WHAT WAS I expecting to feel at this very moment?

Fear.

Guilt.

Joy.

I could hardly comprehend the news, knowing it was all my doing last night. I was the mastermind even though my end didn't justify the mean. I was the one who wanted all these things to happen for my own sake, without thinking morally right. I was the one who made the wish in the old well like I just managed to secure a deal with the devil named Morgan.

"Damn it," I took a deep breath as I looked at everyone on campus, running wherever their feet leads them. "What happened last night didn't happen at all. . . remember that, Mich."

The siren had stopped, but the scream of the student didn't die down even for a second. My legs were hardly shaking while taking small steps towards the garden, where Aiza found a dead body, brutally murdered by an unknown suspect. It was no other than Dawn, the president of the student council. Her red dress wasn't authentically red right now, as it was covered with blood while lying on top of an awful bed of trash that had flown from the rooftop last night. Her eyes were wide open, as so as her mouth, filled with cockroaches and flies. There were pieces of evidence of blood coming out from her nose and ears, which was bewildering.

How did Dawn Madayag die?

How could someone kill a person so inhuman?

Well, unless the killer wasn't human, to begin with. I sarcastically laughed to myself due to my unwavering thoughts. My head began to pound again. I tilted my head to the right for a minute and took a deep breath to calm myself down.

After five minutes of stopping the siren, the ambulance came, together with some police officers. They went directly to the dead body of the late president of the student council, while a brunet police officer, whom I assumed to be the overall in charge of the case, suddenly stood before me after a couple of minutes, blocking my view to the center stage in the process. He looked at me from head to toe and vice versa, judging me the whole time.

I couldn't blame him, honestly. If I were in his shoes, I would do the same.

"Michelle Dayanan," he called my name, which made me look at him with confused eyes. "Can I have a moment with you, please?"

I blinked several times upon hearing what he just said. Why would a police officer know my full name? And why would he want to talk to me?

My eyes landed on the back portion of the stage, where Dawn's friends stood in a circle as they sympathetically cried for their loss. I knew so damn well that the tears were forced and screamed fakeness. I knew they were all happy as to what happened to Dawn. They could easily take over the throne without a single sweat.

Were they pointing fingers now?

The police officer snapped his finger right in front of my eyes. "I am Mike, by the way."

I didn't budge a muscle nor averted my gaze away from him. His motive for approaching was still unknown, and my mother once said to never talk to strangers. Damn it, my unserious mind wasn't helping to escape such circumstances.

Mike took a deep breath like he had given up from my silent treatment. "Can I have a moment with you, please?" he asked again, but the words came out to have emphasis this time. "It won't take a lot of your time. I just need some verification from the statement of other students. . . and based on your condition right now."

"Okay," was my only response after testing his patience.

Mike went inside the main building, and I had no choice but to follow. The moment I passed through Dawn's friends, their eyes said it all. They were behind as to why the police officer approached me in the first place. I kept my composure and cleared my mind. Mike and I were still on the ground floor of the main building. I stood there, waiting, while I kept a reasonable distance.

The guilt in my eyes disappeared and turned into fear. Fear for my life? Fear that Mike might get the wrong impression? But why would I care, anyway? I didn't do anything, to begin with. Dawn and her friends were the ones who brought problems into my precious life because they couldn't afford to solve their own.

"So," he faked a cough three times as he wrote something on his mini notebook. "The headmistress informed me that the school had an acquaintance party last night, which ended around three in the morning, while Dawn died between three to three thirty in the morning. Can you please tell me where were you around that time?"

"In the forbidden forest," I replied truthfully. "Just at the back of La Trinidad."

"In the forbidden forest," he repeated while taking down notes. "What was your business in there?"

"I ran away to save my pathetic self after Dawn and her friends pranked me last night."

Mike nodded, "Hearing your side right now, you have the motive to kill Dawn for revenge—"

"Are you suspecting me right now?" I asked, butting him off.

"Do I have to?" he asked back.

I closed my eyes in annoyance and took a deep breath. Damn it, how to get away with murder that I didn't commit?

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