Celestine left Luke at the nurse's office and headed toward the girls' locker room. On her way, she met three boys waiting for her in the hallway. Judging from their grins and confident looks, their intentions couldn't be pure by any chance.
'Oh come on. I'm not ready for this again,' she thought.
'Can I smash them for you this time?' Raho's voice echoed in her mind.
'Not now, Raho. It's not necessary.'
'Then when?'
'I can look after myself.'
Celestine turned around in an attempt to run away, only to bump into Sam's broad chest. She stumbled back in fear.
"Hey Celestine. All the prefects, including Rockie and Ruksy, are having a meeting with the teachers," he said, stepping forward as she backed away, cornered between two gangs.
"Nothing can stop us from doing what we want to you." Sam's predator–like grin widened.
Celestine's breath caught. She didn't know whether to scream for help or unleash Raho, the Magic Ring.
"There you go. You look so sexy when scared, Celestine." Sam laughed maniacally.
She tried to dash past the other three boys, but one easily grabbed her wrist.
"Let me go!" she shouted, twisting her hand, but his grip was iron.
She threw a desperate punch—only for it to be caught midair.
"Your punch is slower than Luke's," the boy mocked. The others laughed as they pinned her arms, forcing her to face Sam.
"Good boys. Now, let's get the party started." Sam's grin darkened.
Celestine's heart pounded so loudly she could hear it echo inside her head.
'Are you sure you don't want my help?' Raho pressed, her girlish voice unusually stern.
Celestine didn't answer. She was too stunned by what Sam pulled from his pocket.
A syringe and a small glass vial filled with bright white liquid.
"This is ketofol," he said casually. "A mix of ketamine and propofol. Makes you pass out in seconds. Then…" he smirked, "you'll surrender your body to us— but not for treatment." He added and the boys laughed
Celestine's blood ran cold. She tried to wriggle free, but the boys held her tight.
'That's enough,' Raho's voice thundered, sharper now. 'With or without your permission, I'm coming out.'
Sam ran his hand down Celestine's cheek.
"So smooth," he said.
He was about to advance lower to her boobs when—
Tap.
A single sound echoed in the hallway.
Sam froze. One of the boys glanced nervously around. "Sam… did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of a cane striking the floor grew louder, closer, echoing like a heartbeat. The hallway seemed to shrink, shadows stretching along the walls.
The gang turned toward the corner.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
And from the dim light appeared… a hunched old lady. Wrinkled face, sunken eyes, torn rags clinging to her frame. She leaned on a crooked walking stick, shuffling forward at a snail's pace.
The boys stared, dumbfounded.
"What the heck is a dirty old granny doing in school?" one sneered.
Celestine blinked, eyes widening. There was something about the aura around the woman—something familiar. A shimmer in her gaze that reminded her of… Raho.
"Hello, boys." The old woman's voice rasped, yet carried authority that silenced the hall. She smiled, toothless but unsettling. "How about you let go of the girl… and we settle this with a little game?"
Sam scoffed. "Get lost, granny. We're not in the mood for bedtime stories."
The old lady chuckled, reaching into her blouse with a frail hand. She pulled out something that glimmered even in the dim light—a golden bar, small but unmistakably real.
"Holy crap… that's gold," one of the boys gasped, his jaw dropping.
Even Sam's eyes flickered at the sight.
Celestine's heart skipped.She knew it was Raho. But what game was she playing?
"There you are, Sam," the granny said sweetly. "You can have it all for free…only if...you succeed in undressing me."
The boys froze.
"…WHAT?"
"…EXCUSE ME?!"
The old woman only nodded, tapping her stick against the floor.
Tap. Tap.
Sam clenched his fists. "You're kidding, right?" But his gaze never left the golden bar now resting on the tiles.
"Not really," the granny said, almost playfully. "Undress me, and the gold is yours. Isn't that a nice and easy game?"
The three boys looked at each other, torn between Celestine's beauty and the gleaming bar. One licked his lips. "Gold like that… we'd never have to step foot in this dump again."
"Yeah, screw the girl, man," another muttered.
Sam hesitated, glancing between Celestine's terrified face and the treasure glinting on the floor.
Between Celestine's fairy beauty and granny's captivating bar of gold, which one was more precious?
Finally, greed won.
"Come on, boys," Sam smirked, pocketing the syringe. "Let's undress this old lady."
(Shall We??)