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Hopping out of the porcelain tub after a refreshingly hot shower, clouds of steam curled around me. I quickly dried off my feet on the gray mat and slipped into my favorite pair of pajamas. The soft cotton, adorned with pink teddy bears, felt comforting against my skin.

Standing in front of the sink, I twisted the silver knob and turned on the faucet. I began washing my face, cupping my hands under the warm stream of water.

A swarm of thoughts buzzed in my mind like bees around pollinated flowers. I was unsettled by Lorena's divulgence of Steve's past criminal record, and soon, I would be privy to the details of it.

Clad in my cozy armor, I darted to my desk and sank into the old leather chair that creaked familiarly under my weight.

My eyes glued to the brightly lit screen of my laptop while my hand clutched the mouse in a tight grip. A tremor of anxiety ricocheted through me, causing my knee to bounce as I waited for the email Lorena promised to send, containing details of Steve's criminal record from his time in Florida—where he supposedly committed a multitude of crimes.

Soon, the email popped into my inbox. In bolded black letters, it stood in stark contrast to the other mundane emails.

From: LorenaLovesSF@gmail.com

Subject: Steve's Shady Past!

Hovering my mouse over the subject line, my fingers trembled in dire anticipation as I double-clicked on it. The message opened in agonizing slow motion, and the window popped up on the screen like a ghost manifesting on my laptop.

In the body of the email, Lorena left a message warning me:

Open up the attachment. You're not gonna believe what you're about to read! And a word of advice: STAY FAR AWAY FROM STEVE!

Squinting, my eyes zeroed in on the file. I guided the mouse to the paper-clipped attachment and double-clicked, my heart thumping in a frantic rhythm. The file began to download, and the progress bar slowly filled out.

Sweat dampened my palms, and my breath came in sharp gasps.

...download 45% complete.

...download 68% complete.

...download 89% complete.

Download Complete.

I sighed, my curiosity mounting as the file download came to completion.

What could Steve have possibly done in Florida? Burglary, robbery, assault—or could he have committed something as horrific as murder?

Lost in deep thought, I was jolted back to reality by the sound of my phone vibrating on the wooden table.

Incoming Call: Lorena

I quickly answered, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Lorena?"

"Kayla, did you get the file?" she asked eagerly, her breath quick.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"What do you think?"

"It just finished downloading. Hold on." I informed.

I clicked on the downloaded file.

Steve Gregory's Sarasota, Florida Police Record

My eyes widened, and I inadvertently held my breath as the file opened.

"Are you alright, Kayla?" Lorena's voice tinged with concern.

A Deadly Sorority (Book #1 Sorority Horrors)Where stories live. Discover now