Winter Swan

Looking at her confused homeroom teacher, many memories crossed Silje's mind. She remembered what Kail's gang did to her.

The time when she was first hit by the boys at school…

When a bucket of ice water was thrown at her…

Remembering all the painful moments, Silje couldn't breathe.

Maria furrowed her eyebrows.

"Silje?"

This wasn't fair. Silje couldn't take the injustice of it all anymore. Her body was on fire and it felt like a rock had been thrown at her heart. This couldn't continue.

Silje inhaled slowly. Until now, she did her best to endure it silently and she didn't ask for much in return. She just wanted to be left alone, but now, the school was punishing her for being bullied. Silje began to pant angrily in front of her teacher.

Yesterday, she was assaulted and there was nothing that could help her. The only thing she was able to find was the small knife used to sharpen pencils. And just because she trying to protect herself, she was being suspended…

Silje couldn't help but feel deeply hurt.

'They are using something like that against me…'

Her own teacher called out to her with an angry face as if Silje had done something wrong.

"Silje? Do you have something you want to say about your suspension?"

Another silence fell as Silje bit her lips. Why were the bullies not punished? Why did she, the victim, have to be punished instead? Why her!

Silje decided what she had to say.

"What answer do you want me to give you? I know whatever I say doesn't matter, right? The school just wants me to keep quiet and disappear after graduation. Obviously, no one here wants to help me."

At Silje's words, Maria flinched and looked shocked. Silje didn't care. The words she kept in her heart needed to come out now.

"I have stayed quiet for a very long time because I didn't want the problem to get bigger and receive even more unwanted attention. I thought the school felt the same way I did. Isn't that right?"

"Silje…"

Maria panicked, but Silje didn't stop.

"I don't expect much. All I want is to graduate quietly, and until now, I thought I was getting closer to my goal."

"Silje! Wait. Could you listen to me for a second?"

"If any other student in this school were in my shoes, how do you think they would've reacted? How many kids do you think would've endured such horrible treatment like me? I would really like to know. Let's just cut to the chase. I know exactly how the school has treated me. They decide to ignore the obvious problem, and that is why I have very low expectations. That is also why I made an effort not to create an even bigger problem. But if you are telling me now that I haven't tried hard enough, then I guess I have nothing to say to that. What more can I do…? How much more do I have to endure? Fine, if the school feels like I need to be punished, I guess that's that."

When Silje finally finished, Maria looked at her with sad eyes. Silje felt breathless. She blinked a few times before adding coldly, "This is my answer to the school's decision. But you and everyone must know, right? I haven't done anything wrong. Nothing! I swear."

"Silje!"

Maria called out her name desperately, but Silje ran out of the room.

Two days of suspension.

Silje knew not to expect anything from her school, but this was ridiculous.

Her anger soared like an uncontrollable wildfire. Wasn't a school supposed to be an organization that educated students and directed them to follow moral paths? Yet, how could a school punish a victim of racism and bullying? Up until now the school remained neutral regarding this matter, but now it was outright siding with the tyrants.

She was so furious that she didn't know what to do.

Silje considered reporting the school to an ombudsman. If it was released to the public, and possibly even published in newspapers, that a school in Norway was allowing bullying and racism, it was going to be the end of Bestrum Videregaende Skole.

Just thinking about it made her feel excited, but Silje hesitated. What consequences would her adoptive parents face? At the end of the day, they were the ones who raised her.

She knew she couldn't do it.

Walking aimlessly, Silje wondered what to do now.

Where should she go?

Where could she go?

The first thing that worried her was what her adoptive parents might do or say when they found out about her suspension. Just thinking about it made her head pound.

The school would probably call her parents to let them know of their decision.

Silje didn't care if she got yelled at, but she couldn't stand to see her adoptive mother crying out of frustration because of her.

Whatever. It was too late now for her to do anything about it.

Silje decided to go back to her classroom for now. When she was walking alone towards the main building, a group of kids stopped her suddenly.

When she looked up, it was Kail's gang.

Dammit! She thought this day couldn't get any worse, but here it was!

She was so tired of everything that her face crumpled.

Would this day ever end?

Looking at the group coming closer to her, Silje screamed, "Don't come near me! Stop tormenting me!"

The devils were coming to get her.

They ignored her protest. None of them said a word to her while Felicien and Gunhild dragged her away with evil smiles.

She was going crazy. No matter how hard she fought, they continued to ignore her cries and brought her somewhere.

Fear and anger gripped her again. Kail's group wasn't exactly hurting her right now, but the prospect of having to see Kail again infuriated her.

When she remembered his kiss, Silje became even angrier.

What was he going to do next?

Silje screamed again, "Let me go! I said let go of me!"

She yelled and scratched her captors, but it was useless. In the end, she was dragged to a storage room that was located far away from the school buildings.

She continued to scream and looked around. At first she was worried that she was back in the gym equipment storage room, but this was a different place. Kail was probably inside that small wooden building surrounded by birches.

The devil who ordered her to be dragged here.

Kail!

Her heart started pounding faster as she remembered his rough kiss again. She tried to forget it, but it was such an aggressive act. Even now, just thinking about it made her tremble.

The kiss felt like an animal marking her.

Silje screamed again, "Why did you bring me here? What are you going to do to me?"

Still, no one answered, and it made her even more anxious. She had a bad feeling about this, and she was right.

When she entered the storage, her eyes widened.

Was this their headquarters?

The storage room was well furnished. There was a dark oak table, numerous side tables, a velvet sofa, and even a bed. On top of that, there was a pool table and a dartboard.

Just then, she heard the sounds of billiard balls. Someone was playing a game of billiards by himself on the pool board.

Kail.