The weekend was just as terrifying as last Friday. The anticipating nerves made everyone feel like they were running out of time. Surprisingly, Anon didn't message them on Saturday and Sunday. Perhaps they needed a break too. Everyone does once in a while.
A gray sedan pulls up to the side of the road with a fair-skinned, squinted-eyed girl. Miho felt the chills fall upon her shoulders as she starts to enter the campus. There were a few new changes that caught her eye. More security guards, CCTV's at every corner. She gripped tightly at the sides of her single, thick blazer. She felt like a deep-sea diver as she walked across the grounds, searching for some anchor she could find, something she could hold onto. She was getting lost. Her ears were ringing, and her eyes were tearing up, and she was so confused by it all. She needed some kind of cure, some kind of relief. Miho hoped she would finally have a normal high school year, but that daydream is done. Back in Japan during her middle school days, she had constantly felt discrimination towards her because she was a mixed Filipino-Japanese.
Maybe, just maybe everything will be better when she left. As she does feel like fitting in with the other kids, she still had a gun behind her head, which felt way worse than being bullied. Her life was in grave danger.
She was grabbing onto her locker door for support as she stumbles and almost falls. Denise's voice echoes in her ears. "You okay, Miho? You look like you haven't slept in days."
Miho looks around but her head is pounding more than ever, and she is finding it hard to breathe, she simply ignores the worried president.
She had become dimmer, her hand is reaching for the lock.
"I-I'm sorry. Lately, I look around me and I feel as if someone is following me. Every time that damn Anon opens his DM's and types creepy messages for us, I can't help but feel... unsafe."
Denise looks over Miho's shoulders, "Sorry Miho. I understand why you feel that way." She pauses and gives the new girl a soft smile. "It's probably not going to be of help but, if you want, I'll walk with you to the gym. There's going to be this assembly, anyway."
"That would be great, Denise. Thank you."
After stuffing her books into the locker, Miho follows the president, relieved that she had at least gained a friend in this messy situation.
The two walked to the third row of chairs and found seats next to Yzabel and Jao, who figured to stick together since it was getting a bit more deadly.
"Hey, guys." A simple greeting comes out of Yzabel's lips. Jao stayed quiet clenching his bottle of pills tightly as if it was a stress ball.
The crowd of students quiet down their chatter as all the seats are filled and the assembly started.
Her hands patted uncomfortably on her skirt. Miho's head is throbbing with pain; she hated this kind of feeling. She was experiencing that feeling for the past weekend. Her body was sore. Her mind was weak. The fear was too much.
She has no recollection of what happened at the assembly, but she knows it must have been pretty intense. Just like always, her world was getting darker. She had no idea what was happening.
Gwen on the other hand was feeling the same yet, she had bottled up all of her fear inside of her. Every bang, every clank, every loud and startling noise she heard made her heart jump, and felt like she wanted to scream. Why was I like this? She repeatedly asked herself.
The mean girl's eyes then shift, widening at the sight of Akira. He had a bandage wrapping his wounded arm. She held her breath as she watched him tap his foot hyperactively.
"We're not going to have to cancel school today," He said. The principal's words drowned out of the teenagers' ears, they divert their attention to the sudden vibration of their phones. A mountain of fear struck their chests and caused them to refuse to read the message.
"You do know what happens when you try to avoid me, do you?"
Coleen stealthily takes out her phone and peeps at the message. With that, an overwhelming lump pierced her throat that made her swallow. She felt the need to inform one of her fellow victims. The culprit was on the rise, they were under their control.
"Funtime is over, it's time to play for real."
Her boyfriend, Mikki, then comes to the rescue. He looks over at her side, caressing her soft hand. "We're in this together. I'll be here." The knight in shining armor, (a designer leather jacket), comforted his girlfriend. Coleen rests her head on his shoulder.
The assembly came to a close with another long prayer and a tearful statement from the principal. Everyone had a busy day ahead of them, with fresh lessons to catch up on, the trauma of last Friday's shooting incident to overcome, and so on. But it was nothing compared to what the nine teenagers had to endure. Each of them went their separate ways, entering their classrooms and doing their best to concentrate on their studies.
"I've got to get moving. I'll catch up with you at lunch. Please contact me or come to the student council office if you have any questions. You're welcome to visit at any moment."
Miho accepts her offer with a nod "We'll see you later as well."
Denise later left the new girl to attend to her obligations as a member of the student council. She'd ace her studies in a flash, and she'd be done with her council duties in no time, but the president was adamant about not confronting this new riddle. Her senior year was not going as planned since she was being blackmailed by an unknown stalker. Her next move was to attend college. DLSU had always been her ideal school. Maybe now that she's there, she'll finally feel whole. She aspired to be complete in whatever she did. After that Thursday night, another piece of her was taken.
While the other council members stared at her, puzzled, the president hardly realizes that she has already entered the room and sat down automatically in her chair. She was saying something while staring at her hands. Her belongings were strewn on the meeting table. Her face was obscured by a few strands of her hair. A high-pitched voice hissed at her, jolting her awake "Miss President, what's up? Is everything well with you?"
She straightens her uniform and rises up, well aware of the state she was in when she walked in.
"I'm sorry, everyone. Let's proceed with the meeting," Denise's voice croaked.
She starts the session by forcing a small cough out. "Let's start by making sure that we look approachable. We need students to feel safe in this school, not feel neglected or judged because they're afraid." She pauses for a second, looking at the class representative beside her for a moment. The class rep then nods, giving her a once-over.
"So everyone in this room, start by not looking too arrogant or intimidating." She breathes out slowly.
A crisp silence fills the room until a classmate, the Vice President raises a hand, "President, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead, Kiara."
"How is this... going to help?" She responded in an obnoxious, judgy tone as if she was now doubting Denise's abilities as president of the student council. The other girl sighs irritably. The vice president had gotten on her nerves yet again. Kiara would be her Gwen if she were Yzabel. Someone who is the polar opposite of her but curiously resembles her. They've argued with each other, battled for valedictorian, and even competed for student council president. Denise had beaten her in that particular field.
While she has earned her position, Kiara earned something even better.
Actual friends.
"Because if nothing, something good will come out of this, right?" Denise replied, taking the challenge. "I'm not sure if this can help but I'm sure-"
Kiara interrupts, "Sure of what, exactly? I am all for the sake of better mental health, but do you really think pretending to care about these students and dumbing ourselves down for them will solve any trauma?"
"Alright... alright." Denise sighed, she took a deep breath before speaking, "Alright... alright!" She yelled, catching the attention of the entire table. The Vice President chuckled, having won. Denise swallowed her words, knowing that she is already humiliated enough.
Yet she didn't back down and tried to argue back.
"Doing this can have some kind of positive outcome," She starts and Kiara holds out her finger and tries to say something but she is cut off.
"Students will no longer feel like there's a criminal trying to endanger them. We can also ask the principal for permission to hold a counseling program. That way they can also get to talk about their traumatic experiences." She finishes with a proud smirk on her face.
"Wow. Great idea, Miss President." The vice president's sarcasm and slow clapping frustrated her as if she was implying that, "You may have beaten me here but I still have friends. Many of them."
As their short meeting ended, Denise's phone chimed once again. She did not expect anything good to come out from the message.
"Are you up for the next challenge, Miss President?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did Kiara do something that triggered you? As you know, I am the type to push you to do things that you would never do. It's all part of the game, after all. If you don't participate, you will lose."
She knew what 'lose' meant in this unknown, evil, messenger's vocabulary. She was too afraid to risk it all, and if she did, everything she has worked hard for will be passed on to her rival.
"What do you want?"
"Surely your passionate hate for the vice president can be cured. Okay, I'll cut to the chase.
Dispose of Kiara."
The message came to an end. Denise is taken aback. Surprisingly, she was tempted to comply with the request. However, she is terrified of what they might force her to do, which is why she turned off her phone to consider.
The president weighs the benefits and drawbacks of assassinating her fiercest adversary. There would be less rivalry for senior valedictorian, and she wouldn't be as self-conscious around the other girl. However, she would have to murder her, which was a scam in and of itself. The guilt will cling to her hands like mud that won't wash away no matter how many times she washes them.
Even if no one knew, she'll remain a criminal for the rest of her life.
"Take your time. But don't make me wait too long. You know what happened last Friday."
Everyone had the same classes and followed the same Monday schedule. There hasn't been much of a change. Despite the mental and emotional pain they had experienced that day, they were still expected to concentrate on their studies.
The only time they could get away from it all was during lunch.
As she proceeded down the corridor, the president felt nauseated.
Her gut churned, and her heart hammered faster than anything else in the halls.
The gunshot from the prior Friday's incident was as loud as this one.
She couldn't get her brain around the concept of an unknown stalker, of unknown age, approaching teenagers and asking for twisted favors.
It was utterly out of control.
In the hopes of assisting her thinking, she sat with Miho, Yzabel, and Jao, who began their first meeting in the attempt of trying to solve the Anon issue.
Denise approached them quietly, then started with some small talk.
"Hey," She was only able to say. She was still in shock and speechless from what she just read off of her phone.
"Sit down. What's wrong? What'd Anon send you?" Yzabel beamed at her in a worried yet curious way.
"They're going to kill me."
"What do you mean?"
"They're going to kill me if I don't do it." Her dead eyes lingered. She spoke as if she was held at gunpoint, which she was.
Denise was trembling; she couldn't handle any more questions but couldn't give a straight answer either. Instead, the president turns her phone upwards and pushes it across the table. The three started shaking in horror and revulsion after reading the bizarre letter.
"You can't do this. They've gotta be kidding!"
"I've seen what they could do, we all have. I don't want what happened to Akira to happen to me," Her trembling intensified and tears started to form around her eyes, "I — I don't wanna die yet. I'm not! I'm not! W-What am I gonna do?!"
Her brief shout elicited stillness. Right now, the president couldn't give a damn since what she was compelled to do was far worse. Kiara can humiliate her in the council room all she wants, but she can't murder her and hide the evidence. It was too much.
"Denise, Denise!" Miho's yelling caught even more attention to the table. The frantic girl quieted down, still hyperventilating and catching each second for a breath of air.
Her phone once again signaled.
It was Anon's time to shine again.
The three didn't bother to give Denise's phone back, she'd go crazy, just simply looking at the bunch of words written on the screen.
"It's up to you. Will you become a winner?
or a loser?
Remember that you are doing this for the greater good."