I clenched my fist, feeling the texture of bedsheets. Would I wake up again to the warmth of the sun peering through my eyelids in a dimly lit room? I took a deep breath, and the familiar aroma of hospital hit me hard as Antwon’s words—The fragmented me—made me question my current state: Am I dead?

  I brought my hands to my face, slowly rubbing my eyes to start the engine; I opened them to fluorescent lights—no sun.

  Now, I had to figure out if it was a dream or something created by the genie to punish me. But first, a long-deserving stretch.

  I stretched my arms and legs in bliss, only for it to be offset by sharp, damning pains shooting through my back, causing me to recoil.

  “Ouch!” I groaned, “Why am I in so much pain?”

  I looked around to familiarize myself with where I was, only to find Christine asleep in a chair next to my bed. Her skirt, shorter than I’m used to, was hiked up due to the way she was sleeping in the chair.

  I sat up, enduring the pang, and unbuttoned my uniform’s jacket to drape it over her legs. I covered myself with the sheet because I was cold. “What kind of hospital doesn’t undress its patients?”

  “The kind that isn’t a hospital, silly,” a head poking into the veil said. He wore a white mask and had short curly bck hair. His face was kind, and I didn’t feel threatened by him.

  “Who are you?” I said without any real purpose. With every breath, my back rebelled in pain.

  “Why, I’m Mr. Junpei, sweety. I’m covering for Mr. Okimoto. And I’m the one who has been treating you.”

  “Why am I here, and what’s wrong with my back?”

  “Oh, that’s the result of you and Mr. Aizawa’s tiff; what a nasty thing to be in.”

  “Junpei!” Christine was awake.

  “Sorry, Ms. Tsukikage,” he said as he disappeared behind the veil, leaving a sliver to see beyond.

  “Antwon, I’m so gd that you’re awake—I.” She looked down and noticed my jacket, blushing.

  She lifted my jacket and adjusted her skirt. Her eyes examined it for a moment, trying to figure out where or what it was. And then she sniffed it.

  Seriously?

  “Antwon, is this your jacket?”

  “Yeah, so?” I removed the sheets, revealing my white blouse. Not having a jacket didn’t mean I was naked or anything.

  “That means…”

  Her hands crept towards me—her mouth open—breathless—speechless. She grabbed the sheet and covered me. “Antwon, are you real because a guy would never do something so reckless?”

  “I thought you were cold, so I put it there.” Her look is always sincere. “I’m sorry, Christine, I would put it back on, but the pain in my back is too much. Can you help me put it on?”

  Her expression became concerned, and then sad.

  “It’s okay, Christine, I’m already in pain, but I trust you not to hurt me more than what I’m feeling.

  She held my jacket close to her body, as if to keep me with her.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” What did I do?

  Dream or not. I worked hard to get back to her, just to be ignored for reasons unknown.

  I turned away, not knowing what to do or say, when my eyes glimpsed something happening outside of the veil.

  “Antwon, you got into a nasty fight with Ryo, and I’ve never seen a boy fight like…that.

  Two figures were intertwined. One wore a white jacket, and the other wore a dark blue suit with bck lines.

  “You moved like you had done that before.”

  One of them had gsses and purple hair, while the other looked like the guy who stuck his head through the veil. I moved to get glimpses from different angles.

  “I tried jumping on your back, but you were strong. You are strong for a guy.”

  He took her gsses off, slowly, revealing her dangerously attractive yellow eyes. I readjusted to see his face. Without his mask, he was soft and handsome. His cheeks were red, and his eyes were wanting.

  “So I… Antwon…are you listening to me?”

  His lips softly brushed hers. She lulled into vulnerability as she wrapped her arms around him. I salivated as she begrudgingly returned the kiss. I was captivated and engrossed. How can they be so oblivious?

  “Antwon?”

  Her finger kneaded into his Jacket as her face, frustrated, mirrored his.

  “What are you so focused on?” Christine’s body blocked my view as she, too, witnessed my distraction. “Mr. Junpei, Principal Kamizawa!”

  They separated.

  “Is this real?” I leaned back in my bed, nearly gasping for air.

  “I’m sorry, Antwon. Please excuse me for a moment. Christine exited the veil, too.

  Hey, genie, are you alive?

  Genie: The notion of life is steeped in infinitesimal nuances that—”

  We’re alive.

  ***

  The veil was pulled back, and four empty beds were visible. Junpei was still recovering: face afme, but she was stone cold.

  “Mr. Carter, I don’t know if we’ve had the pleasure of introducing ourselves. My name is Principal Kamizawa, and I would like to ask you a few questions pertaining to the incident in Miss. Nakamura’s cssroom.”

  Christine, like a little kid, scurried from behind her and took a seat in the chair beside me.

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “Have you and Ryo always had a negative retionship?”

  I thought for a moment, but I came up bnk. The only negative thing I can think of is what happened today.

  Genie, help me.

  “I’ll give you a moment to reflect,” Principal Kamizawa said.

  Genie: I can not provide assistance with recalling a single unessential individual.

  You did it before with the shards, so do it now.

  Genie: I fostered no such incident.

  “Antwon,” Christine said. She handed me a bck notebook.

  “Ms. Tsukikage, please expin.”

  “It’s his diary, Ma’am. Ryo took it from him a week ago.”

  I looked at her, bewildered. I scarcely recall the mention of a notebook.

  “If Ryo had it, how did you get it?” I asked, hoping she would shine light on this situation.

  “An astute question, Mr. Carter. Care to expin, Christine?” She was like a different person from the one behind the veil. The gre made it hard to read her.

  “After….Antwon hit Ryo, he dropped it, and I grabbed it.

  “Hold on. We fought?”

  “Yes,” Christine excimed.

  “Is that why I’m in the nurse’s office, recovering?” I guess he was more than a pretty face.

  Christine looked at me, then at Ms. Kamizawa.

  “Do you know what happened to you—why you’re here?” Principal Kamizawa asked.

  “I-if I did fight, I probably got outcssed. Ryo is slightly taller than I am, and because I can’t remember it, I probably bcked out.” I turned my head in shame.

  “Antwon, I—”

  “I understand, Mr. Carter. This information changes the dynamics surrounding the incident,” Principal Kamizawa said.

  “But—.”

  “Ms. Tsukikage, not another word. It’s less to clean up now.”

  I turned to Christine—terror had erased her.

  I’ll ask the obvious question, but that st line hit different. I think it’s time to drop the act.

  “Was there a mess after the fight?” I asked, feigning innocence.

  “So to speak, Mr. Carter, but nothing that concerns you.”

  “Oh, good. For a second there, I thought you just told Christine that you had one less person to kill.”

  Death gripped the air around us. Mr. Junpei walked over to the infirmary door, and a loud clicking sound indicated that he had locked it.

  Christine grabbed my hand. “Antwon, what are you doing?”

  “Dang, it sucks to be right. Let me take another guess. Seeing how Christine is supposed to be the daughter of some big-shot banger, Ryo is somewhere in that category.”

  Ms. Kamizawa moved closer to the bed. Christine gripped my hand.

  “Let’s see. Killing a cssroom full of kids would be out of the question—too many eyes—too many lies. Plus, kids lie anyway.

  Ms. Kamizawa hovered over me, the gre in her gsses—the only light in her body.

  “Antwon, stop it right now!” Christine shouted.

  I looked up to meet her malefic gaze with my own—I couldn’t see her eyes, but I knew she recognized that part of me—the eyes of a killer are earned, not given.

  “I’m sorry, Christine,” I said, smiling because I knew who it was—I knew who had to die.