"Did you consider Maeve's warnings, given that Theo and you were getting closer?" Detective Richardson enquired.
"Theo seemed like a nice guy, but someone whom you don't want to be friends with readily given his loneliness. I didn't know why he didn't get on well with his fellow classmates. Maybe everyone mistook his silence for arrogance," I shrugged.
"Hmm... However there is one thing that I fail to understand. Why was Maeve so insistent on you breaking your ties with him? Was she... jealous?"
I tried to hold back an amusing chuckle, but a snort escaped my lips instead. The detective watched me with a confused look. "I'm sorry detective, but it's just--" I let out the giggle that had been building up in me as my stomach ached with laughing. "Why would Maeve be jealous of me? What did I have that she didn't? The Rosensteins and Hawthornes go back way before either of them was born. If Maeve wanted Theo, she would've gotten him. Heaven forbid if Maeve envied me for befriending someone whom she didn't even like!"
"But what if Maeve was telling the truth of how untrustworthy Theo was? Didn't you consider that as a possibility?"
"I did understand that Theo and his dad couldn't look one another in the eye, but the real reason behind the hostility in their actions was yet to be unveiled... and I was not ready for it."
******
S E P T E M B E R 1 7, 2 0 1 9
"So how well did you know Miss Fernandez?" Detective Gonzalez asked as I was seated across from him in the library, the room eerily quiet except for the sound of the ticking clock in the far corner of the room.
"I didn't. The only time I noticd her was at the bonfire, accompanied by thirty others at the least," I explained.
"Did you notice anything strange in her behaviour?"
"No, not really. She was laughing and having fun with her friends just like the rest of us."
"Friends as in Heather McCarthy and Andrew Kingsley?"
"I guess... I don't really remember their names." My mind drifted off to the night of the party as a memory struck the back of my head, "There was this one thing though..."
"Go on."
"That night, when Allison insisted on playing Never Have I Ever, Crystal made a remark of how stupid it sounded, to which Allison replied that it would be more amusing if Crystal's parents found their daughter's body dumped in a ditch somewhere," the memories of the doomed night sent shivers down my spine.
"Hmm... Ironic how it was Allison's body we found the next day," he scoffed, saying out those words almost amusingly. A moment later, he nodded his head thoughtfully, "Alright, you can go now."
"Thank you detective," saying so, I lifted myself up from my seat and advanced towards the door.
"Miss Park," his voice stopped me in my tracks as I turned around, "I'm not really sure if someone else had texted me the video from your phone, but a part of me still believes that it wasn't you."
"I-- You believe me?"
He nodded, "I have been in this profession for over twenty years now, and understanding body language of possible suspects is one of the tricks that I've learnt from this job. Judging by the way you present yourself, it won't be wrong of me to say that the text didn't sound like it was yours."
"... Thank you for believing in me."
He passed a stern nod to me, "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
I nodded at his question before making my way out. I noticed Maeve and Grace standing in a corner of the hallway before walking upto them, "Have you given your statements too?" I asked.
"Like we had a choice. Have been interrogated twice in a month. I've got to put that on my resumé," Maeve rolled her eyes.
"I don't get it. Why interrogate the students when a girl has gone missing for over two weeks. What are we supposed to know?" Grace enquired.
"That's because the cops are stupid. Every officer needs a Lucifer by their side. "What do you truly desire?" and bam! You'd know if the suspect's guilty or not," she clicked her fingers, right when detective Gonzalez walked out of the room, carrying the notebook he had been writing down his notes in.
"Given the shortage of time, we have to halt the interrogation at the moment. The remaining students have to give their statements tomorrow," eyeing the people in the corridor one last time, he walked out of the school in his cop car.
"Well it's already 8, so there's no point in staying here. I'm off to my room," breathing out a dramatic sigh, Maeve headed to her dorm as the others dispersed soon.
I survived another day. Yay.
Slumping my shoulders, I walked back to my room.
******
S E P T E M B E R 1 8, 2 0 1 9
"Were you friends with Crystal Fernandez?" The detective asked as I was being questioned.
"We were on good terms, but I was particularly friends with Andy."
"Andrew Kingsley?"
"The very same. We were nearly inseparable. I helped him with his transition, when not many were on his side," I stated, thinking back the day when I first met the three of them.
******
N O V E M B E R 1, 2 0 1 8
"Hi, can you let us know the way to the principal's office?" A tall brunette, dressed in fishnets and skulls asked me, accompanied by two other girls.
"It's that way, at the end of the hallway," I pointed in the direction of his office.
"Thank you buddy," she gave me a fist bump, "I'm Andrea by the way." The other girls introduced themselves as Crystal and Heather.
"I'm Joshua, but you can call me Josh."
"Josh it is then. Honestly, you do sound like a Josh to me."
"What's that--"
"Are these the scholarship students?" Allison Hawthorne, the star girl of the school approached us, placing her elbow on my shoulder as I felt butterflies in my stomach.
"Yeah," Andrea answered.
"Welcome to Beacon Heights! I'm Allison Hawthorne, aka, the life of this school and you--"
"Oh my God, are you the Instagram sensation, Allison Hawthorne?" Heather gasped.
"The very same I'm afraid."
"I'm your biggest fan! My sister and I love your travel vlogs."
"Oh, so you're a fan then? Nice to meet someone who appreciates my talent," she walked upto the girl in spectacles and gave her a warm hug. As they pulled apart, her eyes fell on Crystal, who had been watching them the whole time from a distance. "Is that a pimple, love?" Her thumb grazed Crystal's cheek, "Your skin has so many breakouts. Darling, will you please advice your friend here to watch my makeup vlogs. She's in desperate need of some help, if she can afford the products I use of course," she scoffed.
"I pity you, Allison Hawthorne, for hiding behind a mask the whole time. You're right, I can't afford the products you use, but what do I need them for? Do I want to be like you? I would dread the day if it comes to that," she scoffed.
"Fiesty, huh? Darling, this isn't the public school you had been fed in all your life. Here, I make the rules, and if you dare disobey them anytime, I will end you," she tapped her finger against Crystal's chest, passing her a deadly glare, "they're yours black panther. I don't want to waste my precious time on these thrift store hobbits," strutting in her heels, she walked down the corridor.
******
S E P T E M B E R 1 8, 2 0 1 9
"Crystal was... a rebel, one of the very few persons who could stand upto Allison," I mentioned.
"Hmm... Do you think she could be involved in Allison's murder?"
"What? No! Hell no! No matter how much she hated Allison, she would've never done something so drastic as this."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
He nodded thoughtfully, "You can go." I complied.
Outside, I met up with Francesca. "Do they really believe that one of us is responsible for this?" She asked.
"That's probably the best guess..." I shrugged.
"They'll believe what they want to believe in."
A few moments later, detective Gonzalez emerged out of the room, "Thank you everyone for your cooperation. We are organizing a search party in a few hours. We'll appreciate if some of you join us. Anyone interested may gather behind the school at 6 p.m. sharp," saying so, he left the building.
******
"Is everyone here?" The detective asked, his team assembled behind him. The students nodded as darkness fell. "We'll be providing you with flashlights. Don't wander off on your own. Stick with us since the forest can seem unsettling with all the sounds," he stated as the officers gave us a flashlight each. "Alright, let's go."
I joined Francesca, Heather and Andrew as we walked through the woods with no idea what we were searching for. Crickets chirped around us as vines threatened to wrap around our feet as we progressed towards the heart of the forest.
"Do you think any of this is gonna work?" Andrew asked, clearing out his path through the woods.
"It can't get any worse than it already is, right?" I questioned back.
"Crystal didn't deserve this," Heather broke into tears, sniffling quietly as she continued walking in silence.
"Let's hope for the best, okay? She might be fine for all we know, right?" Francesca tried lifting up the mood, but it wasn't much impactful.
Suddenly, I heard a shuffling sound from a distance. Curiosity got the best of me as I started walking in that direction. "Josh, where are you going?" Andrew shouted out.
"No-- Nowhere. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be back in a sec," saying so, I headed in the voice's direction, right when I ran into someone.
"Watch it stalker boy!" A familiar voice reached my ears as I picked up the flashlight that had landed on the grass. Handing it back to its owner, my eyes went wide.
"Maeve? What are you doing here?"
"Hunting elephants. What do you think I'm doing?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry but... you barely talked to Crystal when she was, you know, around."
"Yeah, yeah, I know I didn't. I'm here to escape the zombies in my room. They don't know how to have fun! And now that my phone is taken away, I have no other option than to be here, somewhere there's no one to tell me what to do."
"What about Roman? He might enjoy your company, right?"
She scoffed, "He's too busy in his own work. Sports are his life now. Ever since junior prom, he has been... distant, nothing too serious but things aren't the way they used to be before," her words trailed off.
"You deserve someone better, Maeve. I have known you since freshman year and anyone who spends even five minutes with you will know how special you are."
Her eyes met mine, a look of uncertainty passing through them, "You think so?"
"I know so," I grinned.
"Well, I hope there were many others like you in this world who can see through me," she patted my shoulder before moving deeper into the forest as I made my way towards the sound. It seemed to get louder with each step, a muffled cry amidst the chirping insects. I shone my flashlight in the direction and noticed something wooden behind the thick canopy. It was impossible to make out what it was in the darkness. Right when I tried moving further, something wrapped around my left foot as I almost faceplanted to the the ground if someone hadn't caught me on time.
"Josh!" Francesca's voice drew me back as I rose to my feet, "what were you trying to do?" She asked.
"I-- There's something over there..." I pointed in the direction of the sound.
Flashing her torch, she sighed, "There's nothing there."
"What? But-- Ouch," glancing down, I noticed a burnt shoelace wrapped around my foot, the other end still engaged to the similarly burnt sneaker, "I... I think I found something," I yelled out, hoping the cops would listen, and in about a minute, all the students and cops gathered around me, gazing at the shoe.
"Oh my God..." Heather gasped.
"What is it?" Andrew asked, holding her close.
"It's... It's Crystal's..." she whimpered.
Detective Gonzalez bent down and disentangled the shoelace from me and placed it in a transparent evidence bag.
"How did that get in here?" Francesca asked.
"It's... unexplainable," the detective responded. Suddenly, a long drawn, high-pitched screech echoed through the forest, "That'sa coyote. We should get going," he suggested as all of us walked back from where we came, my eyes lingering a bit too long on the spot where I heard the sound.
What was it?
******
S E P T E M B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 9
As I headed back to my dorm after class, a voice stopped me in my tracks, "Miss Park." Turning around, I noticed professor Hemmingway headed in my direction, "Since I found you here, can you do me favour?"
"Yeah... What it is?"
"Can you head to the computer lab and fetch me the score sheet for your weekly test results? I need to input the marks."
"Sure."
"Thank you. It will be in station 16."
"Got it," following his directions, I headed to the now secluded computer lab and approached the sixteenth station. To my relief, I found a mark sheet lying under the keyboard, but to my surprise, there wasn't just one paper. My eyes went wide as I recognized the two individuals depicted in the photo underneath the required sheet.
This... This can't be...
In the picture, was Allison, kissing professor Hemmingway on his cheek. The background looked like that of a beach party. Turning it over, I noticed the location and date printed on it. 'Miami, July 2019.' But that wasn't even half of it. Just beneath the words was a text written in red ink. 'Fooling around never looked so good.'
"Miss Park?" Professor Hemmingway's voice drew me back to reality as it crumpled the photo in my hand and shoved it into my pocket. A second later, he entered the room, "I thought you were lost," he chuckled, taking away the mark sheet from my hands. "Thank you, Miss Park," saying so, he left, as I stood there, paralysed.
Who is he?
******
What are your thoughts on this chapter? Let me know in the comments section down below. Also, Andrew is a transgender who transitioned into a male, if anyone had any confusion.
What history does the professor have with Allison, and how is he linked to her death? Read on to find out!
Until then,
Goodbye,
-Adrianna