The Technique

Chapter 5: Answer Key

I peeked out of my door. It was early in the morning. Students must've been getting ready for school now. When I was sure that the hallway was deserted and footsteps couldn't be heard, I slowly crept out of my room. 

I carried my bag with me and silently knocked on Greg's door. Without waiting for a few seconds, the door yanked open in front of me. I took a deep breath before letting myself in the room. 

Greg seemed like packing his things. He sat down on his bed and looked for something inside his bag. 

I stayed silent as I looked around the room. Nothing was messy. Everything was in its right place. That was far from splotches of blood and dirt scattered around his room that I was expecting. No one would actually conceive of him as a murderer. From everybody's eyes, he was a quiet boy who did nothing but get hold of achievements from school. 

He stood up and handed me a paper. "I photocopied it already. You can check it out." 

I paused and stared at the paper for a few moments. He was standing still, and I felt like he was waiting for me until I perused everything on it. I tried my best to pay attention to the paper, but the blood marked at the top right corner was bothering me. The whole page was filled with different questions and encircled answers. The essay was on the bottom part. I checked them one by one, and I was certain it was the right answer key. "Thank you," I uttered while trembling, still looking down. 

He went back to his business and said, "It seems like you still have a lot of questions in your head. Well, since you're a freshman here, I must tell you that the school is conducting an exam every single week to test students' knowledge." He looked at me and stopped. When he noticed that I had no plan to reply, he continued. "That is to know if someone like you is really deserving of their spot. Otherwise, you'd be kicked out of this nice dorm." 

I looked out the window and then turned to him again. "You mean our stay here is only temporary?" 

"Yea," he answered quickly. "Everything here is temporary. You should get used to it." He sprung off his bed and acted like he was going out now. 

"Wait," I cut him off. "I still have questions. And I need the answer right away, or else I won't be able to concentrate in class." 

He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Sure. Ask."

 My hands began to twitch again as I replayed what happened last night. The blood poured down the hall, and the scared look on teachers' faces was playing back in my head without pause. "What about the teachers? What's your plan? Sooner or later, they'd find out they're missing for sure." 

He shook his head. His cold eyes were fixed on me. "Do not worry about it. This school is huge for people to even think of it. Teachers here come and go. And if ever someone looks for them, they'd shrug it off and think they kick themselves out." He paused for a moment and smirked. "They didn't exist." 

I let out a sigh of relief. I totally believed in him since he seemed confident. Though everything was still unclear for me, and it was still bugging me. I suddenly remembered the knife he used. "Where did you get the knife? I thought the school won't let you bring any objects like that." 

"I'm working at the cafeteria, so it's easy for me to get the knife. I'm a dishwasher," he answered in a monotonous way. 

"Okay, I got it." I remembered when I saw him walking out of the room at the cafeteria and taking off his apron. 

"Any more questions?" he asked in a neutral tone. 

I didn't reply. I couldn't find my words suddenly. My head got blanked out again.