The maid was hurt and weak. She couldn't hit again. But that one hit was enough to stop Clara for a moment. The maid used that moment to run away.
Clara stayed on the ground for a second, breathing hard. Her head hurt badly. But her anger was even stronger.
"How dare she!" she shouted.
She stood up, looked around, and saw two glass bottles lying in a corner. She picked them up and started looking for the maid again.
She didn't have to walk far. The maid was close by, trying to crawl away. She was weak and couldn't run anymore.
Clara's eyes were full of anger. She didn't think twice.
Smash!
She broke one glass bottle on the maid's head.
Crash!
She broke the second one right after.
Glass and blood were everywhere. The maid wasn't moving. Her head was covered in blood and glass.
Suddenly, Clara froze.
Her hands were shaking. Her eyes wide with fear.
"W-w-what did I do?" she whispered. "I… I killed someone? No… no… this can't be…"
Panic filled her. She dropped what was left of the bottle and ran out of the factory, her heart pounding in her chest.
.
.
Clara looked at the scene in front of her — a memory from her past. Her whole body shivered as the moment replayed in front of her eyes. Tears began to fill her eyes. She slowly took one step back… then another… and another… and finally turned to run.
But suddenly —
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed in pain.
She had stepped on broken glass scattered across the floor. Sharp pieces cut deep into her foot. It hurt badly, but she didn't fall. She didn't even stop.
That's when she noticed something terrifying — the room had changed.
The space where she had seen her past was now completely filled with shattered glass, covering the floor like a trap. She was surrounded.
Crash!
A loud sound echoed caused by a piece of glass fallen from above.
Clara quickly looked up. Her eyes widened in fear.
From the ceiling, sharp glass shards were hanging down like knives, swinging slightly — as if even the smallest sound or movement could cause them all to fall.
She froze, her breathing heavy, sweat dripping down her face.
Then… a voice echoed in the air. It was none other than lizz's voice.
"Hmmmm… well, since you gave me the chance to meet you all… I suppose it's only fair I give you an opportunity too."
Clara swallowed hard. Her voice was shaky, but her eyes held a tiny flicker of hope.
"W-what… what kind of opportunity?" she asked, her heart pounding.
Lizz chuckled softly, her voice smooth like silk but sharp underneath.
"Hmmmm… nothing much. Just tell me the truth you know, and then you can leave~"
Clara's lips trembled as she backed away, her voice shaking.
"W-what truth? You already know I… I killed her. What else do you want from me?"
CRASH!
A sharp scream burst from Clara — but it was swallowed by the sound of small pieces of glass raining down from the ceiling.
Shards fell like deadly snowflakes. The room echoed with the sound, cold and cruel.
Then, silence.
And from that silence came Lizz's final words, echoing like a curse:
"She didn't even deserve an opportunity to begin with…"
.
.
Ting!
The sound of a notification echoed through the quiet room.
Blizz, typing steadily on her laptop, paused as the sound distracted her. She glanced at her phone to see who had messaged her. A smile tugged at her lips when she read the name.
"If Miss Blizz is free, may this gentleman have the honor of taking you to lunch?"
It was a message from Erik.
Blizz checked the time—it was nearly lunchtime. She usually preferred eating late, but today felt different. Lunch a bit earlier didn't sound so bad.
She quickly typed back:
"Yes, why not? Tell me the place and I'll meet you there."
His reply came almost instantly:
"No need. The restaurant's just past your office, so I'll pick you up. I'll be there in 10 minutes—see you!"
"Okay, thank you :)" she replied, her smile lingering as she set her phone down.
On his way to pick up Blizz, Erik found himself smiling. And today, as he drove, his thoughts drifted back to the very first time they met—
the day he could never forget.
Bam! Thud!!
"Ow!" Blizz yelped, landing hard on the ground from the sudden impact. She looked up, seeing Erik standing above her, a concerned look on his face as he offered her a hand.
"I'm so sorry!" he said quickly. "This idiot of a friend of mine pushed me, and I ended up falling into you. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Blizz rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling herself up. "Ugh! Seriously, are those eyes of yours on your forehead or are they buttons?" she muttered, irritated.
Erik made a face that resembled a concerned puppy. "I... I'm so sorry," he stammered, clearly feeling guilty.
Leah's eyes caught something on Blizz's hand, and her expression shifted to concern. "Ahhh!" she cried out. "Blizzy, your hand!"
Blizz glanced down, noticing the scratch on her palm that was bleeding a bit.
"Oh no!" Leah exclaimed. "We need to take you to the nurse's office!"
Without missing a beat, Erik followed Blizz and her friends as they hurried toward the nurse's room, his face filled with guilt.
"I... I didn't mean to—" Erik began, but stopped mid-sentence, his voice trailing off. He was feeling so bad about what had happened.
.
.
At the Nurse's office...
Amy, ever the dramatic one, sobbed loudly. "S-s-sob, sob, wahhh! Our poor Blizzy hurt her ha... hand! Wah ha wahhh!"
Blizz couldn't help but laugh lightly, trying to ease the tension. "It's just a scratch, guys. It'll heal soon, and honestly, this kind of thing happens all the time! Relax Erik these girls are just overreacting," she added with a playful roll of her eyes. "Besides, this is not the first time I fell or got injured."
Erik laughed nervously, but his eyes lingered on her—longer than he meant to. Something about her voice, the way she talks, …it all left a strange warmth blooming in his chest.
He didn't know what it was back then.
But now, thinking back—he realized.
Maybe that was the moment it all started.