The Witches (Book #1)

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔖𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔊𝔦𝔯𝔩

I enter the hall after my last class, and the suspicious looks have escalated. I overhear snippets of conversations as I walk. "Poisoning . . . She did it on purpose . . . At least fifteen people, maybe more . . . How messed up do you have to be?"

I turn left, toward my locker, and readjust my bag on my shoulder. The other students avoid me. Did fifteen people from my homeroom really get sick? I feel awful.

There's a group surrounding my locker and laughing. When they see me, the pretend they have somewhere to go.

You've got to be kidding me. PSYCHO is written in big blackletters across the front of my locker. I scan the hallway. Just my luck, Kai and Seulgi are headed in my direction. Seulgi pushes a loose red wisp back into place and opens a locker a few feet away. She won't meet my eyes.

Kai steps around Seulgi and leans so close to me that I can almost taste his cologne. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

I know I should just walk away, but how is this fair? I haven't said a word to him, much less done anything. He snickers, and my word erupt from me like soda from a shaken can. "Believe me, if I was trying to get people sick, I would've started with you." I slam my locker shut and turn away from him.

"Hey, Suzy," he says loudly once I'm a good fifteen feet away. "You put your father in the hospital, too? I hear he might die."

That's it. I drop my bag and lunge at his perfectly proportioned face. I'll kill him! I'll tear his grin off! Sehun, who I didn't even know was there, catches me right before I make impact.

"Not cool, man," Sehun says to Kai.

We've gathered a crowd of onlookers. I flail, but Sehun has me secured, his arm tight around my waist.

Kai flashes a cocky smile and gives me the finger. Seulgi pulls Kai's hand down and attempts to lead him away.

"This isn't over," I say to Kai. I'm not even sure what I'm threatening him with, but somehow it doesn't matter.

"Next time I'll let her get you, dude. In fact, I'll help her," Sehun adds.

Kai holds out his arms, inviting me to come and get him as he walks away with Seulgi. How the hell did they find out about my dad?

"What's going on here?" asks Principal Byun, a tall man with a shirt one size too small and a comb-over. Everyone disperses.

Sehun removes his arm from my waist. "Someone tagged Suzy's locker."

Principal Byun examines the writing. "I've read the reports from your school in Seoul. This is a bad start to the year, Sooji."

My defensive bristles go up. "You think it's my fault? How can I control this?"

"You can start by controlling your temper," he says in an authoritarian voice.

I clench my teeth.

Byun puffs out his chest and I fear his buttons. "Now go. I'll handle this." He makes a shooing motion with his hand.

I open my mouth but close it again when Sehun gives me a warning look. I pick up my bag off the floor and storm down the hall toward the exit. Sehun follows.

"You okay?" he asks as we leave the building.

"Fine."

"You want me to hit that clown? I'll hit him."

"No. I can hit him myself."

"Yeah, I saw that. Come on, we'll both hit him. You take his fat head, I'll get the rest of him." He turns back toward the school.