't Halloween to scare people like this. I secretly took out my phone and captured the bloody message.

My gaze went down below and my stomach turned out. I felt nauseated, I would throw up anytime here. The girl was lying in an awkward position. Her hands and feet were twisted irregularly, nearly leaving the body. Her neck, body and mouth—which had a cloth stuck inside it—were drenched in dried blood.

"Is that M-Margaret?" Hilary's lips quivered.

I nodded.

"Yes. Margaret Fylvin," Hannah stated.

"Jamsen, isn't she your ex-girlfriend?" Vino exclaimed, making us turn to him.

Jamsen eyed us. "So, now what?" He shrugged. "Is the 'ex' word doesn't have a function?"

"Ok dude, no argument," Vino said.

Her bloodshot eyes were still terrifyingly open and were staring at the void.

What shocked my system and made me nauseated the most was the way the baton penetrated her body. One bloody baton was thrust through her neck, making her a female Frankenstein. Another baton was shoved through her chest and left it inserted in it. Her stomach bathed in her own blood. I guess she was stabbed multiple times in her abdomen.

The police cordoned off the area around the crime scene.

I couldn't bear the ugly sight anymore, so I distanced myself from the crowd. We gathered at the corner. My eyes caught the presence of Austin at the opposite corner with his friends, and a police officer was—I assumed—interrogating them.

Were they involved in the murder? I don't think so.

"Where's Hilary?" I asked when I noticed that only four of us were standing here. I didn't notice Hilary's presence until she asked if the victim was Margaret or not. I roamed my eyes to find her.

"She vomited there, while crying," Hannah answered, jerking her thumb behind her back.

I messaged my right temple. "Oh, she shouldn't have seen this."

Someone wrapped her arms around mine. It was Hilary. She was pale and uneasy. "Are you okay, Hilary?" I asked.

"The blood hit me hard and it freaked me out! I shouldn't have seen it! If I only knew that there was blood scattered everywhere, I shouldn't have come with you." Her voice cracked. "I hate blood."

"Shhhh... It's okay, there's no blood now."

"That's hideous!" Vino chuckled. "The killer was perhaps infuriated with her so much that made him murder her like that!"

Whoever the killer was, perhaps he hated Margaret so much. He wouldn't have done that thing if his anger wasn't too deep.

"So what do you think is the reason, Vino?" Jamsen asked out of the blue, while running her fingers through his hair and looking aloof.

The curve on his lips disappeared and he glared at Jamsen. "It's not my problem anymore, dude. I had nothing to do with Margaret's death. How about you?" He spat the last word intriguingly.

Oh, Vino started it. Was he accusing Jamsen? I didn't think Jamsen would do that. He's a good boy yet sometimes a jerk, but he wouldn't commit such a hideous crime.

Hilary, Hannah and I eyed each other.

"What about me?" Jamsen echoed, jerking his thumb at himself. "Like you, I have nothing to do with her death either. I don't even know what happened. Why are you blaming me?" Jamsen simply stared at Vino lazily and locked it.

Vino diverted his gaze. "I'm not blaming you. I'm j-just saying my thoughts." He smiled a bit and scratched his neck.

"So are you thinking that I was involved in Margaret's death because I was her ex-boyfriend? Come on, Vino, say it!" Jamsen exclaimed, walking closer to Vino.

That is exactly what Vino meant!

"Hey! I'm not thinking like that!" Vino waved his hand in defense in front of Jamsen and stepped backwards.

"Accusing people without solid evidence is not appropriate, Vino," Hilary reprimanded him.

"Have you recovered from blood fright, Hilary?" Vino scoffed.

"Hey, stop it!"

"Stop accusing Jamsen, Vino. That's rude," I scolded him.

"I'm not accusing him! I was just kidding!"

"You already said it," Hannah snapped. "Don't accuse Jamsen. Do you think Jamsen is angry with her? I don't think so, because I'm sure that Margaret was the one who hated Jamsen."

"Yeah, I agree," I coincided.

"Okay, okay! Jamsen isn't guilty! Is that fine with you?" Vino raised his hand, indicating submission to us.

I sighed. "No one knows what exactly happened and accusing people randomly isn't the right thing to do now." I crossed my arms across my chest and eyed them seriously.

"Wait!" Hilary exclaimed, making us turn to her. "Who is the present boyfriend of Margaret?" Her brows knitted while looking at us one by one.

"Oh! I knew him. "Vino replied, touching his chin. "He is Austin's friend and our classmate too. If I'm not mistaken, his name is Tyrone."

"I didn't kill Margaret!"

We heard someone shouting from the opposite side.

It's him.