CAMPBELL

I pondered the best way to murder someone. Strangling sounded oddly satisfying, but I had no clue how to kill someone that way. However, it did appeal to me because there would be no blood or gore involved.

Smothering my imposter self with a pillow also sounded good. It might have been the best way to go. I mean, there she was, sleeping in my bed. I could've just grabbed a pillow and stuck it in her dumb face and been done with it. All it took for me to kill someone was a pillow, didn't that mean that I was kinda screwed up? Certainly my brain had been fried from all the body switching or some shit.

That changed nothing, I still wanted to kill Imposter Sadie. I clenched a pillow from the bed with a tight grip and that caused my knuckles to turn white. The dark contrast of the nail polish on my fingernails stuck out dramatically. I never was one to wear nail polish, but Nell was.

The image of Nell behind bars entered my mind. I seriously doubted that Nell would be able to escape conviction from Imposter Sadie's death. If I committed the murder, she would have to pay the price. Okay, so I was selfish, but I wasn't selfish enough to let Nell live the rest of her life as a murderer. What would our families think?

It would be the headline to put Harmony on the map. It wasn't the fame that our town needed, but I'll admit that a teenage girl getting killed by her best friend would make an interesting story.

It's okay, I reassured myself. How horrific; I wanted to murder Imposter Sadie, but I just didn't want Nell to be responsible. So I couldn't let her take the blame, but I could certainly frame someone else. Who, you might ask? Well the answer became clear to me when the bushes rustled from outside my window. Immediately, I knew that it wasn't just some feral cat, this was my last body.

She was the perfect person to frame. Yesterday, she was low key harassing Nell and Imposter Sadie, so my family wouldn't have a difficult time buying her guilt.

I left Imposter Sadie to sleep and went outside to the bushes where I left that girl. As I came near, the rustling stopped and her arm stuck out and waved around like a flag. While she signaled her location to me, I stared at her fingertips, wondering how I could possibly manage to get her fingerprints on Imposter Sadie's body. It would involve a lot of touching, and I was not certain if that would end well. Who knows? Maybe this girl had her own agenda and wanted to frame me for murder.

"Need help there?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah I do," the girl said, sounding distant, almost like she was embarrassed. What does she have to be embarrassed about? I wondered, Oh right, it's because she had just woken up in some bushes and was asking a stranger for help, that was pretty embarrassing.

I pulled on the girl's wrist with all my might. After nearly all my strength had depleted, the rest of her body finally resurfaced from her bushy prison.

"Thanks," she told me, panting heavily. Leaves and twigs decorated her coiled hair. She almost looked like a hippy of some sort, or a girl going to a music festival. The only thing I could settle on was that she didn't look nearly as nice as she did yesterday morning.

"Um, where am I?" she asked.

"Harmony, Iowa," I said with pride. Nowadays, it was so rare that I knew the answer to such a question. "To make a long story short, I kidnapped you and abandoned you in the bushes." I exolplained, smiling sweetly despite the cruel and true story I had just told. Smiling made it go over easier.

The girl looked a me with fear and took a few steps away from me. "What?" she mumbled more to herself than to me. "Please tell me that I just misheard you."

Nevermind, I decided, The truth is just too fucked up to go over with anyone well.

"I'm lying," I said quickly, trying to cover up my tracks. "Obviously." I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear.

"Right, right. I knew that," the girl said, but she didn't look confident in her response.

"I don't know what happened to you," I lied. "I just saw you in the bushes and thought you needed help."

"Phew," she said, finally smiling at me. "I'm Campbell."

"Oh, like the soup brand?" I asked like a moron.

"Uh huh."

Great, now I have that jingle stuck in my head. "Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, Possibilities!". (Side note: Please don't sue me Campbell's)

"So, Campbell, do you want to come inside?" I asked, gesturing to my house. "I can give you something to eat and you can use our phone to get a ride home."

She nodded and followed me inside. Unfortunately, before I could manipulate her into smothering Imposter Sadie in her sleep, my plan was foiled by Mom who was eating her breakfast in the kitchen

"What is she doing here?" Mom asked. "Why did you bring her inside, Nell?"

I stopped in my tracks with Campbell by my side. "She'll just be here a moment and then she'll be out of your hair forever."

I tapped on Campbell's shoulder. "C'mon," I said, "You can borrow some of my... I mean, Sadie's clothes."

Mom intervened. "No," she said, standing up and crossing her arms. "She is not welcome here."

My mouth clenched tightly and tried to keep my cool. All I wanted was for this to be over and done with. Only five minutes was needed, five minutes to frame Campbell for murder and five minutes to kill my imposter self.

"Please," I choked out.

Please just let me kill Imposter Sadie, I wanted to tell her. I will finally be at peace once I know that there is only one Sadie Arlo in your life. I can live a life of body switching, but I just can't stand the thought of Imposter Sadie replacing me.

As angry and frustrated tears streamed down my face, I began to shake. Mom stared at me in horror, but placed her arm around me, just like I wanted her to do yesterday.

"Let me do this," I stuttered out slowly and quietly between breaths. "Let me get rid of Imposter Sadie."

Mom never heard me. "Leave," she told Campbell, "Leave or I will call the police."

"Why?" Campbell asked, looking like she was about to cry too. "What did I do?"

Mom stared her down. "You know exactly what you did. Now go home."

"I don't know how to get home," she said, "I live in Anamosa."

Mom sighed. "Nell will get you bus fare." she muttered, pushing me towards my bedroom.

I walked inside where stupid Imposter Sadie was just waking up.

"Hey," she said nicely. "I was wondering where you went."

Oh, I was just helping that girl that was harassing us yesterday. You know, the usual.

Not even giving her the time of day, I began to tear apart my school bag. There was no wallet to be found. Where did I leave the thing? There was no way I'd remember, that was two whole weeks ago.

I threw the books on my table to the floor and a thin wallet fell with them.

Aha, so that's where it was. As soon as I opened it, all bills and coins came pouring out. I crouched down instantly to collect as much as I could hold. It didn't matter how much I grabbed because I couldn't remember how much bus fare was anyway.

Getting busfare for Campbell was actually the nicest I had been in ages. But that felt like it had been revoked or something considering that technically speaking, this wasn't my money, it was Imposter Sadie's Pretending like it was my money, I crumpled up some in my hand and made my way to the door.

"That's not yours!" my imposter self scolded me. "Where are you going?"

I didn't want to see her face and so I never turned around. "I just need to borrow a few dollars," I mumbled.

"Why? Don't you have your own money?"

"Oh man, you caught me," I said, resting my hand on the doorway. "I was going to buy you a Christmas present."

"You were going to buy me a Christmas present with my money in April?" Imposter Sadie asked.

"Yep," I said quickly before leaving the room. Phew, that was an easy way to avoid conflict.

Campbell was sitting in our kitchen, completely motionless. Honest to God, it was a little frightening.

"Now like I told you yesterday," Mom was telling her, "If I ever see you here again, the police will be called."

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" I demanded with too much force. Mom turned her head slowly and as we locked eyes, I handed over the busfare.

"She was harassing us, Nell," she answered. "I turned my back for one second and she locked herself in Sadie's room. I don't want to find out what she has planned next."

"She probably had good reasons," I muttered, looking at my feet

"Or awful reasons," Mom said.

"I'm sorry," I grumbled and covered my face with my hands.

"Nell sweetie," Mom said, "You've done nothing wrong."

If only she knew what I was planning to do a few moments ago.

"Take this," Mom said, handing the wad of cash to Campbell. "The bus stop is on Auburn Street. From here, just walk to the end of the road and take a left onto it. Walk six blocks and you'll find the bus stop."

"Don't talk to anyone and never come back," I added.

Campbell looked at us with red eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't mention it."

Yeah really, please don't mention it.

She stood up slowly and walked in the direction of the bus stop.

Oh Campbell, I thought as she left, I sincerely hope that I never see you again.