The air in the locker room turned heavy and sickly. The smell from the open icebox clung to the walls like poison. No one could move for a moment... everyone just stared at the pale, broken body inside.
A few of the boys turned away, retching into the corner. One of them stumbled backward and fell on the wet floor tiles. The coach froze mid-step, his face pale and his eyes wide in disbelief. The loud chatter from before had vanished, leaving behind a silence thick enough to choke on.
Lucien lay sprawled on the floor, eyes closed, his fainting act too perfect to doubt. His lips twitched slightly... but no one noticed.
The coach snapped out of it first.
"Quick! Take him to the clinic!"
Two teammates rushed forward, lifting Lucien carefully.
"We should cover it," one whispered, voice trembling.
"Yeah," another agreed, pulling a towel over the icebox.
As they carried Lucien out, the others huddled together. Some still couldn't look at the icebox. Ricky's blood had soaked through a layer of ice, dripping onto the floor like cold tears.
"W-what kind of devil could've done this?" one of the boys whispered.
"Yeah," another muttered, voice shaking. "Lucien was the last one to see Ricky. We should ask him."
A tall boy shot him a glare.
"Are you saying Lucien did it? There's no way. That guy can't even kill an ant. Didn't you see him faint?"
"I agree," another added quickly. "Lucien's softhearted. He wouldn't hurt anyone."
Their voices tangled in panic and confusion until the coach barked, "Quiet!"
All heads turned toward the door as a few people stepped in... led by a tall, serious-looking young man.
"The president is here," someone whispered.
Damian entered, with his expression unreadable. Behind him followed the assistant president and two members of the school's student organization. He spoke briefly with the coach, who explained the situation in a low tone.
Damian approached the icebox, his jaw tightening. He slowly lifted the towel and opened the lid.
The moment he saw what was inside, his face twitched... but he didn't flinch away. Behind him, one of the organization members turned green and ran out to throw up. The others turned their faces, unable to bear the sight.
Damian sighed and closed the lid again.
"I'm sure," he said quietly, "the same person who killed Isabella Lane was the one who killed him."
The name Isabella rippled through the group like a gust of wind. Some boys glanced at each other nervously.
Damian turned to one of his team.
"Call the police. Tell them it's urgent. And you..." he pointed to another, "carry the box with gloves. Don't touch it with bare hands."
"Yes, sir."
As they moved to follow his orders, Damian turned back to the coach. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll find the culprit."
Then he walked out, leaving the cold silence behind.
.
.
The news spread through the academy faster than wildfire. Within an hour, everyone knew.
"Did you hear the news?"
"Oh! I did. Ricky was found dead."
"With his body chopped In pieces,"
"I heard it's the same murderer that killed Isabella,"
Fear crept through the dorms and classrooms like a ghost. Students whispered in corners, teachers avoided eye contact, and the school's management stayed quiet... almost too quiet. They didn't bother themselves with matters like this.
That was why the student organization had taken control of the investigation.
But not everyone was mourning.
Some students, the ones Ricky used to torment, were secretly glad. They hid their smiles behind lowered heads. Ricky had been a bully... he'd hit people, harassed girls, made lives miserable. Now, karma had done the job.
Still, no one said it aloud.
Because whoever killed him was still out there.
And right now, that killer was resting comfortably in the school clinic.
Lucien stirred as the faint hum of the ceiling fan reached his ears. He could feel someone's presence beside him, sitting quietly. Slowly, he opened his eyes and groaned, rubbing his head.
"Where... am I?" he asked hoarsely.
"You're in the school clinic," came a calm, deep voice beside him.
Lucien turned his head slightly, pretending to blink in confusion.
"How did I get here?"
"You fainted," the voice said again.
Lucien sat up slowly. The moment his memory hit him... His perfect work of art... Ricky's mutilated body, the shocked faces, the fake faint... he gagged, covering his mouth. Tears welled in his eyes, a perfect performance.
"Ricky..." he whispered brokenly. "Who would have done that to him?"
The man beside him... Damian... furrowed his brows. He'd come here certain Lucien was guilty. After all, Lucien's fingerprints had been found on the icebox. But seeing him trembling like this, crying like a scared kid, made Damian hesitate.
"Were you the one who opened it?" he asked.
Lucien nodded slowly.
Damian exhaled in relief.
'That explains it,' he thought.
He reached out and patted Lucien's shoulder.
"Be a man. Don't cry. We'll find whoever did it."
Lucien sniffed, wiping his tears with his sleeve. "Thank you, President Damian."
"Don't thank me yet," Damian muttered, clenching his fist. "I'll make sure that bastard gets a taste of his own medicine."
The room went quiet for a moment. Then, the sound of the door creaking open broke it.
A familiar soft step echoed in the room.
Adrian entered, his walking stick tapping lightly against the floor. His dark mask covered the lower half of his face, and his cap shaded his eyes. He stopped by the door.
Lucien's heart skipped.
He was about to call out Adrian's name when Damian beat him to it.
"Adrian?" Damian turned and walked over to him. "What are you doing here?"
Adrian tilted his head slightly. He came because he hears the president was going to visit Lucien. He thought Lucien would have gotten caught as the culprit. But he couldn't say that to them.
He cleared his throat as his tone calm but careful. "I heard my roommate fainted so I came to check on him."
Damian blinked. "Roommate?"
"Yes," Adrian said simply.
Lucien watched the way Damian's hand rested casually on Adrian's shoulder. Something cold and sharp twisted in his chest. He clenched his fist beneath the thin blanket, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips.
'What's going on between those two?' he thought.
Damian, unaware of the tension, turned back to Lucien.
"Since you're both roommates, that's even better." He looked at Lucien seriously. "Lucien, can you become Adrian's guide? He's blind. You can help him around. With his academics and sport and anything at all,"
Lucien blinked, surprised.
Before he could speak, Adrian shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I can manage..."
"Yes," Lucien interrupted sharply. "I'll do it."
The firmness in his voice filled the small clinic room. Adrian's head turned toward him sharply, his jaw tightening under the mask.
Lucien smiled faintly. "We're roommates, after all. It's only right I help."
Adrian bit the inside of his cheek under the mask. A murderer as my guide. Perfect.
But what bothered him more was how Lucien's tone wasn't mocking... it was... soft, almost amused.
Damian smiled in satisfaction.
"Good. I'll leave it to you, Lucien."
He turned to go, giving Adrian one last pat on the shoulder before leaving the room.
Lucien's eyes followed Damian until the door clicked shut. Then he turned back to Adrian, who stood quietly by the bed.
"You didn't have to come here," Lucien said softly.
Adrian tilted his head slightly toward the sound of his voice.
"I came because I thought you must have hurt yourself."
Lucien's lips curved into a faint grin.
"Oh my! Were you worried about me?"
Adrian ignored that, lowering his stick.
"Think whatever you want. I don't care."
Lucien leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, studying Adrian's unreadable face.
"You're a strange guy, Adrian."
"And you're the definition of trouble," Adrian said simply.
Lucien chuckled, standing up slowly. He brushed past Adrian... deliberately close enough for their shoulders to touch. Adrian flinched slightly at the warmth that brushed through the thin fabric of his sleeve.
"Guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on," Lucien murmured near his ear, his breath faintly warm.
Adrian's grip on his stick tightened.
Lucien smirked and stepped out of the clinic, leaving the faint scent of mint and danger behind.
Adrian stood still, his heartbeat uneven, his mind running fast.
'Lucien's my guide now,' he thought grimly. 'The killer is my guide.'
But as he stood there, his lips curved under the mask before he could stop himself.
It wasn't fear that made his heart beat faster. It was something far more dangerous.
And deep down, he already knew... whatever this was between them, it wouldn't end clean.
It would end bloody.