"He went up? But why did I not see him?" Geralt was confused. Just as he turned around to leave, the closest boy reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
He looked up at Geralt with a starry look and asked, "Big brother, how does it feel to be awakened?"
"Yes, yes! Tell us, big brother."
The other kids also surrounded him and drilled their pitched voices in his ears. Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, the corner of Geralt's lips twitched.
Unlike Jinn, he underestimated the problem and could not escape on time. Geralt looked up the stairs intently, finally realizing why Jinn ran. Then he looked back at the kids holding him.
For a brief moment, an annoyance flashed through his eyes before vanishing.
"I will tell you all about it later, kids, but right now I have something to do. It is a very important mission the matron assigned to me."
Seeing the serious look on his face, the kids looked at each other hesitantly, but hearing the matron's name made all of them nod.
After freeing himself from the boys, Geralt assured them once more before running away from the second floor and rushing towards the third.
'Why would he go to the third floor? What are you hiding this time, Jinn…?'
His feet thumped on the wooden stairs, making them creak.
At the same time, Mr. Huggins continued to bore the class with his monotonous voice.
"No matter what the other teachers have told you in their classes, forget it. Life is not as beautiful and rewarding as they make it sound."
The students were slumped in their chairs, despair covering all over their faces. They appeared to have already accepted their fates.
Some had even tried to leave, like Jinn and Geralt, but the plump teacher showed them the meaning of double standards. 'If you are not awakened, there is no special treatment for you.' That's exactly what he said.
"In the real world, you will know what the true meaning of hate is. You will encounter situations where you get little to nothing in return, no matter how hard you try.
"No matter how well you behave, someone will always try to find faults in your work. You must always suck up to someone, be it your boss, your wife, or someone you need something from.
Whenever the man paused, the silence in the class felt like the kids had died in their seats. But the sounds of their beating heart and ragged breath kept the class going.
Mr. Huggins' gloomy lecture dragged on. "At first, you think it's temporary, but you will realize that it never passes and—"
Whoosh!
The students turned their heads mechanically, attracted by a shadow flying down on the other side of the window. But when they heard a cold thud a second later, their feet were cold.
Tommy, an innocent-looking boy sitting by the window, looked down.
His face paled before he unconsciously screamed, "Arghh!"
The whole class was startled; they rushed to the windows and saw the horrifying scene below.
Lying on the stone pavement was a body—still, twisted. It had a gray sweater and dark pants matching their own.
Slowly the blood pooled around the body.
Gasps filled the room.
Some kids screamed; others froze. Lily's hands shook, and Jake turned away, feeling sick. Mr. Huggins's eyes widened before they rolled back up, and he fainted, hitting the floor hard. A few students collapsed too.
The classroom buzzed with fear. Some kids were unable to look away. Others backed off, wishing they hadn't seen what they saw.
Jinn's class was not the only group experiencing this trauma. Every class that had windows facing the center courtyard of the orphanage could see the body.
They all reacted the same way.
Within a matter of seconds, all the staff members, including the guards, rushed to the grounds and surrounded the boy.
They looked down at the crooked body before raising their eyes above their heads. On the top floor of the central building, the only window below the hut-shaped roof was open.
"What a sin…" Mrs. Walker spoke distastefully, instantly looking away from the bloody mess. She glanced towards the class windows, where several heads were peeking out. "Did you all just leave those kids in the classroom? They must be traumatized by this situation." Hurry and send them back to their dorms."
"Make sure to lead them away from the back."
Her voice was sharp and full of authority. The dazed teachers snapped out of their thoughts and realized their mistakes. They all rushed back inside, leaving a few staff members who had done their duties properly.
"Where is the matron?" clenching her fists, the stern teacher hid them inside her dark robes.
"I am here, Sasha." The voice came from behind the cold-looking lady. She turned around and saw Sister Agnes walking out from the main hallway.
As Mrs. Walker turned, the gory scene fell in the matron's eyes. She stood motionless. Her body shook, and blood drained from her skin.
"How did this happen?" The kind sister gathered herself and stepped forward, her steps quickened. Once closer, the nun gagged but held herself back from vomiting. She looked up at the same window everyone saw before.
"Was it a Suicide?" She asked.
"It appears so. We were all in the class when we heard the commotion. I have already tasked the teachers to send the kids back to their dorms from the back entrance." Mrs. Walker quickly filled her in on the situation.
The matron nodded and then looked at the two guards present there, doing nothing. "You two." She snapped, "Go and check that room; see what happened there. That should be the attic. Even if you find nothing, stand there on guard until the officers of the law arrive."
Mrs. Walker clicked her tongue in annoyance and glared at the guards as well. "Indeed, you should already be rushing to do your work. The security of the children is the only duty you have."
"Sasha… Don't be angry. We all are in shock. Besides, how would they know something like this would happen?" Sister Agnes admonished the sharp lady a little and then signaled the guards to do what she told them to.
Mrs. Walker silently nodded, but the coldness in her eyes did not fade. Now that they were alone, she moved closer to the body and inspected it while maintaining a proper distance.
"Who is this boy? I cannot even make out his face. He was just a child…" Sister Agnes held back her tears and tried her best to look at the boy, but in the end she could not do it. "Did you call someone from law enforcement?"
"I had already sent a letter before I came down. They should be here anytime soon." Mrs. Walker circled the body, her eyes scanning each part of the boy with chilling calmness.
"The fall has broken several bones in his body and even shattered the spine…" Upon inspection, she noticed a dark mark around the boy's waist, visible through the gaps in his tattered clothes.
Just then, Mr. Huggins, who had fainted in the class, now rushed towards the two women with a horrified look on her face.
Gasping for breath, he exclaimed while moving closer, "Matron… *Huff! All the kids have been moved to the resident building. But… one of them is missing."
"Who is it?" The matron instantly looked at the body and asked, knowing the missing student was now lying dead before them.
"It was Torus Moon." The crouching lady finally stood up with an unreadable look in her eyes. She pointed at the now exposed tattoo of a horned beast on its back. "This is him."