[ Niana's Point of View ]
Bella, why do you have to skip class today?!
"Hey, where's Bella?" Jack came in my direction with Angel tailing him.
Classes have already ended, and I'm waiting for the high school students who live with me in the orphanage.
"She left early. I think she wasn't feeling well." I replied without making eye contact, just staring at the cars passing by.
"Then we'll punish you on behalf of her. You're close friends with her, right?"
"No."
"You're just saying that for us not to hurt you."
He held a grip on my wrist and forcefully pulled me. He raised his hand, attempting to hit me, and I closed my eyes.
I was waiting for a slap, but after seconds, nothing happened.
When I opened my eyes, I saw two guys fighting. One guy punched Jack, and he fell on the floor while Angel came to assist him.
The guy who punched him, he looks -
"Are you alright?" asked the guy while we were pulling his sleeves up.
I nodded, jaw dropped.
"Okay." He smiled halfway and ran away.
What the actual heck? What just happened?
...
[ Third person's Point of View ]
A bright and colorful afternoon showered Sewol National High School. Students were in their different costumes, holding different kinds of instruments, producing melodious sounds. The music festival commenced.
Niana looked around the field full of people and searched for her friend, Bella.
"You lookin' for your friend, huh?" Jack went towards her and pulled her hair in a ponytail. She winced in pain.
"What's your problem, Jack? Just... Just mind your own business." Niana said while holding her hair.
"Really? Do you know what Bella is planning today? I have this gut feeling she's up to something." Jack leaned closer to Niana and whispered.
"I... I don't know. We haven't talked much yesterday." Niana nervously replied.
Jack got infuriated and pulled Niana's hair even more.
"Ouch! Okay, fine!" She screamed in pain.
"Hmm, say it."
"First of all... I don't know why she didn't come to school today. But, she told me she's going to do something with the videos. I freaking don't know, okay? Just let me go!"
"Were you the one who took those videos from that night?"
Niana's eyes widened. She got caught red-handed.
"No... Of course not. Why would I do that, knowing that you guys are the greatest gangs."
Jack loosened his grip on Niana's hair.
"Okay, but you have to stay somewhere." He placed a handkerchief in Niana's face, and she lost consciousness.
He carried her to a room inside the campus. There were no people inside, so nobody noticed them.
"Jack, what on earth are you doing to her?" Angel asked while fidgeting her fingers.
"We're going to use her as a hostage. Don't you think Bella will come once she sees her friend in a terrible condition?" He responded while placing Niana on the floor, tying a rope on her limbs.
"Just, can't we just stop? I'm tired. I feel like we won't win against Bella anyway." Angel uttered and looked away.
"What are you saying? I thought you wanted to get rid of her?"
"I'm sorry, okay?! Let's just end it here."
"No, Angel. She already has something against us. Once my parents... once the world discovers about our gang, we're dead." Jack clenched his teeth and aggressively placed Niana in a dark corner of a room.
Jack stood up and stretched his arms.
"Hmm, Angel, do you have Bella's Line number?"
"Why?"
"Let's send her a video of this brat."
Angel hesitantly handed her phone to Jack. Jack plastered a grimace and started to record.
"Hi, Bella! Look at your friend! If you won't come to school in an hour, she's dead." He uttered and immediately sent the video to Bella.
"Jack, let's... Let's leave her first. The Festival is starting."
...
Bella changed wore a black cap, a white shirt, and black jeans paired with leather boots.
While staring at herself in the mirror, she checked her phone and saw the video Jack sent her. As usual, Bella was emotionless.
She placed a match inside her pocket and lowered her cap.
...
"What if Bella wouldn't come? What will we do to Niana?" Angel nervously said to Jack, who was beside her, watching other students performing their prepared presentations.
"Then, we'll have to get rid of her. What else?"
The sun was setting, and everyone in Sewol High was still having fun.
"Hey, Jack. It seems like Bella wouldn't even bother to come now. Should we torture her friend?"
Jack clenched his fists and answered, "Yeah."
"Oh my goodness, Jack!" Angel gasped in shock while scrolling through her phone.
"What is it?"
"Look!" She showed her phone to the rest of the gang.
She looked around, noticing that all the other students and teachers were murmuring about them while looking at their phones.
"Oh my gosh, how horrible!"
"I knew it! They were the reason why Bella was absent for days!"
"Goodness! So you were saying they weren't caught with everything they've done?"
"I can't believe we have classmates who are rapists and murderers!"
"I hope they die."
"I hope they pay for everything they've done!"
"They don't deserve to live!"
"INHUMANS!"
Gossips, murmurs, tattle.
Angel screamed and covered her ears.
The gang immediately ran inside the campus, no one noticed them.
*Kriing. Kriing*
"Shh, Hey Angel! Could you please calm down?! Nothing's gonna happen, okay? We will get through this!" Jack assured the members.
"Someone's calling you, Angel." Another member flatly said while pointing at Angel's phone.
Angel grabbed her phone inside her pocket while her hands were shaking.
As soon as they saw the caller I.D., their eyes widened.
"It's... It's Bella."
Jack grabbed the phone from Angel and answered the call.
"Hahahaha! Have you seen the news?" Bella from the other line laughed.
"You're dead, Bella. YOU'RE DEAD!"
Bella didn't stop laughing.
"If you want to see me, go to Niana."
Jack opened his mouth and was about to say something, but the call ended.
"Dang it!" He screamed in frustration and threw Angel's phone on the floor.
"Jack! My phone!"
"Shut it, Angel! Let's go to Niana."
They all ran towards the room where they placed Niana, but she was gone.
All that was left was a laptop.
They stared at the laptop for a while.
"Where's Niana? WHERE IS SHE?!"
"We don't know, Jack."
"Didn't I tell you to watch out for her? Dumbasses!"
He aggressively walked and grabbed the laptop. A video popped up.
All of them were gathered inside the dim room.
"It's me, Bella, Hahahaha! Happy Festival to you all. Especially you, Angel!" The recorded video of Bella ended with her laughing.
The door of the room strenuously shut close. It startled and frightened the gang.
"What was that?!" Angel uttered while worrying.
"Jack! Open the door!"
"Bella! Are you there?!" Angel screamed while they were opening the door.
A familiar laugh was heard from the outside. It was Bella.
"Goodbye, guys! Enjoy your time there!" Bella said.
"Hey! Hey, don't leave us here!" Jack screamed while banging the door.
"Bella!"
They kept crying and screaming, but an awful smell of black smoke entered the room.
Jack sniffed the air, "What the heck?"
"THERE'S A FIRE! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Angel bawled. Tears kept flowing from her eyes.
"I don't wanna die yet, Bella! Let us out! We won't bother you anymore!" She screamed while strongly hitting the door.
One after another, they lost consciousness because of the smoke.
Minutes later, the fire alarm of the school screeched all over the place. Smoke conquered the whole area, and the students were assigned to go home.
Fireworks started to pop out in the night skies along with the raging flame.
Sewol high is on fire.
"Happy festival," Bella whispered while looking at the burning school, holding Niana's hand.
The fireworks and the flames, the only lights that brightened the place.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? Niana?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why am I doing this? Have you forgotten what they did to me?"
"But you did that on purpose, Bella!"
Bella cupped Niana's face and kissed her (Niana's) forehead.
"I saved your life. You should be at least grateful." Bella said in a somber voice.
...
[ Earlier ]
Niana opened her eyes and realized that she was tied and couldn't speak inside a dark room.
"Help!" She screamed in a faint voice. Nobody heard her.
After hours of crying for help, she felt helpless. She was running out of oxygen. Then doorknob moved. Someone was coming in.
"Niana." Bella said as soon as she entered the room.
Niana slightly opened her wet eyes.
"Help." She whispered.
Bella came towards Niana and removed the rope and the tape captivating her.
"Pack yourself up, Niana. We'll do something later."
She helped Niana stand up and went outside the room. After that, Bella went back and placed a laptop.
"What are you doing?"
"Just do as I say."
Both of them were waiting inside the campus. Precisely at eight p.m., the videos and articles about the gang spread throughout social media like wildfire.
"Do you see this?" Bella showed her phone to Niana, who was standing right beside her.
Niana just looked away.
"I'll call them." Bella clicked Angel's contact number and called her. She told them to meet her where Niana was.
The both of them (Niana and Bella) hid in a cubicle just beside that room.
The gang entered the room and watched the video from the laptop. Bella forcibly closed the door of the room and locked it.
"Hey, Niana, come here." She commanded.
Bella pulled out the matchbox from her pocket and handed it to Niana.
"Burn this school." She continued.
"What?! I can't do that!" Niana responded while she was shivering.
"I SAID BURN IT NOW!" Bella screamed in anger, and Niana impulsively lit up a stick and dropped it in front of the door.
Niana stood frozen, but Bella grabbed her and went outside the campus abruptly.
As they were running away from the school, Niana saw a very familiar person staring at them (Niana and Bella).
"Did you see that?" She asked Bella, who was gasping for air, running.
"See what?"
"Nothing."