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Under Duress I

“Your task for today is to write a two-thousand-word essay about the negative effects of online streaming with emphasis on violence and bullying,” Yana announced in a loud, stern voice, bouncing against the walls upon handing out the two-page answer sheet to the two men sitting two desks apart in an empty classroom.

She had volunteered for today to facilitate the suspension program between two notorious delinquents: Michael Godfriede and Felipe Dominguez, who called themselves the Predators. Aside from that, her agenda was to promote the necessary rehabilitation and correction of these students through positive thinking to help them improve their well-being.

“Fuck… two thousand? Fucking bitch.” Flipper let out an exasperated sigh when receiving the answer sheet.

“Watch your mouth!” Natalie snarled while standing in front of the room with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. “Say another word, and I’ll add another thousand more.”

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in disgust and rolled his eyes.

“Miss Aqua Princess, may I ask a question?” Mikey raised his hand in the air, waving it to catch her attention.

Yana took a short pause, feeling flustered from being called that name. W-what?Aqua Princess? She had heard that name before in the Academy’s forums, but she had never been directly addressed like that by anyone, much more by someone like him.

“What is it, Mr. Godfriede?”

“Can we use our phones by chance, please?” He begged.

“Now that you mentioned it.” Yana pulled out a small deposit box to show it to them. “Drop your phones inside. You will get them by the end of the day.”

“Fine. Fine. No problem.” Mikey scoffed in a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief before depositing his phone into the box.

“Hey, Ms. Vice-Pres. What if I don’t have one?”

“Are you sure? I need some evidence for that.”

“Here.” Flipper tossed her a zip-lock bag filled with shards of glass, metallic pieces, and broken plastic components that once resembled a phone. “Some bitch wrecked it into useless shit.”

“Bitch, who?” Natalie scoffed. “You deserve it regardless.”

“You—!”

The metallic lid slammed shut, cutting off Flipper’s words before he could start an argument, sealing the box tight with the click of a padlock to secure their belongings. Then, she walked towards her friend, Natalie, and gave it to her, who gratefully accepted it in both arms.

“Well… Thanks for your honesty, Mr. Dominguez. I’ll still keep it for the meantime.” She responded with a smile.

“Frickin’ hell. Even my broken phone is still confiscated.”

“It’s alright, Flipper. We can get this over with.” Mikey reassured his friend with a pat on his back. “Just trust me.”

“One more thing,” Yana added. “No cheating and copying answers. I expect different responses from both of you. Am I clear?”

Both of them answered in unison with eyes rolling to the side and frustrated sighs. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re given until the end of the day to come up with your essays. By the time we return, we expect to collect a finished output, so I wish you the best, and you may begin.” She beckoned them with a nod before exiting the room with Natalie and locking the door shut behind her.

“Oh my gosh, girl. You’re so amazing!” Natalie excitedly complimented her as she held her hand. “Ugh. I hate their guts for disrespecting you like that.”

“It’s fine, Natalie. They’ll learn their lesson one way or another.”

---

The wall clock looming above Mr. Davies’ sleek black hair continued to tick as every second passed, while his droning voice mumbled the passage once again, matching the pace of the clock’s ticks. It had been an hour since the afternoon classes started, but every student in the classroom went still and sat in silence, patiently awaiting the blaring ring of the brass bells.

Raphael was at the edge of his seat, having to sit down all day long, knowing what was coming at the end of the day. His hand trembled faintly as he flexed his fingers, attempting to calm his nerves.

They said it would take only a few minutes to film for a video. Nothing more than that.

But why am I feeling nervous?

Bzzt! Bzzt!

The phone in his pocket vibrated, startling him momentarily before he finally took it out to check who it came from this time.

No name.

No call history.

An unknown number had messaged him as he glanced at the notification on his phone. Once his fingers hovered above it and tapped it in wonder, he read the text message in silence.

Don’t forget. 2:15 PM. Garden.

At the end of the message, a familiar name appeared…. Mikey. He was surprised once again. How did he find out about his contact information? He did not remember giving it away to them during their previous interaction. Nonetheless, that would not change anything now.

Clang! Clang!

There it was, the familiar sound of the bells ringing outside the halls. The academic classes finally ended as students excitedly rushed out of the room to join their respective club activities, not even bothering to wait for Mr. Davies to dismiss the class.

Raphael took a deep breath as he stood up from his seat.

Guess it’s time now.

He did not wait any longer, nor could he afford to stall for more time. Whether he wanted to or not, his life was on the line. No matter what, he had no choice but to go. Once he left the room, his footsteps led him aimlessly down the busy corridors, weaving through the sea of students passing in his direction.

His mind had gone blank as he continued to wander down the staircases and into the courtyard. Eventually, he found himself standing in front of the arched entrance by the garden.

He had arrived. What could they be preparing for him? A grand-scale expose video of Sylvia? Something would have to do with revenge, but nothing came to mind.

But why does it have to be me?

This was not part of his plan at all. What happened to being low-key or avoiding trouble? Didn’t he promise that? This was a mess… a total mess.

The pebbles along the cobbled path were crushed beneath the sole of his shoe as he stopped dead in his tracks, seeing two students standing by the bench where the scene took place. Right next to them, a simple phone video recorder with a stand had been set up facing towards the bench, and a brown paper bag was left on the side.

What could that be? Props?

“Yoo~ Raphael!” Flipper called out his name upon recognizing his presence, waving his hand to get his attention. “Come over here!”

“Heh, just on time.” Mikey grinned while approaching him. Then, once he was within his reach, his arm wrapped over his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Shall we start?”

Raphael hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding his head in compliance. “Ah, sure… What are we going to do?”

“Come, have a seat.”

Mikey motioned his hand towards the bench where the setup had been prepared, pulling him over and letting him take a seat as the warm marbled bench felt through the fabric of his pants and into his skin.

“Flipper, prepare the rest of it.”

“Sure, sure, man.” Flipper began adjusting the equipment, aiming the camera towards him and another device— a tablet had been set up next to it with a few words on screen. Didn’t they say he was going to read something for them?

This felt more like he was going to give an interview, a news report, or a speech.

“Now, over there is the camera. You’re going to read the lines over that device.” Mikey explained briefly to him as he pointed out each piece of equipment.

“Is that all I have to do?” Raphael tilted his head to the side.

“Simple, isn’t it?” Mikey chuckled softly. “I would need a little bit of acting skills from you.”

Acting…? That was something he had no prior experience with, let alone a talent for such. Raphael refused. “Uhh…. I am not sure about that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Mikey assured him, rubbing his hand casually onto his back before dropping his voice in a whisper. “Remember what’s on the line, Raphael.”

Raphael conceded with a reluctant nod.

“Yo, Mikey, everything’s good over here,” Flipper reported with a thumbs up while moving in closer to them.

“Good. Now, let’s get on for the next part….”

Wait—there was still more…?

Flipper snickered, grabbing that paper bag sitting next to him, rustling in his grip. Without a second thought, he turned the bag upside down, spilling its contents onto the ground— a duct tape, a fake-looking knife, bandages, red vials that resembled blood, and a bundle of twisted ropes.

These items were too peculiar to be grouped in his mind as Raphael stared at the ground a second longer than usual, brows raised and confusion on his face.

“Ah, found it!” Flipper took the rope among the other items and straightened both ends with his hands.

Raphael recognized the item in his hand as he asked. “What is that for? “

“Something fun.” He snorted upon giving him the vaguest answer. How would that be fun?

Then, to his surprise, he felt Mikey’s arm pulling him a bit closer, too close for comfort, as his warm breath hovered into his ear, huffing and puffing.

“Listen up, man. Don’t worry about what’s coming. Just a touch of realism, alright?”

“W-what is going on?” Raphael felt more confused.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Flipper getting closer, now standing next to him with the rope in his hands. There was something in his face, a smile slowly curving wide with a mischievous intent.

“Today, you’ll be playing as our lil hostage for ransom, aight?” Mikey revealed.

Raphael’s eyes widened in shock. “A hostage?!”

With their true intentions disclosed, Raphael felt his chest tighten while his breath turned shallow.

This can’t be happening…

Will she even come?