Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一(22)

I sit on my bed, where I've been ever since dinner, trying to read by candlelight, except the words swim in front of my eyes and I can't make sense of them. But sleeping is out of the question. Every time I close my eyes, I see Sehun's blood dripping on my lap and Kai taking his last breath.

"So Sejeong's got you studying deception and sparring, huh?" Sehun asks, and I jump.

He comes into my room and closes the door behind him. I quickly put the book down on my nightstand and move my legs so that he has room to sit. His arm is all bandaged up, but he seems in good spirits.

Sehun lowers himself onto my bed and smiles. "Your moth is hanging open."

I can't help it, I lean forward and throw my arms around his neck in a hug. For just a second, he tenses. Then he relaxes and puts his arms around my back. He holds me carefully, like this is the first time in years that someone has hugged him. Maybe it is.

"Thank you," I say into his neck. "Thank you so much. I should have said something right away. I just didn't know how to process what you did." I give him a squeeze and let go. "All day I've been thinking about how to repay you."

"It was no problem," he says quickly, formally, like he's not sure what to do about my outpouring of emotion.

"Sehun, you took a knife through the arm for me," I say. "It's a big deal. I can't even tell you how . . . I would be dead if you hadn't been there."

He looks more uncomfortable. "Need help?" He nods at my book, changing the subject. "Eight percent of fighting is being able to predict which way and when someone will move or attack. Twenty percent is knowing how to combat that move effectively."

"Wait, hold on," I say. "I mean, yes, I do want your help. But what the heck was that chaos today? Sejeong's barely talked to me since."

"Well, Sejeong goes quiet when she's thinking," he says, and I can't help but wonder if she's reconsidering her friendship with me after what happened in the dining hall.

"Kang didn't even explain how she knew Kai was guilty," I say, and the image of the arrow hitting him replays in my thoughts, making me shudder.

"Technically, she doesn't have to explain," Sehun says. "His reaction made it clear he was the guilty one, not you. But also, she may have chosen not to explain his motives in detail because she doesn't want to emphasize the divide between the Eagles and the Tigers. Everyone assumes that Kai killed Taehyung because of politics - that's the obvious reason. As you may have noticed, everything comes down to politics and alliances when you're Strategia. And I'm sure a handful of people figured out that he tried to pin the murder on you, with the intention of taking out two Eagles at once. It could have been three if Jungkook had reacted to you differently and dropped you out of that tree. The bottom line is, Kai was trying to weaken your Family, which is nothing new."

"But Kang" - I can barely get the words out - "executed him in front of the whole school."

Sehun nods slowly and gives me a thoughtful look. "Yes. But it was a fast death, and she could have lost another of her students if she hadn't reacted quickly. Almost did." He watches me. "That really shook you, didn't it."

"I . . . Yes," I say, but I don't explain further. What's there to add when you've just seen someone killed in cold blood?

We're both silent for an awkward moment.

"So then is it over?" I ask. "Now that Kai is . . . now that Kang caught the murderer?"

"Welll," Sehun says. "Sejeong's worried that we haven't been given our punishments for those marks."