we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part twenty

⇉ the one where deals and cookies are made.

part twenty

Juno hates being alone with her thoughts.

But now, as she sorts the papers inside this classroom, she finds that there is really not much else for her to do other than think. She'd been the first one to volunteer to assist the math teacher with some work after school - an attempt to reenter his good books - yet all the paperwork she was attending to quickly had her regretting that decision.

Today has been uneventful; actually, the entire week has been uncharacteristically tame. And nobody else has been murdered, so that's a plus.

Juno wonders how long it will last.

Everyone else is optimistic, because this is the longest stretch of time that has gone by with no killings taking place. Many of her fellow students seem to believe that the murderer is no longer active, and all that's left is just for the school to find out who they are.

Juno isn't feeling quite so positive.

She tries to return her focus back to the papers on front of her, but it's a lost effort. The feeling of unease grows when she realizes that she's all alone inside the classroom. The teacher left for some meeting minutes ago, asking her if she would be fine to finish the work by herself. She'd believed so, at the time anyway.

Now she gulps, forcing her uncertainty down as gets up from the desk she is currently sitting at and walks over to the teacher's table. She and Renjun had this conversation earlier today: if they are going to find anything concrete and worthwhile, they'll have to get bolder. That means just going beyond examining prohibited crime scenes and becoming a little riskier in their searching.

After pulling out a few drawers from the table and perusing some documents, she's disappointed to find nothing of note. But she shouldn't be surprised; the teacher wouldn't have left her alone in here if he thought there was anything inside that she shouldn't see. Still, she finds herself flipping through a set of papers found discarded in the recycling bin beside the desk. And then there's a voice from the door.

"What are you doing?"

Juno rises so fast that her head hits the corner of the table. She yelps, clutching her head as she gets up to see Livi standing there, hand on her hip. "Oh, um. Just doing some work for Mr. Ahn."

"And that includes looking through his garbage?" Livi cocks a brow.

Juno doesn't reply. And finally she says, "Fine. I'm kind of snooping around."

"Obviously," Livi chuckles. "But why?"

Juno is silent again, weighing just how much is wise to tell the other girl. "Well, I'm trying to see if I can find anything that could..." Anything pertaining to the school order the murders or both, Juno thinks. I've thought there's something incredibly sketchy going on in this place from the moment I stepped foot inside. But she says none of this, settling for a helpless shrug instead.

She needn't bother; it's like Livi can see exactly what she's thinking. "You think something is weird about this whole thing too, don't you?"

"Yeah."

Livi eyes her, waiting for her to elaborate, but she doesn't. Her next words surprise Juno. "Let me help."

"You?"

"Yeah. I'm on Student Council, remember? I might be able to find out some stuff." She shrugs. "Besides, I do want to find my friends' murderer more than anyone."