It Started with an Air Conditioner, It Ended in Blood

Sydney's POV

To stop me from escaping, they tied me up with rope, arms pinned tightly behind my back, and secured the other end to the window handle. Even if I managed to crawl to the door, there was no way I could open it with my hands bound like this.

Mirabelle then slammed the door shut and pulled the curtains closed, turning the balcony into a sealed pressure cooker.

Soon, I collapsed onto the scorching floor, every inch of my skin burning.

Through the glass, I could still hear them inside, laughing and chatting while watching their drama.

As noon approached, the heat became unbearable. Breathing grew harder by the minute.

My lips cracked, and blood started to seep from the dry skin.

I slowly inched toward the glass door and knocked my head against it, hoping someone would notice.

I kept banging my head until blood ran down my forehead. Finally, Mirabelle pulled back the curtain, only to give me a warning look.

"You better stay quiet. The school officials are doing a dorm inspection soon. If they find you like this, you’re dead meat."

A spark of hope flared in my chest.

If I could just get their attention during the inspection, maybe I’d be saved.

Clinging to that thought, I steadied my breathing and leaned against the wall, trying to conserve my energy.

The sun soon climbed higher, and the heat pressed down like a weight, making my vision blur and my head spin.

Then, finally, I heard unfamiliar voices. The inspectors had arrived.

Adrenaline surged through me. This was it. My one shot. I started slamming my body against the door, over and over.

The sound quickly drew their attention.

"Is there someone out on the balcony?" one of the officials asked, frowning in the direction of the noise.

Mirabelle quickly covered, "Oh, that’s just a wind chime. We keep the window open, so it bangs around when the wind hits it. I’ll take it down later."

The inspector nodded and turned to leave, clearly pressed for time.

At that time, panic gripped me. If they left now, Mirabelle and the others would definitely take it out on me.

I pressed my face to the glass, peeking through a gap in the curtain.

Then, I saw him. My uncle, Bernard Carter. He was among the inspectors.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

He knew I lived in this dorm. If he didn’t see me, he’d definitely think something was wrong.

Fueled by desperation, I slammed my head against the glass again, trying to create as much noise as I could.

My forehead was already numb from the pain, and blood covered my face.

I tried to shout, but with the rag still stuffed in my mouth, all I could manage were muffled, pitiful sounds.

My uncle paused mid-step and turned back toward them.

"Isn't there a girl named Sydney in your dorm?" he asked.

Mirabelle froze. "Uh… yes."

"Why haven’t I seen her today?" he asked.

Camille quickly stepped over to block the curtain slit with her body.

Before she could speak, Abigail jumped in, "She’s kind of weird. Barely comes back to the dorm. It’s been days since we’ve seen her."

My uncle frowned. "She doesn’t come back at night?"

Abigail pressed on, lying smoothly, "Apparently, her personal life’s a mess. She’s always with some guy outside of school. Makes him buy her stuff like bags, clothes, and everything. Honestly, people like her don’t deserve to be students here."

Camille also jumped in to back her up. "She acts like she’s rich, but she never pays for anything. She used the air conditioning like it was free and didn’t even pay her share of the electricity bill."

Quickly, Mirabelle joined in, "She even skipped class all the time. Forced us to mark her present. Students like her really drag the rest of us down. The school should do something."

My uncle hesitated, then gave an awkward laugh. "Ah… maybe I was thinking of someone else."

Another school official chimed in, "Don’t worry, students. We’ll investigate thoroughly. If everything you said is true, she’ll be expelled immediately. No tolerance for behavior like that."