CHAPTER 1

KHRYSTYANNA'S POINT OF VIEW

It's been a month already. 

It may be fast as the wind for others, but for us, a month is equivalent to a decade of our lives. Tears, cries and even lives were wasted in a blink of an eye. It is the most cruel and unforgettable experience in our lives. No one and nothing can turn back time even though it exists because the lives that were lost that very night cannot and will not be revived once again even if we wished for it. 

I bit my lip and held the handle tightly and impatiently pulled the trigger multiple times in a row until the target board was shredded to pieces from its ruined centre point. 

It hurts so bad. It hurts so bad that it aches my heart. It's like yesterday that I am still happily bonding with them and then the next day, they are gone. What a cruel fate we have. 

"You are still as outstanding as the first day you held the gun, Prez!" He looks like a little child while being amused and continuously clapping his hands. 

I turned to my companion who is also whistling crazily and the heaviness I feel in my heart slowly subsided that made me smile a bit. 

Who am I to blame this guy? He has supported me since I first held the handle of my gun. 

I stopped firing the gun and then approached him. He also stopped clapping his hands but the redness of his face didn't escape my sight. I shook my head as I chuckled. That made it redder when I looked at him from the corner of my eye. 

"Tian, do you want to try?" I asked Christian what made him fall back. Because I know that he doesn't know how to use the gun and he is afraid of it as well. 

"No-no! I am okay just by watching you, Prez. Please don't tease me like that!" He firmly rejected it. 

"Okay! Okay! As you say so!" I turned and removed the magazine of the gun and checked if it's empty or not. I returned it inside as I made sure that it's complete. I also secretly put the safety gear on as another prank popped out in my mind. 

At a swift and fast move, Christian found the tip of my gun aimed at his forehead. His face turned pale like a sheet of paper. His body becomes stiff from where he is standing. I slowly closed the distance between him and I while my gun was still aiming at him. 

I grinned as I looked at him and thought how successful my prank was. I know that it's a bad prank but, I know he will be able to understand my intention. 

After doing the deed of pranking Christian, I finally decided to put the gun in the case. 

'Every action has its own purpose'— this is the saying I am always believing and hopefully, he knows this. 

I approached him while he was still standing stiff. "What if some strangers or maybe someone you know pointed their gun at you? What will you do?" I asked while preparing for my exit. 

Christian's pale face with fear turned into a serious one all of a sudden and said, "if that thing really happened. I will not run. I will not escape from the death that is fate for me." 

I grinned with his response. It may be a bit cowardly yet he is still brave enough to face it. It only means that he is not afraid of death. 

I patted his shoulder when I reached him and said, "I knew that you would say that. Thank you." With that, I decided to walk away, exiting the shooting range. 

Christian Redd Dela Cruz or also known as 'Tian' is one of a few friends of mine. He may be a year older than me, but he thinks the same way as us, and worse, he also thinks and acts like a kid sometimes, which made him be the teasing subject of our group. 

And I am Khrystyanna Cherrie Solano. A sophomore student of the Oracle Academy and the so-called 'Oracle's Sharp Shooter' or 'Sharp Shooter President' of our beloved academy of Oracle. 

THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

After a couple of hours, in the SSG office. Every officer inside the said group are all in a mess of searching. 

"Meghan, Arthur and Bryle! How's your position going?" Christian asked the three people with his intercom radio.  

"She is not here in the canteen!" Meghan Sanchez— the secretary replied back. 

"She is not here at the court!" Arthur McBride— the broadcasting officer— replied as well. 

"Same here at her dorm!" Bryle Reynold— the accounting officer— replied the last. 

Christian heaved a sigh after hearing those. He clenched his fists and muttered, "why is it now at all times?" 

"Still not found?" A transferee student named Mikael Jace del Fuego asked with an impatient voice. 

"P-please. I beg for you to wait for a minute or so. We will look for her." The SSG Vice President pleaded. 

"Make it faster. My time is still precious, you know?" The arrogant young man retorted that made the poor Christian shut up. It may be an insult to a person like him who holds a position in the school, but he kept swallowing his pride for he did not want any unnecessary events to come up and trouble his superior. And also, another reason for his behaviour is that the young man in front of him is a person recommended by the Principal, himself. 

"Arthur. It's time for you to do your job." Christian ordered by his intercom radio. 

"Alright." Arthur murmured as he started to prepare his equipment. 

While the SSG building and officers are in a state of panic, the one that they are eagerly searching for is just busy sleeping at the Royale Garden of the Oracle Academy.