Being observant was Zoey's greatest ability. Very little got past her. It was most often used to her advantage.

“Leah.”

At least, she tried to keep it that way.

“Leah.”

“Shut up,” Leah whispered back. “We're taking a test.”

Zoey’s head snapped towards the annoying boy sitting behind Leah. He'd been peeking over her shoulder for the past 15 minutes before she covered her paper.

“C'mon, Lee.”

Leah shook her head. She hated when he called her that.

Zoey cleared her throat loud enough for him to hear. The kid looked at her with an irritated glare.

“You're not the teacher,” he whispered. “Mind your business.”

With a shrug, Zoey raised her hand. The boy scoffed, and before he returned to his own test, he spat, “Teacher's pet.”

It wasn't the first time she had been called that. By seventh grade, she had gained a reputation for being the girl who would tattle on the class rule-breakers. Her behavior didn't make her popular amongst her peers, but she had become accustomed to that. As long as she had her teachers’ approval—however fleeting—she would be satisfied.

Still, she would much prefer a friend.

Zoey glanced at Leah beside her. The blonde peered at her, brows furrowed. She almost seemed nervous for the boy.

As the teacher reached Zoey, she turned back to her test, scanning for a question to ask that would spare the boy. She found one and quickly asked.

At the end of the day, she wanted both her peers and teachers to approve of her, but the latter of those was easier for her than the former. Regardless, it was worth a shot.

When the teacher left, she heard Leah giggle softly. The blonde offered a smile, and Zoey reciprocated. The boy, however, gave her no acknowledgement. As Zoey expected, giving other students leniency wouldn't change their attitudes towards her.

To her surprise, Leah approached her after class. “That was a clever move,” she said.

Zoey blinked, replying, “Right? He didn't look as relieved as I expected, though.”

“He definitely was. He just didn't want to show it because he was embarrassed.”

“Deservedly so.” Zoey paused at her locker. “I'm glad I was able to help you. I doubt he'll do it again, but if he does, I won't be so thoughtful.”

Leah rubbed her arm. “I sort of feel bad for him. He's not the best at studying, and he knows I am. Maybe I should offer him tutoring.”

“You shouldn't. That guy only wants to take advantage of your kindness. He acts friendly and teases you to put your guard down so he can cheat off of you. Don't fall for it.”

“Really? How are you so confident?”

Zoey thought about her adoring teachers. It took months to build such strong rapport with them, enough for them to show her praise and appreciation. She knew a thing or two.

She sighed. “I've been there and done that. Trust me, Lee.”

“Hey, now you sound like him!” Leah swatted at Zoey. “Don't tell me you're trying to get something out of me, too.”

Zoey chuckled. “I'm at the top of the class, so I think I'm good.”

“Wow. That's impressive.”

Zoey nodded. “So, I have no reason to try to gain anything from you.”

Besides friendship, she thought, but that's a distant dream.

She realized within the week that her hope would become a reality. Within the month, she would join the book club and meet Leah's other friends. Within the year, she and Leah would become inseparable best friends.

By high school, they were even closer. They joined the book club there, and it wasn't long before they were introduced to the newspaper committee. Writing articles about their peers was no problem for Leah. Zoey, on the other hand, had difficulties, but those didn't come from the writing itself.

“Seriously?” she announced with a groan. “Again?”

Leah leaned over and asked, “What is it?”

“It's this freshman girl, Camilla Greene.” Zoey shook her head. “This is the second article I have written with her being featured, and it has not even been two months since school started back.”

“Wow, that's impressive. She must be very talented.”

“I truly doubt it. She is just popular. Have you seen all of her posters for the student council?”

“I think so. She's that tall brunette girl, right? I'm pretty sure I follow her on Instagram.”

“What? Why?”

Leah opened her phone and swiped through it. “I interviewed her one day when you were busy. She seemed cool. Very confident girl.”

“Maybe overly confident.”

“Aw, c’mon, Zoey. I'm sure she has a right to be confident. What was she featured for?”

Zoey scoffed. “In the first article, she was casted as the lead in the fall musical. In this one, she was elected student council vice president of the freshman class, so I have to interview her.”

“That sounds like talent to me.” Leah flipped her phone screen to face Zoey. “That's her.”

Camilla’s piercing blue eyes stared back at Zoey. She wore a lot of makeup for a 14-year-old—enough to make her gaze striking—yet her skin seemed flawless. Her face was symmetrical with a button nose, faint freckles, and wide lips. Her skin was tanned, clearly from the recent summer, and her long brown hair cascaded down in soft waves.

She was undeniably beautiful.

“That explains a lot,” Zoey said. “She is pretty. I am not surprised she is so popular.

“Yeah, she's stunning,” Leah agreed, “but what does that explain?”

“Her absurd amount of recognition. People love a pretty face.”

“I mean, her achievements still stand.”

Zoey shrugged. “Well, she was not elected class president. This other girl, Chloe Lynch, was elected over Camilla.”

“I know. That's my cousin.”

“Interesting. Good for her.”

“Yeah, I'm really proud of her. But what's so interesting?”

“I am just curious how Camilla feels about being vice president.” Before Leah could speak, Zoey stood. “I hope I find her as amiable of an interviewee as you did.”

Leah frowned. “Do you want me to take over? You don't seem very—”

“No, no, I am determined to speak with her.”

With that, Zoey left her journalism class. If she had to see this girl all over her articles, she could at least face her. And once she did, she realized Camilla was just as gorgeous as her profile picture displayed. As Zoey guided Camilla out to the hallway for the interview, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Camilla’s expressions came across far less welcoming than Zoey expected from someone so popular, and when she smiled, it seemed strained or distant. There wasn't an air of friendliness around her at all.

Cool and confident, Zoey thought. That's how Leah described this girl. At the very least she's right about that.

In the quiet halls, she turned to Camilla, phone poised and already recording. “Are you ready?”

Camilla tilted her head, asking, “What's this interview for?”

“Your appointment to the student council, of course,” Zoey said, watching as Camilla's shoulders tensed. “That is actually a good start. First off, congratulations on the election. Can you talk about your position and what it means to you?”

Camilla rolled her neck. “Sure,” she responded. “I'm the vice president of the Class of 2020. I was class president all throughout middle school, so it's nice to continue being a part of it.”

“That is nice. Since it is your first time being vice president, what do you anticipate this position will entail?”

“All of the student council positions come with a level of high importance. We represent our entire class and Edwardsville High School because our purpose is to represent their needs and wants. As vice president, I will do so to the highest degree, just as I always have.”

“That is just wonderful. What challenges do you expect to face?”

Camilla paused, stifling what Zoey barely recognized as a grin. “Well, I'm sure I'll find some difficulty making and carrying out concise decisions. I'm sure it will be challenging being in a role I'm not accustomed to, especially one that can be considered secondary to authority.”

“I see.” Zoey eyed Camilla more closely. “How do you intend to overcome that?”

“I will always work to achieve the absolute highest level of excellence that is attainable. If that level is limited simply by the nature of the position or the student council itself, then I will go to any lengths necessary to change that.”

“What do you hope to accomplish for the future of the Class of 2020's student council?”

Camilla’s striking eyes widened so slightly that Zoey doubted anyone else would have noticed before they returned to their resting state. Her head pivoted towards the empty wall, and Zoey barely caught the brief tug at the corner of Camilla’s lips as her hair floated in front. When she faced Zoey again, she quickly pressed her lips together before speaking.

“There are a lot of great changes coming; I will make sure of that. There is much to improve upon, and I am confident I will get it done.”

Camilla's stare shifted to the side as she smiled. It was a small smile, yet as she locked eyes with Zoey again, it lunged at her with uncanny horror.

“This class is in good hands,” Camilla uttered.

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In the week that followed the interview, Zoey was reminded that her observant nature was not always an advantage. She could not shake the eerie feeling that had consumed her after speaking with Camilla. From the moment Zoey saw the girl, she became unsettled. As their interaction began, she knew that she was being deceived.

Her intentions by the end of the interview were unknown to Zoey. She could not even describe the source of her discomfort, and certainly anyone she tried to explain it to would dismiss it. Even once she returned to her class, she knew she could not share her thoughts with Leah.

“How did it go?” Leah had asked.

Zoey cranked her neck, eyes set on the desk as she sat down. She did not respond.

“Did something happen?”

Leah reached across the table. As her light fingers interrupted Zoey's vision, she was brought back to reality.

Zoey shrugged, saying, “I hope your cousin enjoys working with her.”

She had not seen nor met Leah's cousin, Chloe Lynch, before the interview. Afterwards, Zoey knew her face well. She easily recognized her as she passed Chloe at her locker the week later. She was shorter than Leah—if it were possible—with tanner skin and freckles. Her face and its features were round and warm. As though Leah was not bright enough, Chloe was the epitome of enthusiasm. Zoey instantly understood why she was elected class president.

She and Camilla were polar opposites.

As though Zoey's mind had summoned her, Camilla emerged from across the hall, walking towards Chloe. As she was accustomed when observing her peers, Zoey slid to the wall, wedging herself in the break between lockers and concealing her prying eyes behind a crowd of students that she was tall enough to just see over.

Camilla scanned the hallway as though she was searching for someone. Zoey ducked and pretended to use her phone. By the time she looked back up, Camilla was speaking with a blonde boy, seemingly around her age. Although Zoey could not see his face, she saw Camilla’s. She maintained a polite smile, but Zoey could see her disinterest.

Zoey’s attention trailed back to Chloe. She chatted excitedly with some friends surrounding the lockers. Surely, if Camilla had been looking for Chloe, it would be impossible to miss her. Her essence was radiant, even by the crowded lockers.

Almost ready to move on from her suspicions, Zoey turned from Chloe, only for her vision to be caught by a tall, hooded figure wearing all black. His physique—identifiably male—was slender and the only glimpse of his nose that she had revealed light skin. As she searched for any more exposed features, Zoey realized the man was covered head-to-toe in dark, baggy clothing, even gloves. Someone like him stuck out. There were some students that dressed similarly—dark and mysterious—but none were quite at his level. For someone as attentive as Zoey, she figured she would have seen him before if he was a student that normally dressed this way, yet she had no recognition of him. It seemed, at first, like nobody noticed him at all.

Except for Camilla.

Zoey had never seen such an intense stare, especially not from someone putting on an easygoing facade. Now behind the strange man, Zoey could not see if he was looking back at her. He paused several feet from Camilla, who broke her gaze to look at Chloe.

During the time that Zoey was distracted, Chloe's friends had departed. She dug through her locker, unaware of the eyes upon her. Before Zoey could begin to decipher Camilla’s intentions, the freshman turned back to the man.

No one else would have seen it. Zoey doubted even a detective would consider it noteworthy. And yet, when she saw Camilla nod so slightly and brief that it was almost nothing, a sickening feeling rushed into Zoey's stomach.

Instantly, the man continued down the hall. Firm and purposeful steps brought him behind Chloe within seconds. Zoey moved out of her hiding spot and clung to the wall on the same side as Chloe. The man hovered to her back like an enlarged shadow. By the time Chloe noticed him, his hand clasped the arm from which she held her phone. Zoey craned her neck, maneuvering past the thinning crowds towards Chloe. As the man reached his free hand to his hip, Zoey halted.

He had a gun.

It was concealed well under his large jacket, but his tall frame and raised arm allowed for the holster to be revealed. Zoey waited, heart pounding in her ears, for him to detach it from his hip, but he held his hand firmly against it. With his lips right beside Chloe's ear, the man spoke too softly for anyone around to hear. Chloe's eyes were wide, and the free hand at her side trembled.

Zoey could not wait any longer; she fled the scene, dashing towards the school's front office. Bursting through the doors, she stormed to the assistant at the front desk.

“There is a man in the hallway with a gun!” Zoey shouted, palms slamming into the marble.

“What?” the assistant replied. “How do you know?”

“I saw him! Please, just get us under a lockdown!”

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“Dad, you have to believe me!” Zoey yelled, tailing him through the living room.

“I do believe you, Zoey,” her father snapped back. “A girl went missing, and we saw the man you described on the security cameras. Whether or not he had a gun is unclear from the footage, but we know he took her. It is clear as day.”

“But you don't believe me! I told you, Camilla Greene is involved with this—”

“No, I do not believe you!” Zoey nearly lost her balance at his intensity. “You are accusing a 14-year-old girl—the same age as the one that was abducted—of being responsible for this devastating crime. Do you understand the severity of that claim!?”

“Yes, I do! I know what I saw. She was working with this man—whoever he was—to take Chloe Lynch.”

Her father sighed. “Zoey, I understand you want to be helpful in this case. My fellow officers and I appreciate it. You have provided us plenty of information to catch the perpetrator. We do not need any more help.”

“She has a motive. I interviewed both of them last week. Chloe was elected class president over Camilla, and she was clearly—”

“Stop it, Zoey! I have heard enough of your gossip. I thought I raised you better than that!”

“It's not—!”

“We are done having this discussion. You are grounded until the day you admit that you are lying!”

“Dad—”

“Go to your room!”

Her father's bellowing shook the house. Zoey froze, fists shaking in rage.

“One day, I will prove to you who Camilla Greene really is—”

“Not another word—”

“—and you will finally respect me!”