9 WELL, HE'S ALIVE...

A month passed by, and the six popular boys from Andromeda 83 were closer to Jungkook and Emmalie more than ever. They sat together at lunch, hung out whenever they could, teased each other and talked like they've known each other for years. And every midnight, they'd go to the closet in the North Wing, talking and exploring the mysterious computer. To fit the eight teenagers in the old storage closet, they've had to stack the boxes in the back so they could all fit sitting on the floor in a circle.

As their friendship grew, tension on the ship rose higher than ever. Something was off, and although there were no clear signs, it scared the students of the uneasiness hanging in the air. The teachers, whom the students loved, became distant and colder. Their eyes would flash darkly at any signs of weakness. A shiver, a yawn, a stutter, a stumble, a hesitation. They could suddenly smell the fear coming from students, and it drove the adults crazy. They got mad often. Only the students from Andromeda 83 were used to it, but the others were exhausted and scared.

....

"What's up with Vicky?" I mutter to Jimin, everyone watching as Vicky yells in frustration at Kaeden, all because he couldn't remember the exact steps in mixing a sleeping poison together. Kaeden watches with wide eyes as Vicky towers over him, her eyes blazing with cold fury. The past week we've been training in the dark, but it's not fun anymore. The foggy dark now seems suffocating, and it sends shudders down your back when you see Vicky nearing you, her expressionless face shrouded by darkness...

"I dunno," Jimin sighs back. "But it looks like poor Kaeden is on the verge of tears..."

My arms hug my stomach, and as time passes by, I can't take it anymore. This reminds me too much of the tragic story Hoseok told me and Kookie a month ago in the storage closet, about the girl that fell to her death by the monsters below because of General Rudale's merciless punishment. Vicky seems to have forgotten the rest of us, and all that matters to her right now is making Kaeden feel miserable. When she starts to push Kaeden forcefully, and on the third push he falls onto his back, I run up to Vicky and stand between her and Kaeden. The room becomes an eerie quiet, and Vicky stares at me blankly.

"What's wrong with you?" I whisper, my heart beating too fast, and I still my trembling fingers on my thighs. I stare up at Vicky's pale freckled face, my eyes taking in her dark scarlet hair and hard brown eyes and disgusted frown. "You're not Vicky anymore, Vicky wouldn't yell at a student--"

"I'm your professor, and I'm teaching a lesson," Vicky says harshly.

"No," I say loudly, blood gushing to my head and it roars in my ears. My hands curl into tight fists, so my nails dig into my palms. "The Vicky I knew would puke if any of us called her 'professor'. She'd want us to call her Vicky, because she was everyone's friend. She spent time with every one of us and made sure we improved and liked what we did. She didn't believe in punishing a student just for a simple, humane mistake--"

I see a blur and a 'smack' later, white hot pain explodes across my left cheek, a spiky hot cord that snakes across my brain and digs its sharp claws into my nerves. My head swings to the side and I stumble back. I see red and black spots, and I taste blood slowly flooding my mouth. I had bitten my tongue. I spit on the floor and breathe in heavily, and touch my left cheek gingerly with my fingertips. There's indents in my cheek, and beads of hot blood. I look at her left hand, and see thick iron rings on each finger. They must've dug into my cheek when she backhanded me. I frown; Vicky never wore rings. But again, this isn't the Vicky I know. She's a monster now. Anger scorches on my insides, and I barely have time to look up to snarl at Vicky when a flash of black, shadowy hair and milky pale skin jumps onto Vicky's back and tackles her to the ground.

The breath in my chest leaves me and my mouth forms a small 'o'. Jimin wrestles Vicky, and in quick movements he pins her to the ground on her stomach, pushing her head into the mats.

"Apologize," Jimin says quietly, his eyes blazing and his lips trembling. I stare at Jimin, all his muscles tight and his knuckles white. I've never seen him so angry.

Vicky is silent, then laughs harshly. "You--"

Jimin shoves her face harder into the mats, then lifts her head by her hair. "Apologize," he snarls, turning her head forcefully so she makes eye contact with Jimin.

I unfreeze and stumble over to Jimin, my arms numb. I reach over and tap his shoulder, and he freezes, then glances up at me. I shake my head, my eyes wide and my mouth slightly parted. I didn't want Jimin to get into trouble because of me. He already would be by tackling Vicky like that, and it's my fault.

Jimin hesitates, then lets go of Vicky. She stands up and brushes herself off, disgust written on her face. She stares at Jimin, for almost a minute straight, and Jimin stares defiantly back. I blink hard several times, desperately wishing that all of this is a dream.

Then Vicky laughs. "You have potential, boy. You took me with surprise there. But," she adds, her eyes flashing dangerously, and she licks her lips, "don't waste your time over a weak girl. Those are the ones that bring you down." Vicky suddenly lashes out and strikes Jimin's cheek, and he stumbles back. "And don't question my ways," she spits. "Teach that girl how to keep her mouth shut, will you?" She begins to walk out of the room, and halfway, she turns around, looking over the rest of the frightened class with sharp frigid eyes. "Class dismissed," she hisses, and she walks out of the room, her cloak sweeping into an arch behind her.

I let out a shuddering exhale and walk over to Jimin. I feel guilt spread across my chest when I see the dark bruise blossoming across Jimin's beautiful cheek, his eyes staring at the ground, his jaw clenched tight. My throat tightens. "Hey," I say hoarsely, "let's go, huh?"

Jimin nods, then looks at me with a strange look. Everyone's left the room, I realize, and Jimin's eyes look close to crying, his dark marble eyes shining in the dark.

"Jimin...?" I ask softly, and he brings up his arms and pushes me to his chest. He hugs me gently, carefully, like he's afraid. I can feel his frantic heartbeat.

He sighs into my neck, his breath ruffling my hair. "I'm never going to let you go," he murmurs, pain etched into his voice. "...You're not weak, no, you're the strongest girl I've ever met."

"Oh," a soft breath escapes me, my face buried into his chest. I close my eyes and let myself lean into his warmth, and I smile at his words. Being so close to Jimin makes my heart thunder uncomfortably, and I can't control the waves of nervous prickling across my skin, its tingling almost ticklish. I let out a laugh that's muffled by his shirt, and murmur, "Well, thank you."

Jimin holds me tenderly for a few more minutes, and I could fall asleep in his arms if it were not for my pounding heart and dizzy, spinning head. Then he mumbles, "Yeah, I guess we should go, huh." Then we walk to our locker rooms, our arms brushing but both of us too scared for our hands to touch. I hold my breath whenever our fingers brush, and I think for a split second that he's going to hold my hand but then he doesn't. By the time we part ways and I start changing out of my training clothes in the girls' locker room, I have to sit down because my legs have become noodles.

During Biology 6, I'm shaky and nervous, and Hoseok tries to catch my eye but I shake my head and mouth, 'later', meaning this midnight. Thankfully, this lesson Dexter just talks, so I don't have to leave my seat.

Dexter's voice becomes white noise as questions bloom in my head and my thoughts race around each other. Recently most of the adults have become colder than usual. At first the adults would be twitchy and anxious and quiet; then, about two weeks ago, they started to become expressionless and weird. What made them change so quickly? Some of the adults, like Dexter now, are in that first stage and are quieter than usual. I watch with my chin resting on my palm as Dexter drops his stylus for the third time, his forehead shining with sweat. I frown. At least Dexter has kept his usual style. One thing I've also noticed is the adults that've changed have a different style, close to General Rudale's. Long sweeping dark cloaks, rings, their hair either slicked back or tied back tightly. They now walk with a tall straight posture, hands behind their backs, eyes hunting for weaknesses. Do the other students notice this too? I've seen the medics like this too; haunting bleak eyes and harsh lines forming on their faces.

My nails dig into my chin with frustration. What's happening that we just can't see!?

Then, I watch as Dexter's warm brown eyes widen and his skin turns pale, and he faints and falls hard onto the ground in a crumpled heap of his rumpled cloak and limp limbs. Panic and confusion flickers in me, and everyone rushes to the front to circle around Dexter.

"Dexter!" Kristina cries, shaking his shoulders. His eyes are lolled back, his mouth open. Dominik checks his pulse, and everyone waits anxiously for Dominik's reaction.

Dominik pulls back and frowns, glancing at everyone staring at him. "Well, he's alive, but his pulse is super fast--"

Dexter's arms lunge out suddenly and grasp Dominik and Kristina's wrists. Kristina screams. Dexter's eyes flutter open, and his eyes are a strange black. His irises widen slightly, and I feel sick with deja vu, thinking his eyes will turn all black like Rudale's has before, but they stop and shrink back to normal size before it expands all the way.

Dexter sucks in a sharp breath, and croaks in a voice not his, his words stumbling over each other quickly, "I--no, please, no, you CAN'T--", then he passes out again.

Haley, a small girl with a gentle heart, faints as well in shock.

And a dark, grim cold inky feeling starts to spread in my chest, and I can't help but think, 'all of this trouble must be connected back to General Rudale.'