CHAPTER ONE
"Bwaa!!"
The sharp sound of impact echoed through the quiet school compound — the unmistakable crash of someone falling from a great height.
A female student lay sprawled on the ground, her body trembling and breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Blood seeped rapidly from a wound on her head, pooling beneath her. She was still alive, though barely.
Just then, a boy hurried past the back of the building and stopped abruptly. His eyes widened in horror at the sight before him. In that fleeting instant, he recognised the motionless figure.
"Mariam!" he cried, dashing towards her.
He fell to his knees beside her and gently lifted her head, his hands shaking as he tried to cover the gash where blood continued to gush. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.
"Yusuf…" came a faint, trembling voice.
"Yes! Yes, I'm here, sister!" he responded frantically, his heart pounding against his ribs.
"Please… call an ambulance. I don't want to die," she whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open.
Yusuf's hands fumbled as he reached into the back pocket of his uniform trousers for his phone. As he raised it to dial, his gaze drifted upward — and that was when he saw them.
Two shadowy figures stood on the rooftop, motionless, watching. For a moment their outlines were clear against the fading light, and then, as if realising they'd been spotted, they swiftly disappeared from view.
Yusuf's mind spun. Should he chase after them? Or stay with his sister? The phone rang in his ear, pulling him back to the moment.
"Emergency services. What's your situation?" came the calm, professional voice on the other end.
"Hello! My sister—she's bleeding badly! She fell from the roof to the ground floor!" he said in a panic.
"Where are you exactly?"
"Truth and Justice College, behind the main school building," Yusuf replied quickly.
"Stay calm. We're on our way," said the responder, and the line went dead.
"They're coming. Please hold on, Mariam," he said softly, pressing his hand firmly over the wound as blood continued to seep through his fingers.
Mariam's breathing grew shallower, her eyes half-closed, but she clung stubbornly to consciousness.
Minutes later, the shrill wail of sirens pierced the air. An ambulance sped through the school gates, immediately drawing the attention of curious students scattered across the compound. The vehicle screeched to a halt behind the building.
Paramedics rushed out, carrying a stretcher and medical bags. Within moments, Mariam was lifted gently onto the ward bed and fitted with an oxygen mask.
"I'm going with her!" Yusuf insisted, his voice breaking.
At first, the paramedics protested — protocol forbade it — but seeing the desperation on his tear-streaked face, one of them finally nodded. "All right, but stay out of the way."
The back doors slammed shut, and the ambulance roared off, sirens blaring into the distance.
For a long moment, silence hung over the compound. Then whispers began to ripple among the students who had gathered to watch.
"Wait… wasn't that Mariam?" Jessica asked, her brow furrowed.
"What makes you think so?" Michael, standing beside her, replied, squinting towards the disappearing van.
"I'm sure it was. And the boy that went with them — wasn't that her brother, Yusuf?"
Michael paused, thinking. "You might be right… I didn't notice at first."
Elizabeth, another student who had joined them, gasped softly. "You mean Mariam? That sweet girl? Who would do such a thing?"
Jessica shrugged helplessly. "No idea. It's unreal."
"You know what they say," Michael muttered grimly, "the good ones always go first. The bad ones linger longer."
Elizabeth frowned. "Who even said that?"
"I don't know," he smirked faintly, "but it hits the mark, doesn't it?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh, just get lost, Michael."
He chuckled as she stormed off.
---
Meanwhile, in the final-year Criminal Case Studies class, Professor Howard had just dismissed his students. As the lecture hall emptied, the door swung open again and Floral walked in, slightly breathless.
"Do you know what just happened?" she asked urgently, slipping into the chair that Victoria had just vacated.
"Hey! That's my seat," Victoria protested, raising a brow.
"Sorry — I just found it free," Floral replied with a careless shrug.
Gabriel, seated nearby, zipped his bag. "Weren't you supposed to have Criminology now?"
"Postponed till next week," Floral said with a grin. For a moment she forgot the news that had brought her rushing there.
"Lucky you," said Gabriella, Gabriel's twin sister. "Doctor Stones just emailed us a ton of assignments due tomorrow morning. It'll take all night to finish!" She groaned dramatically.
"That's why I'm heading home right now," Gabriel said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Same here," Victoria added as she closed her notebook.
"Wait, Floral — what was it you wanted to say?" Gabriella asked, turning back.
"Oh, right." Floral pulled her phone from her bag, unlocked it, and tapped on a video. "You need to see this."
The three leaned closer as the clip began to play.
It showed a group of medics lifting a bloodied girl into an ambulance, a distraught boy climbing in after her.
Gabriella's eyes widened. "That's Mariam, isn't it?"
Floral nodded solemnly. "Exactly what I thought."
"But how? What happened to her?" Gabriella asked, sinking back into her seat, her face pale.
"I don't know," Floral admitted. "When I got there, she was already being taken away. I barely recognised her — she looked… lifeless."
Gabriel frowned, deep in thought. "That means she either fell from the roof or something struck her from above."
Victoria crossed her arms. "No, nothing could have hit her from the ground. So the only explanation is that she fell — or was pushed."
"True," Gabriella murmured in agreement.
Floral zipped her phone back into her bag. "Whatever the case, we'll find out soon enough. The whole school's talking about it already. By tomorrow, everyone will know what really happened."
Gabriel nodded grimly. "Until then, every single person here is a suspect."
"Even you," Gabriella teased lightly.
He smirked. "I didn't say I wasn't."
Floral sighed, trying to lighten the mood. "Let's go. I'm starving, and my aunt's probably waiting for us at her restaurant."
"Fine," Victoria said, grabbing her bag. "But something tells me this is just the beginning."