The decision was made.
The few boys in the group went up to Peter. They collectively carried him into a room.
Peter was too dumbfounded to protest. He just watched himself being grabbed and dumped inside a room.
He picked himself up and stared at the entrance as one of the boys slowly closed the door.
Then Peter saw something. Something strange. Something he didn't expect to see in the midst of people who at the moment were suspecting him for assault. He saw.....
A smile?
He was perplexed. Who could possibly be smiling?
Before he could figure out that mystery, the door was shut behind him.
* * *
Dull and solemn looks were plastered on the faces of the students. They were disheartened to say the least. Most of them tried to push it out of their minds saying 'It's already sorted out, no need to worry.', but the atmosphere was still thick and suffocating in some way.
"Let's continue with what the teachers asked us to do, then we will regroup in the sitting room to have dinner." Daniel said with a sour tone.
The student didn't like the idea of locking someone up, but if he was the one responsible for the student's injury then they had no choice.
The students nodded and went ahead to continue with their tasks.
Claire, long since back with some first aid, tended to the wounds of the unconscious student.
There wasn't really much of an injury on the scalp. Only a cut and a light gash, but the blood that flew out of it was a lot.
"Hmmm...." something went through her mind as she tended to the injury.
"How is he? Can he hold through this?" Daniel leaned in and asked.
"He'll be fine. With some bandages, he'll be all right." Claire replied, she wanted to say what was on her mind but something told her it was better to keep it to herself.
"Well, you look after him for a while. We will move him to a bedroom later, first I need to bring out some food rations because boy, am I getting hungry." Daniel said waving goodbye to her and heading to the stall where they had kept the food earlier.
She stared at him as he walked. She was a little on edge so out of curiosity just decided to make mental notes of how he was dressed and checking for anything out of the ordinary.
He eventually was out of sight, leaving her alone to her thoughts.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!!
She stared at her stomach and her cheeks became a little pink. She called for some help with the unconscious student and got some students to carry him gently to a room.
Claire made her way to the parlor where she saw some other students chilling in the parlor. She found a place to sit and just listened in on the few ongoing conversations.
* * *
In other areas of the house, some students carried on with their tasks planning to finish up before they settle to rest.
- - -
"Hey, who did you vote for dude?" A student started a conversation with his task buddy.
"Obviously, the guy with the watch (Peter). Dude was sus as heck."
"True, true. But, you know, the girl with the blonde hair (Claire) was the first to find the body. It might've been some kind of setup."
"Hmmm... I don't know, man. She seems way too timid to be up to no good."
"My mother always says 'It is the quiet ones...'"
The two carried on with their task and before they knew it, it was already dark out.
"Time doesn't really run like usual." One of the students said.
"Yeah, I noticed that." Another replied.
"Is it just me, or do I feel ridiculously hungry?"
"It's not just you?"
The few people still doing their task went to the sitting room.
Footsteps rang as a figure approached the sitting room with lots of boxes in his hands.
"Care to help me out," the figure said a little breathless from all the carrying. It was Daniel.
Some of the students walked up to him and assisted him in carrying the boxes. They placed it on the floor. Inside it were packets of food.
Claire was asked to regulate the sharing of the food and she did so. She passed a considerable amount of food to the students trying her best to ensure equal shares.
After everyone was given something to eat, she took some for herself and dug in.
Her mind wandered back to her teacher. The man who lyrically destroyed all his opponents in that rap battle.
Then her mind drifted back to Daniel, the famous D-Boss. The guy who made her cry in a rap battle.
The first person Vorden defeated in the rap battles.
The person Vorden brought to his knees in fear.
One of the two persons who we know their true identity. The second one being Taylor who had long since blended into the crowd.
The person trying to keep the peace.
The unexpected and default leader.
She stared in his direction out of pure instinct. Her gaze fell on him. He stood tall, his black hair a little more ruffled than the last time she saw him. His clothes were also disheveled compared to last time.
"Must be all that lifting of boxes," she said to herself. She had a really observant mind and tended to pick up the most intricate details.
Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, something she hadn't seen before— a stain at the tip of his sleeve. It looked as if much was done to get rid of it.
When she took a closer look, she gasped.
It wasn't just a regular food stain. It was.... red.
It was blood.