THE PERFECT MURDER.

03

        ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS at Thistlethorn takes place within the first month of school. It's the Red and Blue Festival, a medieval-themed party held at the lake in the Thistlethorn Thicket. It's hyped up for the entire month leading up to it, and for good reason. Something interesting always takes place at the festival, whether it be taking dives into the lake, or sneaking up on one of the IT girls and her special partner for the night, and interrupting whatever plan including just the two of them up on top of the trails leading up to the cliffs.

I don't really like going with someone. It's much easier drifting from one crowd to the other without having a date weighing me down. Lisa used to make fun of me for being a loner, and said I'm incredibly good at chasing people away. I told her she was also good at that.

Now, she doesn't make fun of me anymore.

My first class of the day is literature. I'm pretty good at this class, most people who struggle in this class like to be my partner. The only reason I'm what they call an IT girl is because of these good services I provide. I'm not nearly as nice as Doyeon, Soojin, or Seulgi...but I do guarantee a good grade. And that's usually what most students want here.

I cross a leg over the other, staring at the empty board. The lecture would begin in a couple minutes, and through the doors, more students seem to pile in with every passing second. When Doyeon arrives, I notice her grin at a couple others, and take her assigned spot across the room. Then she turns slightly in her seat and locks her gaze onto mine.

'He's here.' She mouths, which leaves me confused.

'Who?'

'The new kid!' Oh so she's still going on about him? Doyeon then explains after several tries of trying to convey the message across the room that she saw him at his locker just a little while ago. When she finishes, I turn back, noticing now how the professor was waiting for our attention.

"Good morning class." He smiles gently. "I'm sure I've taught many of you in previous years, but if you are new, my name is Mr. Kim. I'll be your literature professor for this year." He glances at the door for a moment. "Before I begin with my class rules and the boring regulations we must go over at the beginning of every year, I think we have a new student to welcome."

My eyes dart to Doyeon, who's peering over her desk to look out the door. When their teacher waves a hand, the student who she had seen at Lalisa's walks in, uniform still just as unruly as before. Within the guys there's a low wolf whistle, they probably find his outfit style either charming or an absolute joke. But the way he holds himself seems to shush the remaining portion of the room. There's a pair of glasses perched on his nose, so low I feel as if they'll fall off. Somehow they don't. He goes to the extent to comb through his hair.

"Hi." He waves a hand minimally. "My name's Yeonjun."

"Tell us a little about yourself Yeonjun." Our teacher prompts, probably hoping he won't just end there. Yeonjun nods slowly, then clears his throat.

"Well, I grew up on the other side of town." This sends another cold wave through the class. Among the town of Thistlethorn, there were two sides. Geographically, it split East and West. They were on the western side of Thistlethorn. No one here liked to go to the eastern side, because bad things happened there. Someone from the class speaks up, adding a laugh at the end of his words.

"Other side? Isn't that where the Gorgons are?"

"Lucas, don't speak unless I give you permission." Mr. Kim calls out irritably. I turn my eyes to look at the person who had asked the question so boldly. Of course it's Lucas Wong, he's the most notorious troublemaker at Thistlethorn, and the ringleader of his entire friend circle. I've noticed Lucas to be considered along the lines of a bully within the kids who were preyed on by him. Most students try to stay clear of him.

Yeonjun fires back with a simple, yet confident response, as if Lucas' jab hadn't meant a single thing to him. "Yes it is actually." He mimics the same smirk Lucas wears. That silences the attractive bully almost instantly.

The Gorgons are a taboo topic within Thistlethorn. I've personally done a lot of research on them since I run the school paper, but to break it down, they are one of the most prominent gangs present in the crime life of Thistlethorn. They used to be really present within all of the town, but up until several years ago, they've stayed within their origin place, which is on the eastern side. The gang is mostly bad news, they used to cause a lot of large scale robberies, holding people at gun-point, and many other illegal activities. Now I don't do much regarding them, since I know everything I need to know.

"Anything else you would like to add, Yeonjun?" My teacher asks, sitting comfortably on his desk. He keeps a watchful eye on Lucas, hopefully looking for an excuse to send him to the office. Class was often much smoother without his aggressive presence.

"I hope we can be friends." To end it, Yeonjun bows quickly, and somehow his glasses still don't fall off. What throws me off is when he stands back up, his eyes land directly on me. I shouldn't be surprised, most students know who I am right upon arriving. To them I'm known as Mai, Lalisa's younger sister. Her golden duplicate, since apparently we look the same. Most newcomers know to stay clear of me. I'm not someone people want to get involved with, for good reason. Because what they don't see is that I'm just like Lalisa.

I am a very mean person.