Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一(11)

After a long morning of dreading I might be escorted out of each of my classes by guards, I take a seat next to Sejeong in the dining hall. The tables have been removed except for the one on the raised platform where the teachers eat, and the high-backed chairs have been arranged in rows. With the large chandeliers fully lit above our heads, the ornate arched ceilings, and the decorative stonework on the walls, it looks like we're about to meet some sort of dignitary. but from what I can tell, the entire school has been assembled, and I would bet anything we're not here for entertainment.

Three rows ahead of us, Taemin looks at me like he knows something I don't and takes a seat next to Jennie and Kai.

"About what I did in knife throwing -" I whisper to Sejeong.

"Not now, Suzy," she says, and her tone is harsh. She doesn't look in my direction.

Headmaster Kang stands on the platform in front of the teachers' dining table, watching us all like bird a prey. She clears her throat even though the room is already silent and doesn't remotely resemble the mob scene that ensues every time we get called to the auditorium in my school at home. My stomach does a quick flip.

"Some of you are wondering why you've been called from your classes this morning. Some of you are not," Kang says, scanning the room. A handful of teachers stand against the stone walls between the somber portraits and arched windows - they stare at us and not at Kang. Yoo is one fo them, and he has the same probing look he wore when he was assessing me. I want to sink down in my chair, but I'm sure one of the teachers would notice and interpret it as an admission of guilt.

"A student was murdered last night," Kang says without any fanfare, and surprise ripples through the crowd. "Taehyung," she continues. The students throw questioning glances at one another, shifting in their seats, and it seems like everyone starts whispering at once.

Sejeong looks at me in shock and I do my best to mimic her. Damn she's good.

Kang clears her throat once more and the room instantly falls back into uncomfortable silence. "I am severely disappointed that we find ourselves in this position yet again." She sounds more annoyed than upset. "You all have become too comfortable here, too sure that you're untouchable. I assure you that you're not. Our tactics during the course of this investigation will not be typical, so do not presume. The guilty party of parties may think they've evaded discovery. But in the end, we will find you and you will be made an example of." For a split second, her eyes settle on me, and I can feel the blood drain from my cheeks.

When Kan mentioned student deaths to me in her office the day I arrived, I didn't for one minute imagine she meant murder. My stomach churns uncomfortably, and I fight the urge to shift around, rub my hands over my face, do anything that might show how sick I feel about this whole situation.

"Your privacy is revoked, and you'll be subject to tests and observation whenever and wherever Dr. Yoo and I choose. And just because you can't see guards, that doesn't mean they're not following you." Kang smooths a wrinkle in her blazer. "For the time being, all meals will be served in your respective suites rather than the dining hall. That is all you need to know, you may go."

I look at Sejeong, hoping she'll explain the brevity of that speech and the cold cruelty of Kang's demeanor. There was no sensitivity to the fact that students have just lost their classmate, no reassurance that you'll be safe; in fact, it felt like the opposite - we've been assured that we're not only in danger, but also potential suspects. However, Sejeong just stands and heads for the door like all the other students. No one says a word. No one looks at anyone else.

Someone taps my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my skin. My heart sinks when I turn around to find Yoo right behind me.

"Follow me, Suzy," he says, and I catch Sehun watching me from across the room.