Due to an incident at school, classes were canceled for a week. Some were happy, others scared, and some even experienced trauma. The news of what happened at Kirsako School spread nationwide. On the other hand, a person behind it all was reveling in the chaos, grinning like a demon.
"Shadow, Shadow? Can you handle my explosions? That's not enough to make you suffer; I'll involve everyone. What are you now? You look like a cat trying to find an elusive prey. Don't worry; when you get to know me, I have a surprise for you," they whispered while watching the events unfold.
The Evil Gang was also seeking information about the incident, but after hours in front of the laptop, they couldn't find anything.
"Damn! Frustrating!" Clarence exclaimed when he found no useful footage on the school's CCTV.
"What happened?" Lay asked.
"They hacked the system; I can't find any footage. All videos are either blank or cut. It's so frustrating!" he continued in frustration.
*Lay's Point of View*
In the afternoon, we tirelessly searched for information but found nothing. Frustrated, I returned home and encountered my stepmom and dad, who had unexpectedly come back. I ignored them, feeling indifferent.
"Watsup son? How are you?" my dad asked, and I continued to ignore them. However, he spoke again.
"Lay? Did you know how to respect your parent? Your mom didn't raise you like that!" he said with a furrowed brow. I glared at him; he's pathetic, and I wish he weren't my father.
"Respect? Do you even know the meaning of that word? Respect is not in my system for worthless people like you!" I shouted, feeling irritated. I went upstairs, leaving them behind.
Meanwhile, my evil stepmother commented, "Lay? Why are you treating your dad like that? He's still your father, so learn to respect him. If not for him, you wouldn't be studying now."
"Huh? Be careful with the words you're throwing, you shameless woman! I don't care about my dad. The two of you can be together! Damn, you're irritating!" I retorted. I'm furious with my dad, especially after my mom's death and learning about his affair. Now he returns with a new wife, telling me to respect them? How pathetic. If only I could punch that old man; I would have done it a long time ago.
"Big Brother..." my 8-year-old brother called out. He was a baby when our mom died, and I felt sorry for him.
"Hi baby, bro! How are you?" I asked, concerned, and he seemed hesitant to answer. Suddenly, he burst into tears, wetting my clothes. I hugged him, feeling a mix of nervousness and pity.
"What happened?" I asked, embracing him. I couldn't bear to see my brother in distress. Something terrible must have happened.
"Ouch... It hurts, Kuya," he said, and I quickly examined his arms covered by his sleeves. My anger surged as I saw bruises on his arms and back. I couldn't believe I hadn't known about this earlier.
"When did this happen? Who did this to you? Tell me!" My whole body trembled with rage. I wanted to kill whoever did this, even if it meant my own life.
"It was Ate Abbi and Mommy and Daddy. I don't want to stay here anymore. They always hurt me, even though I'm not disobedient. I do everything they say," he said, and I felt a burning rage inside me. If only I had known sooner. I couldn't stand it. I would kill them if it weren't for my brother.
"Big Brother, please don't leave me..."
"Hush... calm down—we're leaving, I'll take you. They won't hurt you anymore," I assured him. I released the embrace and began packing our belongings.
"Where are you going?" Abbi, my stepmother's child, asked. I was seething with anger upon seeing the person who harmed my brother. I approached her, and without thinking, I suddenly grabbed her by the neck.
"You beast, I'll kill you... you don't deserve to live in this world," I threatened.
"Mommy, Daddy!" she struggled to call.
"Why, baby? What the hell is happening! Let him go!" her mother exclaimed. I let go and slammed her against the wall. I didn't care if it meant taking a life.
"Mommy..." her stepmother immediately embraced her child. Then my father arrived.
"What's going on?" my so-called caring father asked.
"Huh? You don't know what's happening? Screw you!" I shouted, punching and kicking him. The stepmother's spouse intervened.
"Layshin, what's going on? Enough, why are you hurting us?" he shouted. I grinned and struck him in the face, knocking him unconscious. His child cried, and if I could, I would have killed them all. But seeing my brother cry and scared made me stop.
"I'm taking my brother. I won't let him stay in your hands anymore! You're all so evil. He's just a child, yet you treat him as if he committed some grave sin! You're a worthless father; your wickedness is more than enough. If I could kill, I'd kill all of you! But I'm not as bad as all of you! I'll just pray that karma judges you!" I yelled, exploding with anger because of their actions. They can hurt me, just not my brother.
"It's time for you to leave this house; you won't receive any more money from me!" my dad declared.
"I don't need your money! Let's go, Baby!" I said, inviting my brother and grabbing all our belongings. I don't need them in my life, and I'll prove that I can take care of my brother even if I'm alone.