On my way down the hallway, I realised everybody was staring at me. It was something I was accustomed to and it wouldn’t trouble me, except there was something unnerving about the way they were going at it this morning. Staring on papers in their hands and then looking back at me.

Do they know it was impolite to stare?

I saw Witt, Cece and their friends and knew something was up with them. There was never smoke without fire. Witt gave me a self-satisfied grin and secret wink; his lips suddenly turned in to a smile with the edge of a blade and my stomach lurched in response.

So—it was one of those mornings, huh?

“Ji-Hye!” I shifted my gaze. Tone ran towards me, her hair bouncing from side to side. She caught up but didn’t speak. She took my hand and led me into an empty classroom.

“Didn’t I warn you about, Witt? Check this out. See at what that punk has all over the school!”

My hands fell to my side as I realised Witt had done what he told me he would. Tone must have thought I would faint. She held my hand and sat me down on a chair. I pulled the paper out from under her arm and stared at it again.

“CAN ANYONE GUESS WHO THE FACE OF GOLDILOCKS BELONGS TO?” written on the paper. There was a sketch, but it had no eyes, mouth or nose—only a head with long copper, gold hair bathed in a golden light.

“What’re you going to do?” She rested her hands on her hips.

“Think they know it’s me?” There wasn’t much to go on.

“You’re the only one in the school with golden hair. You should’ve Uta do his mind trick and place Witt on the edge of a cliff. Maybe he will break a leg.”

I shot my friend a look. “I can’t do that to him.”

“He’s on the verge of telling your secret and has everyone laughing at you, and you’re worried about collateral damage?”

Tone didn’t understand. She thought it was stupid I cared about hurting Witt. But I did. I couldn’t physically harm someone, and Witt had a basketball camp coming up. Basketball was his life. A broken leg would devastate him. However, I had no problem causing emotional pain. I knew I shouldn’t play along with Witt’s game.

“I will do what I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“Buy him a tree with a rope tied to it? Again, I’m only kidding!”

I knew Tone wasn’t joking.

I would put out that fire of his.

I stalked toward Witt with Tone behind. The hallway was even busier than earlier, and everyone stared at me. Because of-the-art show, we weren’t having classes, but our principal Mrs Simon insisted all her students should come and help get the school ready for the show.

“Witt!”

He heard but acting as if he didn’t. I walked up behind him and lightly touched him on the shoulder; he shook me off.

“Witt, I’m talking to you.”

Reluctantly, he shifted his attention from his friends. We were face to face now. He looked at me as if I’m a diseased and contagious dog. I held the paper in his face.

“Are you brain dead or just desperate? I always knew you were a punk! What kind of sick game are you trying to play? Do you believe this will have me fall all over you?”

“Are you that delusional to believe I want you? You are nothing but a Goldilocks who hangs with the freak.”

“Oh, hell no! This fool is better not talking about me!” Tone pointed her finger in Witt’s face. Cece took a step towards us, ready to defend her guy. “Where do you think you’re going trick?”

Cece stepped backwards like a crab going into its shell. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us. It was one thing being rude to me, but another being rude to my friend.

Tone sighed in frustration. “Girl, you better handle this fool, or I swear I will.”

I was glad Witt couldn’t hear my heart beating from where he stood because he would know I was trembling inside.

“I’m showing people what you are. I am sure that’s the reason your daddy left. He knew you are a freak.”

Discomfort welled up in me and my knees buckled. What he said hit a spot and brought back memories I tried hard to bury. I breathed as I struggled to recover from the shock. I looked down the hallway and amid the students; I saw Mr Yuto watching… me? — as if expecting me to do something unusual. What an annoying old man.

Witt knew nothing about Dad’s action. He wanted to make me angry, to prove his point. My heart was pounding in my ears, thoughts swirling through my head. Their minds were overpowering and intense, especially Cece’s. Her mind was familiar to me because I had been there before. I dropped to my knees as their thoughts flooded.

“Ji-Hye, what’s wrong?” Tone asked.

I couldn’t answer. I was afraid if I tried to, I would scream. My head pounded, and it felt as if my brain was pressing against my skull.

Okay, I told myself, search for Witt’s mind. I focused until everyone’s mind ebbed away and I could only see his. I went deeper into his thoughts, searching for the most disgusting things to use against him. Witt’s mind wasn’t very original. No surprise there.

“I won’t deny it. I am a freak. I have long accepted that. We can’t all be prince charming and Cinderella, you know. Some have status while others don’t. Some people like us while they pretend to hate us. You’re a good example, Witt. You hate me, yet you have wet dreams about me.” I froze once that escaped my mouth.

Of all the things I could have selected from his mind and chose this!

I continued like I was on a mission. “You brag to your friends about sex with Cece when you haven’t made it to home plate. But don’t feel bad, Witt. Lots of your friends never made it to first base.”

“You’ve been telling your friends we have sex?” Cece demanded. “I can’t believe you!”

“She’s lying!” Witt reached for her hand. Cece flashed him off like a little bug.

It was looking like a boxing ring. All the students circled us. Some were even laughing at Cece’s reaction to Witt.

“If I were you, I’d walk away before things get worse.”

I stared the little Kobe Bryant wannabe up and down.

“You think you know me? You’ve no idea what I can do to your popular pretty boy status.”

“What’re you trying to prove?” Witt asked through clenched teeth.

I leaned even closer to him. His eyes widened when my lips passed his. “I know things you wish I didn’t know about you. If you ever double-crossing me again, you’ll regret it.”

“Oh, look! I’m shivering because I’m scared.” Witt mocked me.

“You ought to be,” I warned. “I’ll damage that pretty boy reputation you value so much—you will want to commit suicide to avoid being a laughingstock in school.”

He seemed physically shaken by my threat, and I couldn’t believe words like that left my mouth.

“Let’s go,” I told Tone. “I’m done here.”

I opened the door and stepped outside. Tone looked at me with a big grin. “You gave it to, Witt.” She applauded.

“And you gave it to Cece.”

“See—she knew I would kick that ass hadn’t she backed away. The trick was salty, wasn’t she?”

I laughed. “Maybe a little.”

“How did you know all those things about, Witt?”

I knew the question would come, but I was not ready for her to know. This was one thing she would never know about me.

“I figured since he likes me, it was likely he had those kinds of dreams.”

She gave me a high five. “Kinky. I love it.”

Emotionally, I hurt Witt. He was prepared to tell my secret, and I did what I had to. Then why did I feel crappy?

When I was a child, Nicole sat me down and taught me about right and wrong. She told me never to get back at a person, regardless of what they do to me. She said people often did things because they didn’t know better, and if I retaliated, I was no better than them.

Does this mean I was not better than Witt?

The day’s incident made my head spin, and I wanted to vomit each time I thought about what Witt tried today. And what about the threat I made? I shook my body as if to shake off the episode. I concluded I might have to ask Uta for help in erasing Witt’s memory, not wanting a replay of today’s incident. I could practically hear Uta’s speech in my head about how he warned me about Witt as his eyebrows come together in displeasure.

I suddenly feel anxious.

END OF BOOK ONE