Ethyl approached me in the hallway after class. His nostrils were flared and his hands were shaking as he walked towards me: "Where is Cat?" His voice was toneless like the silence before a storm.

I shrugged. He took my hand and twisted it. The most annoying thing was knowing that this never would have happened if I was not injured. Usually, my instincts were better than human instincts, and my reaction time was shorter. I really should have evaded this attack.

"Where is Cat? I am not going to ask again.", he said in a low threatening voice.

"Get off me!", I hissed, struggling to escape his grip. He twisted my hand even further and I gasped in pain. Such a humiliation to be caught by a human.

"You have scratches on your face.", he noted, as his free hand was pointing at my cheek.

I killed any expression I had previously held on my face, giving way to a blank empty stare on the ground. The guilt was consuming me. For a moment I forgot that I wanted to fight my way out of his grip.

"What happened last night?", his anger slowly turned into fear: "Where is Cat?", His voice was shaky.

He pulled up my arm behind my back again. I shouted in pain. The other students started gathering around us, enjoying the spectacle. They looked amused, casually chatting as they watched Ethyl grappling with me.

"She's not coming back.", I hissed with a sadistic undertone.

He pushed me against the wall. Pain flushed through my torso. I unwillingly grunted.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?", he yelled, both hands on his hips.

I was running out of options and I knew it. My hand reached into my pocket to take out my gun. "I suppose you could say I finished what you started.", I felt a very grim kind of pain right before I shot him. He sank to the floor, plasma burned into his head. I shot again. And again.

"WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?", I screamed at the other students. "FUCKING RUN!"

Tears started running down my face the moment they turned around.

I bowed down to inspect Ethyl's dead body. I took his techdevice and gun. Better I have his stuff than someone else gets it. Never kill without looting. Yet another time that I could apply what I had learned in school in real life.

Using Ethyl's techdevice maybe I could find his supplier. With the contacts that were on Ethyl's techdevice, maybe I could repay Ribbit. And I could also get some pain killers. Nyx knew I needed them.

I walked to Ethyl's room as fast as I could, unlocking his door with his techdevice. His drugs were under the bed, not a very good hiding place. I texted Ribbit to come.

When he arrived he had already heard of what happened, I could see it in his face.

I handed him some drugs and a first-aid kid: "Fix me up."

His expression was cautious, even though I could tell that he was worried about me. "Just don't kill me", he said, pretending to laugh.

"Don't provoke me then.", I grimaced at him, but he did not grimace back at me.

He was just done fixing my new bandage when we heard another announcement: "The elf better come to my office. NOW!"

Ribbit helped me get up. He was kind to me, but for the first time, he was also distant. "Do you really..", I did not finish the question as I realized that he was never going to give me an honest answer. Cat was dead and my remaining friends feared me more than they cared for me.

In the principal's office, I sat down in a chair in front of him. He was typing on his techdevice, barely looking up when I entered the room. When I sat down, he stored it in the upper right drawer of his desk, then he looked at me.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." There was a scary kind of fire in his eyes.

"I have heard that you killed your best friend, Cat, and then Ethyl. Two of our most promising students. Most people would not be that cold-blooded, especially at your age."

He smiled at me. It was like I was his achievement, and he was proud of what he had done.

"Is it true?"

I decided not to respond.

"I am definitely going to tell Hades about you, either way."

I looked at him for a brief second, barely hiding my disgust.

"However, you did damage some school property when you shot Ethyl. And there were several witnesses to testify against you. Not shooting them? Careless, really."

I stood up. My plan was to just walk out of the door. I could not take another moment in one room with this man.

"Of course I am going to have to punish you for that.", I did not turn back but I knew he was smiling in malicious joy for what was about to happen.

Two bodyguards from outside the office walked in and grabbed me from both sides.

"You have impressed Hades himself. Please remember that", I heard the director's voice say from behind me.

The bodyguards dragged me to the pillar. I tried walking myself but they would just walk faster until my feet started dragging on the floor again.

The bodyguards stood next to me for most of the night, making sure nobody harmed or rescued me.

Ribbit finally freed me in the early morning, about half an hour after they had left.