This chapter is written from Phoenix's point of view! Enjoy!

"LET'S GATHER WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR AND WORK OUR WAY FROM THERE."

I turned my eyes to Ivy who was sitting next to me, her hands absently placing more flowers onto the homemade frame she and I have been working on for the past several weeks for Caleb's dedication. It was supposed to be done a week ago but the chaos from the past several days had delayed us.

Across from us, Jolie and Lycon sat next to each other, pulling up notes they had written on their laptops. We had agreed to gather in the woodshop down in The Circuit like we always did since deciding to play detective to solve this case.

In the middle of the table were four takeaway platters of burger combos Lycon had picked up from the local diner. This had become sort of a routine now. We would crash in the mechanic room of the basement, eat some sort of ordered food, and go over the evidence we had gathered to plan our next move.

In some sort of way, it was comforting.

"So what we know so far is that Caleb Hollow went missing in the late afternoon of August fifteenth and was found dead August twenty-sixth in Hillcreak River" Jolie started, typing away on her laptop. "He was found with a single gunshot to the head and a slit throat but upon autopsy reports, six of his ribs were cracked and he was found with multiple lacerations to the chest and abdomen, suggesting some sort of struggle before the final wound that killed him."

I winced at that last detail, the images of Caleb's pale body spread out on that autopsy photo flashing in my head. Seeing him so cold, dissected, and stitched together, his blonde hair now dull and resembling hay, his lips blue, and his green eyes devoid of all color sent a cold chill down my spine.

That one image had been haunting me since we stumbled upon it in Lycon's dad's office and it had been in all of my dreams. I couldn't get him out of my head, even if I wanted to. It was as if he was taunting me from beyond the grave, waiting for me to break.

Which, at this point, seemed like it would happen any day.

Jolie looked up, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry" she whispered.

"It's okay" I reassured her. "Keep going."

Lycon gave me a questioning look but picked up where Jolie stopped. "He was last seen heading back home from football practice with Greyson Chaliander and Tyson Bernard. Greyson separated from Tyson and Caleb on his way home at 456 Rosewood Drive and according to Tyson, he separated from Caleb at the intersection of Somner and Forest Hill Avenue. He never returned home. His parents filed a missing person's report twenty-four hours after his disappearance."

Lycon gave Ivy a nod to which she continued from where he left off. "From what we found so far, Caleb had been receiving notes from an anonymous stalker dating back to last year but had since become more frequent and more detailed. In the last few months leading to his death, he had been documenting his uneasiness of being followed by a stalker and feeling like his life was in danger. He planned to run away at the end of the first semester to New York until the danger had surpassed. According to the last few entries of his journal, it is presumed that Caleb discovered who his killer was before his untimely death."

Ivy looked up, pointing back to Jolie as she helped me fit the gigantic blown-up picture of Caleb the principal had given us into the makeshift frame I had made. His picture fit perfectly as I had predicted, the large glass cover I had chosen perfectly laminating his picture.

In miniature frames, we had fitted the small photos of Caleb we had been given into crafted gold frames I had made, sealing them tightly in the back with the lock I created. I looked at one of them, inspecting his smiling face and flushed cheeks as he was surrounded by his friends. The letterman jacket he wore, proudly displayed his name and status, marking him as the golden boy he once was.

Feeling an ache in my chest, I set it down and tuned into Jolie's voice. "There have been some inconsistencies with the police report and what Mrs. Hollow said. There are small inconsistencies like stating Caleb went missing in early August when it was the middle of August. However, other reports such as the police approaching Greyson and Tyson seventy-two hours after Caleb went missing despite a lack of confirmation from his parents or Mrs. Hollow and Greyson going to the police a few weeks before Caleb's disappearance to report a possible stalker despite his parents declining and lack of evidence being found from the brief investigation draw questionable scenarios and possible answers that need to be investigated."

Last but not least, Jolie looked up and nudged me under the table, prompting me to come back to reality. With a sigh, I set down the frames in hand and picked up a fake, decorative flower as I began to speak. "There were four prime suspects. Mercedes Armstrong, Greyson Greyson Chaliander, Tyson Bernard, and Stephanie Hillard. Greyson and Caleb had a tumultuous friendship which became strained after he saw pictures of him kissing his then-girlfriend, Stephanie Hillard."

I placed the flower down in the middle of the table. "Motive to kill: To silence Caleb so that he could not release any bad information on him or Stephanie."

I picked up another flower, this one green with a yellow dot in the middle. The fake, plastic leaves were sharp against my skin. "Next is Stephanie Hillard, Caleb's on-and-off girlfriend. They had a very up-and-down relationship filled with cheating affairs, fights, and death threats from both sides. Caleb was planning on exposing Stephanie for everything she had done to him."

I set down this flower next to the black one that was in the middle of the table. "Motive to kill is pretty similar: To stop Caleb from ruining her reputation and to possibly get back at him for all the times he had put his hands on her physically."

The next flower was white with pink streaks. "Tyson and Caleb had a pretty solid relationship. Not much is known about the inner troubles of their friendship but the motive to kill is uncertain for him. That needs to be investigated more."

The last flower I picked up was navy blue. "Last but certainly not least is Mercedes. She and Caleb were very close friends throughout middle and high school. During the spring semester of their sophomore year, they kissed at a party and began having a secret relationship they both kept from their partners. That is until, Mercedes breaks up with her then-boyfriend, Phoenix to pursue a relationship with Caleb. However, Caleb does not do the same with Stephanie."

This time, I threw the flower amongst the other ones, frowning deeply. "Motive to kill: Mercedes could have been upset that Caleb would not end his relationship with Stephanie to be with her. In a fit of jealous rage, she stalked and murdered him and then framed her ex-boyfriend."

I reached over to pick up another flower but Ivy reached out and grabbed my wrist, shaking her head. "We are not counting you as a suspect" she reassured. "We all know you didn't do it."

"And how are you so sure of that?" I questioned, twisting my hand free from her grip. "How are you so sure?"

"Because we are and I know you, Phoenix" Jolie whispered, leaning into the table. "I know you are brooding and can be quiet at times but not murderous. You faint at the sight of blood. I hardly doubt you would be able to murder someone without passing out yourself."

"And besides, you are not that cruel to murder someone. Like you said, you cared for Caleb, long after your friendship was over. You never stopped looking out for him, up until his death. You know you don't have it in you to kill."

"But Officer Wilson did not lie" I reminded them. "I was at the lake the day that Caleb went missing and died. I could have heard something, seen something, even done something. I could be sitting right in front of you guys, watching you all frantically look for the killer while he is sitting in front of you."

A dead silence filled the room as my sister and Lycon looked at me with confused and contemplating eyes. Beside me, I could feel Ivy's eyes watching me, a frown still etched on her face as she pondered on what to say next.

The atmosphere was heavy and thick. For a minute, I could see all of their thoughts and questions they were too scared to ask. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity had passed, Ivy whispered, "What were you doing at Hillcreak River that day? You still refuse to tell us."

I stared at her for a long time, not knowing what to say. She wore a conflicted look on her face as she held my gaze. On one hand, I knew she truly didn't believe that I did anything. She had that much faith in me. However, on the other hand, somewhere deep and dark within the depths of her eyes, there was a question that lingered.

A question she dared not say out loud but stayed in the back of her head.

Did he really do it?

"Just know I didn't do it. I still don't want to talk about it" I whispered, pushing myself away from the workbench. "It was a nice day. I went for a walk. I wasn't expecting Caleb to be killed nor did I expect to return a prime suspect."

"You didn't hear anything? See anything?" Jolie asked. Her dark eyes held doubts as she held my gaze. "Because if you, there is an explanation for everything. If you tell us, we can surely think of something."

My brows shot up in surprise. "You would cover up a potential murderer?"

"I'm not covering for a murderer. I know you are not one. However, if you were there that day and you don't feel comfortable disclosing what you were doing, the least you can do is tell us whether you heard or saw anything so that we can come up with something" Jolie reminded me.

"Do you think it is the best idea to lie to the police?" Ivy asked with a questioning glare. "We all know Phoenix didn't do it but if we lie and they find out the truth of why he was there, that could make him look even more guilty and that is the last thing we need right now."

"I will not stand by and have my brother accused of being a murderer. We all know Phoenix didn't do it so why are we sitting around deliberating this?" Jolie asked. "I don't know about any of you but the only way for us to continue investigating is if we keep all of our names out of police investigation which includes Phoenix."

This time, Jolie's eyes slid over to Ivy. "Unless you want him caught."

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "If anything, I want him out of this mess. I dragged him into it in the first place. I can't help but feel like part of this is my fault."

Jolie shrugged but offered her a tentative smile. "You certainly shouldn't have put your nose in all of this but Phoenix made his own decisions deciding to cartwheel his way into this mess as well. So in some way, both of you are insane."

"And terrible at making decisions" Lycon added.

That got a laugh out of me.

"Did your mom update you on what the lawyers said?" Lycon asked.

"No, and my mom refuses to talk about the case or what the lawyers at the firm say" I added. "I overheard her and my dad discussing lawsuits for defamation if any of this continued to escalate but I don't want it to come to that point. I would rather be interrogated again at that point."

I sighed once again, running my fingers through my hair. "This is just too much."

A silence fell over the table, each of us staring at the flowers I had tossed at the table. It was only broken when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Without a word, we finished the last of our food and Lycon grabbed the empty bowls to throw away.

Everyone else packed their laptop and got ready to leave. "Let's drop this off at the principal's office right now. Better now than to procrastinate to the end of the week."

"You think that is a good idea right now? That she will want to see me after turning the police over to me?" I asked her.

Ivy held my gaze for a while before a soft smile pulled on her face. "You don't have to go into her office. We'll simply drop it off outside and go about our separate ways. We have other things to worry about and a gathering to get ready for."

"You still want to go?" I asked, grabbing the smaller frames and flowers as Ivy grabbed hold of the bigger frame.

"Yeah, it's an event celebrating the person we are trying to bring justice to with all our suspects gathered there. It's a perfect opportunity to find out more. Maybe even get a confession" Ivy whispered as we began to tread our way out of the basement.

She reached out and rested a gentle hand on my arm. "And besides I'll be there beside you every step of the way. Trust me on that."

Despite my sour mood, a warmth washed over my body when she whispered those words to me. It was almost as hot as her hand on my arm as she gave me a gentle squeeze before striding out of the basement. Hoping the dim fluorescent lights would hide my red cheeks, I followed her out and onto the first floor of the school.

Students began to fill the hallway as lockers opened and they swapped their lunch boxes for textbooks. There were seven minutes left within the waiting period before the next set of classes started and students were desperate to get to class early.

Amongst all the craziness, we managed to maneuver our way to the front office where the principal's office was. Ivy mumbled a pleasant greeting before making her way to the back. I followed close behind, trying my best to ignore the pair of eyes that followed me as I began to hear the adults whisper about me.

Though I could not hear what they were discussing, one look in their direction told me everything I needed to know. They would meet my eyes and stop talking, turning further away from me to continue their gossip in peace.

The message was clear. He's a killer.

"Sounds like she is in a meeting. Let's just leave this by the door. She'll know who it is from" Ivy whispered. Together, we set down the frames and all the assortments that came along with them before leaving her office.

I ducked my head low as we entered the less crowded halls. "Where are you off to now?" I asked, watching as she pulled out her phone to check the time.

"AP Government and I am not looking forward to being the one that does all the work in the group again" she groaned. "Working with Zach and Eleanor is fine but with Katherine and Alexander, it's like talking to a volcano. Hot and annoying and a little bit of spit involved when they talk."

This time, I couldn't help but laugh. "You know you can be funny sometimes."

Ivy snorted. "I'm glad my misery brings you joy."

We stopped at a nearby hallway that merged into the next hallway, turning to face each other. Her warm brown eyes met mine and for a second, I held my breath as she continued to study my facial expressions. She kept that smile on her face as she reached out and grabbed my hand.

"I know you would rather not discuss it but I want you to know that I believe you. I know you would never do anything to hurt Caleb and I hope you're not being too hard on yourself." She gave me a reassuring hand squeeze that left my entire body warm.

"We'll figure this out." Her optimistic words were almost enough to lift me out of my sour mood. Ivy took a step towards me, limiting the space between us and as she stepped closer, I got a better view of the bright light in her eyes burning with determination and the light dusting of freckles across her cheeks.

"You don't have to deliberately lie to me. Figuring this mess out is easier said than done and with me being a prime suspect, I have a feeling our investigation will be slowed" I whispered to her. "I want to bring peace to Caleb's death but at the expense of my innocence."

"Your innocence will not be tossed aside. You are innocent and we'll prove that along the way if I have anything to do with it" she reassured me. "Try not to let that demented head of yours wander into dark places."

This time, I couldn't help but laugh. Her sense of humor was almost as witty and coy as mine. Something I hadn't encountered since isolating myself to only Lycon and Jolie. It was refreshing, to see a part of myself reflected in someone who was the polar opposite of me.

No wonder I couldn't ignore her no matter how much I wanted to. Guess this must mean I was just too obsessed with myself.

"You are very sure about someone who could be a murder" I teased.

Ivy frowned and pinched my arm, causing me to draw back my hand in pain. "You're not a murderer. Stop saying that before I strangle you myself" she threatened.

"Threatening my life I see" I mused.

She rolled her eyes. "You've given me no choice. You find a way to ruin any semblance of a sweet moment we share. Now shut up and just accept that none of us think you are a murderer and let us help you instead of brooding in the dark, cloudy head of yours all day and feeling sorry for yourself."

I couldn't help the smile that tugged on my face. I let out a loose laugh, nervously running my fingers through my hair. "Don't let this get to your head or inflate your ego but thank you for your support and for initiating everything to find out the truth about Caleb's death. I didn't realize how much closure I needed from this."

"Of course. Takes a deranged person to immediately delve into a murder case after moving into a new town. Who else would figure it out?" she teased. "Whatever I can do to help, let me know."

Ivy gave me another smile, pushing her dark hair out of her face. I opened my mouth but was swiftly interrupted by a shrill voice that shouted down the hallway.

"Ivy! Phoenix!" the voice hollered as it came closer to us.

I cursed under my breath, already knowing who it was but tried not to show my displeasure as I turned around to see Greyson's tall figure approaching us. He wore an idiotically annoying grin on his face as he stopped in front of us, his eyes directly looking over to Ivy.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," he said, still keeping that huge smile on his face. "I saw you two and thought I would come and ask if I would be seeing you at Caleb's mourning tomorrow at Stephanie's house?"

"That's still happening?" I asked. "I would have thought her ego would have been full from all the sympathy she was milking from his death. Holding his mourning is a little over the top. Especially for his family."

Ivy let out a chuckle but Greyson passed me a questioning glare, raising a brow at me. "I think she's hurting as much as they are and in her own way, is trying to deal with that loss. Besides, Caleb's family had a private mourning. They agreed that Stephanie can hold this public one for his friends and the town."

I pressed my lips together, nodding my head. I looked over to Ivy who caught my eyes, clearing her throat as she straightened her posture.

"Well, in that case, we'll be there" Ivy reassured, passing me a questioning look.

I glared at her but knew it would be useless to push back. Especially with the tower of voluptuous hair that was standing right next to her, his arm strung around her shoulder as he held her close. "I guess we will be there."

"Good. I can't wait to see you guys there" Greyson said, turning his attention back to Ivy. "Ready to head to class?"

"Sure!" she gleefully replied, passing another side-eye to me.

"I'll see you later" she reassured, emphasizing the words with a bit of harsh tone that matched the mischievousness in her eyes.

I nodded and watched as she gave me one last smile before walking off with Greyson. Her silhouette grew farther and blurrier until she disappeared around a curve at the end of the hallway. The last I saw of her was the wisps of her brown hair and then she was gone.

The late bell rang but I could barely allow myself to leave from where I was standing. All I could do was stare at that corner, hoping Ivy would come back to tease me or fill my head with more of her ridiculous yet thoughtful series.

"You know you make it entirely too obvious, Phoenix." Jolie's voice cut through my thoughts and I turned around to see my sister behind me, a smile on her face. All I could do was scoff as I shook my head.

"I have no idea what you speak of" I uttered, finally turning back around.

This time, Jolie laughed. "Then why were you staring daggers at the wall? You know Greyson is not behind it anymore."

I frowned at her but still shook my head. "I'm only looking out for her. Greyson, as charming as he seems, can also be manipulative, intrusive, and a downright betrayer. As annoying as she is, I don't want Ivy to get hurt by him."

"And that's it. Nothing else?" my sister pressed.

"Yes, that's it. Do you have anything to add?" I asked, stopping in front of her.

Jolie raised her brows at me, her dark eyes scanning my face before she shook her head in confirmation. "Nope. I'll let you reach the realization on your own" she said, tapping my shoulder before walking off.

I watched as she walked off, knowing exactly what was in her head but refusing to acknowledge any of her wrong accusations even as I turned back around to look at the curve by the wall once again.

You're starting to make this complicated for me, Ivy. 

I BARELY SAW IVY THE REST OF THE DAY. 

Although she had no problem entertaining me through a string of text messages for the rest of the day, she found me at the end of the day to let me know that she had arranged plans with Greyson as part of her plan to get more information from him.

And although I hated the thought of her being alone with that blue-eyed devil, I couldn't stop that scheming head of hers. So I finished up what was left of Zach's car in the school parking lot as promised and went home to do more investigation of my own.

My eyes strained as I looked at the documents spread across my bed, my laptop screen adjacent to me. Jolie lay on her stomach directly across from me, nibbling on her fingers as she read through the documents she had printed out at the end of the day.

"There are too many loose ends in this case and too many suspects, Phoenix. Everyone has a motive. For all we know, the motive could have been to hurt his family. You know they weren't exactly well-liked in the town" Jolie uttered.

"I know but it is strange to target Caleb as retaliation to his entire family. Why not go for the parents? Whatever enemies his parents have has nothing to do with Caleb" I said, throwing the autopsy papers back down.

"Well, you know the Hollow family. They are not afraid to involve their children in any of their schemes" Jolie suggested. "But I agree. I highly doubt this has anything to do with their parents which leaves us back where we started. With nothing."

I frowned, pushing some papers aside to bring up the suspect profiles again. I looked through them one more time, narrowing my eyes at each reason for possible guilt. I skipped past Greyson and Tyson, pausing at my profile.

I looked through all the personal information they had about me before squinting at the reason for my possibility of guilt.

Crime of passion. Long-term grudge held against Caleb since the fallout of their friendship and the subsequent unfaithfulness of his former girlfriend.

A scoff escaped my lips as I tossed my profile outside before stumbling upon Mercedes. The more I looked at her profile, the more red-hot anger that burned through my veins. Everything about her was insufferable. Even staring at her now on this worn-out piece of paper, I couldn't shake the way my hands shook at her presence.

"Phoenix, are you okay? You are crumbling the fuck out of the paper."

Jolie's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked down to see that the once wrinkle-free paper was now crumbled in my hands. My fingers dug into the sides of the paper, tearing through the delicate skin.

Cursing under my breath, I tossed the paper aside, shaking my head. "One of them is lying, Jolie. I don't care what any of them have to say. One of them killed Caleb."

"Well, we know that much but we have to narrow down our list before we can even start on investigating possible suspects" she reassured. "Like I said, we are back to square one."

"Unless we are not. I can think of a couple of people we can strike from the list of suspects already" I uttered, a sudden flurry of ideas rushing through my head. Excitedly, I dug back all the possible suspects, laying them flat out on the bed before me.

"We can take Tyson out. He barely has any motive. From what we know, he and Caleb never had any real problems or a fallout. Yes, he was one of the last people to see Caleb alive but he seems to have an airtight alibi, including his parents. Besides, I just don't think Tyson has it in him. He may know secrets but he is not the one."

"Okay. If he's out, who is next?" Jolie asked.

I looked at the profiles again before hesitantly taking out Zachary and Eleanor. "Eleanor mentioned that Caleb was a part of the community organization that funded helping sheltered animals find a home. That organization runs year-round and Eleanor is the president. If my hunch is correct, she wouldn't have had time to post cryptic messages, stalk him, and kill him while constantly meeting with the city council and orchestrating rescue efforts for the animals that would eventually be a part of their shelter. The girl is already tied up in a lot of obligations. I don't think it was her."

Jolie frowned, shaking her head. "I can understand that rationality but what about Zachary? Don't let that innocent smile fool you. He could be an axe-wielding murderer."

This time, I passed a nonchalant smile at my sister. "You need to stop watching those true crime investigations at night. It is starting to alter your perception of reality."

"Or maybe I should continue watching them. Besides, we are trying to solve a murder. Perhaps watching them is exactly what I need to get in my mind thinking like a true crime investigator" she pointed out. "Besides, it doesn't seem like I am the only one indulging in them."

"I am just a naturally suspicious person and don't trust people often. There is a difference" I corrected her. "You're right. I don't have any solid evidence for Zachary but considering that he either stays glued to Eleanor or is by himself, I don't think he would do it either. You know Zachary. He's never been one to indulge in the spotlight."

"Which is exactly why he is on my suspect list. Why indulge in the spotlight when you can hide in the shadows where all your wrongdoings and dirty deeds can go unnoticed? It's the same line of thinking the police have about you, Phoenix."

I paused momentarily, frowning at my sister. She gave me a sympathetic smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You know that I don't believe them but I am trying to get you to understand why someone like Zachary would be suspected. You and him are more alike than you think."

I let out a sigh, shaking my head. She was right as much as I hated to admit it. Why be so vibrant when you can hide in the shadows where no one can find you?

Shuffling through the remaining suspects, I brought to the front Greyson, Stephanie, Katherine, Alexander, and Mercedes profile. I kept mine in the lineup to draw a connection I had to each of them, perhaps creating a line that would connect me to why I would end up on this list.

I glanced over all their profiles once again, letting my thoughts run rampant as I went through every reason in my head again.

Greyson: To silence Caleb so that he could not release any bad information on him or Stephanie.

Stephanie: To stop Caleb from ruining her reputation and to possibly get back at him for all the times he had put his hands on her physically.

Mercedes: Stalked and murdered Caleb in a fit of jealous rage as he could not end his relationship with Stephanie to be with her.

Me: To kill Caleb for the downfall of our friendship and betrayal after taking Mercedes away from me, knowing she was my only lifeline at the time.

I couldn't think of the other two but I was determined to find out more even as I picked up the profile of who I knew killed him. It was so obvious that I didn't have to deliberate it but I found myself growing hesitant even as I stared at the profile.

"It was Mercedes. She killed him. I just know she did" I uttered.

"Are you sure you are not saying this because she is your ex-girlfriend?" Jolie questioned, laying a hand on my shoulder. "I know she did some pretty horrendous things to you but do you think she is capable of murder?"

"That's just it. I don't know what she is capable of. However, if she is conniving enough to create an elaborate lie while we were together only to be having an affair with Caleb for who knows how long and letting me believe that somehow, her unfaithfulness was my fault, then I wouldn't put it past her."

I looked at her profile harder, my hands shaking. "Besides, don't you remember how she acted when Caleb refused to leave Stephanie for her? The scene she made? That is something only a crazy, scorned lover is capable of. If your true crime shows are right and have taught you anything, it is to always be suspicious of the mistress."

"I know but this is a very big accusation you are making" Jolie warned me. She gently reached over and plucked the paper out of my hand. "One that could have ramifications on everyone involved. You do realize that you are only adding gasoline to the fire if you truly believe Mercedes did this."

My sister passed me a concerned look, her dark, determined eyes softening as she looked at me. "I know she hurt you in the most appalling way possible but I don't want you to get hurt or entangle yourself even further than you already are. This accusation is heavy, Phoenix, and comes with consequences. We've already been walking a thin line, lighting a match under this whole investigation. Are you sure you want to light another one?"

"I say let the whole damn thing catch on fire and burn for all I care" I replied. "Someone in this town, in that group, killed Caleb and I know it was Mercedes. I can just feel it. She is not as innocent as she portrays herself to be."

I passed a look at Mercedes's profile again, this time frowning deeply at it. "And I'll prove it. Even if I get burned in the process. I don't care what it takes. She will pay for this."

Who's in the shadows?

Who's ready to play?

Are we the hunters?

Or are we the prey?

~ Game of Survival by Ruelle