It's not what she expected 4!

The four of them sped toward the police station, the weight of witness statements and raw adrenaline pressing down like a second skin. Inside the car, Emeka broke the silence, twisting in his seat to eye Fitri. "Wait—how'd you even know we were there? Dewi sent the SOS, like, two seconds ago!"

Austina snorted, leaning forward. "she's right. My girlfriend takes four minutes to reply to a 'wyd' text. You teleport or something?"

Fitri's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I was… nearby. Heard gunshots. People screaming. Called it in. Didn't expect you to be there," she lied, her voice clipped.

Dewi, still curled against Fitri's side in the backseat, stared blankly ahead, her fingers tangled in Fitri's jacket. The others' chatter blurred into static.

Austina, now behind the wheel (since Dewi was in no state to drive), shot a glance at the rearview mirror. "Sure, 'nearby.' Real convincing."

Five minutes later, they pulled up to the police station—a squat concrete building buzzing with urgency. Officers swarmed the entrance, but Dewi's gaze stayed fixed on the middle distance, Fitri's arm a steady anchor around her shoulders.

At the police station, they recounted the details of the shooting with clinical precision—times, locations, the gunman's silhouette etched in their collective memory. When the officers finally dismissed them, the tension in Dewi's shoulders had eased. She no longer clung to Fitri like a lifeline, though their hands still brushed occasionally, silent reminders of the morning's terror.

"So… we heading back?" Emeka asked, stretching his arms after hours of interrogation.

Austina wrinkled her nose, hoisting her bag of snacks. "of course. These'll stink up the car if we don't fridge them soon."

The jeep rumbled to life under the midday sun, its AC battling the heat. Dewi slumped against the window, asleep before they hit the first intersection.

Emeka, though, thrummed with restless energy. "Hey, guess what I saw yesterday?" she blurted, twisting to face Austina and Fitri. "Something… freaky."

Fitri's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "Define 'freaky.'"

"Midnight story material," Emeka teased, lowering her voice. "Too dark for daylight."

Austina groaned. "Don't drag it out, Mek. Spill now."

"Nah. Dewi's zonked, and—she rattled her snack bag. we need mood lighting. My dorm tonight? Snacks included."

Fitri hesitated. "Midnight. Sharp. I've got… things to handle first." Her tone carried the weight of unspoken obligations—homework, maybe, or the lingering shadow of the shooting.

"Deal," Emeka said, grinning as Austina rolled her eyes.

The jeep sped homeward, Dewi's quiet breaths a counterpoint to the promise of secrets waiting to unravel.

—

Back at the school university grounds, they dispersed to their rooms, the day's chaos clinging like static to their clothes.

"Don't forget tonight," Emeka called over his shoulder, halfway down the corridor.

Fitri flashed a saccharine smile. "Wouldn't dream of it." But the moment Emeka turned away, Fitri's lips curled into a serpentine smirk.

In their shared dorm, Dewi blew past Sebastian and Ajeng without a word, collapsing onto her bed like a marionette with cut strings.

"Is she… okay?" Sebastian whispered, eyeing Dewi's motionless form.

Ajeng fiddled with her phone.

"I got the SOS too. Almost called, but…" Her voice trailed off, guilt flickering in her eyes.

Fitri leaned against the doorframe, her posture deceptively casual. "Ah, nothing happened. Just a 'misunderstanding'."

Ajeng exchanged a skeptical glance with Sebastian. "Right. Well, we're grabbing snacks for tonight's discussion," she said, emphasizing the last word.

"Don't burn the place down while we're gone."

"Wouldn't dare," Fitri replied, her tone sweet as poisoned honey.

Alone, she sank into her desk chair and flipped open her laptop. The screen's blue glow carved shadows across her face as she clicked through encrypted files. Then—she laughed. Not a giggle, but a low, guttural sound that slithered through the room like smoke.

'Perfect' .