As Camilla strode to class the next morning, it became evident that someone opened their mouth. Her peers shot cautious glances her way. Even fellow thespians-who would ordinarily smile or greet her-evaded her as she passed.

Not everyone seemed to have heard, however. As Camilla entered her first class, her cheer friends acted completely normal.

"Hey, Camilla," Michelle said as Camilla sat with them. Meagan stood behind her, occupied by straightening Michelle's hair before class began.

"Hey," Camilla replied. "Ready for practice today?"

"Mm-hmm," Meagan hummed distantly.

Camilla frowned at her, but Michelle interrupted her thoughts, saying, "I'm so excited to watch Jared flirt with Camilla again today."

Taken aback, Camilla shook her head. "Michelle-"

"We all know he was flirting with you yesterday," Michelle continued. "Don't act all surprised."

Camilla rolled her eyes. "Whether he was or not, I'm not interested in getting back with an ex-boyfriend-even if our relationship ended on good terms."

Michelle sighed dramatically. "But you two were so cute together."

"It's been, like, a year since they dated," Meagan added. "Let it go."

Michelle snapped back a retort before rambling on about Jared Acker. Although Camilla had dated him-without Zach's knowledge-she never felt a romantic interest in him. Then again, she never felt that way towards anybody. Every boy she showed interest in was for her entertainment.

Public dating was a bit riskier for her. Based on Zach's behavior before they began dating, Camilla could not be certain he wouldn't keep a close eye on her. She was especially cautious to interact with other men when her relationship went through rough patches. Camilla could only imagine the violence Zach would unleash on her if he witnessed her infidelity.

However, she and Jared had dated before-for almost a year-without Zach catching on. Engaging in Jared's flirtatious endeavors could divert any rising whispers about Camilla. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea.

Michelle paused her rambling, saying, "Oh my gosh, is Tiffany okay?"

Camilla sucked in a breath, but she didn't turn to follow Michelle's stare. She could almost picture how Tiffany's light eyes shifted anxiously around the room, avoiding Camilla.

Meagan looked up from Michelle's blonde hair. "Clearly, she's not okay," she responded. "I mean, she's obviously upset because her friend went missing."

"Oh, yeah," Michelle said, head snapping to face Meagan. "River, right?"

Meagan jumped back. "I almost just burned you. Hold still."

Michelle turned back around with a shrug and opened her phone. "I kept seeing their name on Instagram this morning." She swiped across the screen. "Oh, there it is. It's 'River Griffiths.'"

Camilla swallowed, suggesting, "Maybe you shouldn't talk about it so loudly. It's definitely a sensitive subject."

Camilla would ordinarily express no concern for the feelings of others, but she wanted to avoid as much involvement with River as possible.

"Oh, she's leaving," Michelle whispered. "Do you think she heard us?"

"Us?" Meagan asked with a laugh. "She heard you."

"Wait, Camilla, you're friends with Tiffany, right?" Michelle asked. "You should go check on her."

Camilla looked behind her, catching a glimpse of Tiffany exiting the classroom. Perhaps, she could find out how much she gave away about what happened the day before.

Seizing her opportunity, Camilla hurried from the room and into the hallway. She watched as the blonde entered the bathroom. Camilla took a slow breath before following in behind her.

The stalls were empty, aside from the largest at the end. The door slammed shut, but she did not hear it lock. Having seen few stragglers in the halls a moment ago-the first class was about to begin-Camilla decided that it was safe to approach Tiffany.

She heard shuffling and breathing in the last stall, but it went quiet when she knocked on the door. "Tiffany?" Camilla called. "Are you okay?"

She was confident that Tiffany would recognize her voice, yet she was met with silence.

"Tiffany, I know you're in there. Can I come in? I'm worried about you."

Again, not a word came from within the stall. Camilla stifled a sigh. "Look, everything that happened yesterday was a lot. I'm sure you're confused and concerned. I don't know what Amy told you, but I do know that what she accused me of is false. I don't know what drove her to make those claims, but I do know that I would never want to hurt anyone. I don't know why Amy tried to attack me, but I do know that everything I responded with was out of fear and self-defense."

Camilla paused. "I want you to believe me-you're my friend, Tiffany-but I'm sure you don't know what to think. I'm not here to tell you what to think. I just wanted to talk to you."

There was a moment of silence before Tiffany's shaky voice said, "I don't want to talk to you."

"I just want you to know the truth."

"I don't know anything," Tiffany explained. "I didn't see what happened; I only heard what Amy claimed to have seen. And even though I believe her, I refuse to say a word about it. I know nothing. I can only assume the worst now that River is confirmed to be missing."

Camilla stepped closer to the door, resting her fingers on the handle. "So, you weren't the one telling people that I'm responsible for this?"

Tiffany sniffed. "No. I haven't said a thing."

With a quick push, Camilla turned the unlocked handle and marched into the stall. Tiffany gasped, but her air seemed caught as she stumbled against the far wall. Despite her ferocity, Camilla gently closed the door behind her and stalked closer.

Cornering her prey, she leaned towards Tiffany's ear. "If you don't want another missing person's case," she muttered, "I suggest you keep it that way. Do you understand?"

Tiffany remained frozen, breathing fast and shallow. "Do you understand?" Camilla asked louder.

"Yes," Tiffany stuttered out. Satisfied, Camilla receded to the door and opened it, halting in the doorway.

"You look unwell, Tiffany," she noted. "Maybe you should stay home this week."

Smirking, she sauntered from the bathroom with a new, ambitious goal in mind: to kill Tiffany Stewart.

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As anticipated, Tiffany checked out in the middle of class. Camilla felt confident that her threats would keep Tiffany quiet and avoidant until she found the opportunity to strike.

The plan molded in her mind all throughout class. Tiffany would stay at her house-somewhere Camilla had been enough times to know the layout. Camilla, while still at school, would send Zach to get rid of her.

However, she still had no idea how to keep police from connecting River's and Tiffany's disappearances.

The rest of class went by with Camilla's silent brainstorming. When the bell rang and students flooded the halls, Camilla wondered how many strange looks she would get from the news Amy must have spread.

Before she could interact with anyone, however, Meagan pulled her aside.

Camilla frowned, asking, "Is everything okay?"

Meagan watched Michelle wander off, chatting with other classmates. "I've heard some things," Meagan began, "about River's disappearance." Camilla kept her face neutral. "There are some rumors going around that are worrying me. I just wanted to talk to you about them."

"Okay, what is it?"

Meagan pressed her lips together. "I've heard some people speculating that you had some involvement in this. Nobody really knows what happened, but they have heard someone witnessed something suspicious."

Camilla blinked and shook her head. "What do you mean? People think that I'm the reason they're missing?"

Meagan sighed. "I guess so."

"Why would they think that?"

"I don't know, but these are very serious accusations. A person is missing."

Camilla nodded. "They are. I don't know why anyone would lie that I'm involved."

"Well, that's what I wanted to know. Do you know who might say something like that? Or, why would they?"

"I don't know anything," Camilla lied. "If I did, I'd want to speak with them and understand why."

Meagan nodded, gazing off. She was quiet before asking, "Do you know anything about the disappearance?"

"I only know that River went missing yesterday. I wish I knew more so that I could help."

"Me too."

Camilla had never been more thankful to hear Michelle's voice calling out to them, putting a stop to their discussion.

"You both let me just walk off like that," Michelle joked. "What are you talking about?"

Meagan glanced at Camilla questioningly. Although Camilla didn't want more of her peers hearing that she had involvement, she needed to know how many people were suspicious of her. Michelle-despite not having many connections with people outside their circle-was social and talkative enough to retrieve that information.

If the information reached Meagan, someone also not associated with the drama department or probably any of Amy's friends, maybe it had gone further than Camilla originally thought.

So, Camilla nodded, and Meagan shared the "rumors" with Michelle. She watched at Michelle's expressions contorted from confusion to shock.

"Why would anyone even think that?" Michelle asked. "And who is saying that about her?"

Curious herself, Camilla turned to Meagan. "Someone allegedly saw Camilla with River," Meagan answered. "I don't know who it is, though."

"I spoke to River yesterday," Camilla admitted. Her friends' eyes snapped to hers. "Before the first musical rehearsal, I wished them luck and congratulated them. After that, I drove home. When I left, River was still in the building."

Meagan frowned. "You didn't see them after that?"

"No," Camilla said, looking between her friends, "I didn't."

"Was River acting weird?" Michelle inquired. "Some people were saying they might have ran away."

Camilla gritted her teeth. "Maybe. They were nervous for the rehearsal. Honestly, I don't know them well enough to know if their behavior was weird."

"These rumors have to be coming from somewhere," Meagan said. "I'll look into it."

Michelle placed a hand on Camilla's arm, adding, "And I'll talk to some people."

Camilla smiled at them. "Thank you both."

"It's the least we can do," Michelle said. "You don't deserve this."

Meagan nodded but said nothing before Michelle began brainstorming what they would ask to get information.

Camilla listened distantly. She knew her friends were dedicated to her. They would do well defending Camilla's name. She only wondered how much damage control they could possibly do for her.

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Worries about her drama class had plagued Camilla all day. Not only were many suspecting peers likely in that class, but Amy was among them. She had spent her day wondering if Amy would even attend or how she would act towards Camilla.

Nervousness was a foreign emotion for her until she entered the performing arts building. Despite being an experienced thespian, she was not fond of improvising, especially when it came to her reputation. She was much more accustomed to planning out her statements and interactions in advance.

Without knowing how much her classmates knew, the best she could do was feign obliviousness.

As Camilla entered the class, her fears were met with cautious and questioning stares. Some students did not seem much different from before, but every glance made Camilla tense.

The most intense looks came from others in the musical cast. If she guessed right, Amy told others at the rehearsal yesterday about what she saw. Her observations only backed up this theory.

As she wandered in, Camilla scanned the room-as subtly as possible-for Amy. Just as hoped, she was nowhere to be seen. Camilla wondered if Amy would show up at all in the last few weeks before winter break.

Camilla sat by herself. Despite her popularity, she preferred seclusion. Especially in her drama class, where she was far from her usual clique, she kept to herself. It wasn't as though she had no friends in the department; she just tended to remain reserved.

Even in her classes, she often avoided social interaction. Being around Michelle and Meagan, however, brought out her outgoing side. In a way, Camilla had to be outgoing with them-and the rest of the cheer team. That's just the way they acted.

The drama teacher approached the front of the classroom, and the students quickly hushed. It was as if they knew her topic of discussion would be serious.

"Good morning," she greeted with a somber tone. "I have some news to share today that many of you may have already heard."

Camilla held her breath as the teacher continued, "River Griffiths, student in our drama department, has gone missing as of yesterday afternoon. They were last seen just outside of this room before a rehearsal began."

The teacher pressed a remote, displaying River's image on a projector. The same cast members shooting stares at Camilla before glanced at her again. She pretended not to notice.

"Some of the last people to see River are in this room, and there are likely more students who saw them yesterday. I am making notes of everything I've heard from students about this case, and I plan to present it to investigators. If you saw anything-even if you remember when you last saw River-please tell me.

"This is important. This is another student missing at Edwardsville High School. A few years ago, another student went missing and never returned. I do not want the same thing to happen again. Please, share everything you know. With me, and with your friends."

Camilla clenched her jaw. Students sharing what they know is a lot different than them sharing what they've heard. And Camilla had an inkling that those circumstances would become intertwined. It could cause her even more problems.

Beyond that, she did not expect anyone to recall the missing student from two years before. Camilla, of course, could recall it perfectly. She remembered her uncertainty in Zach-they had only just started dating-and her fear that she would be found responsible, that someone would find footage of her merely glancing at Zach before he approached the victim, and it would be enough to convict her.

But that never happened. Now, she faced the exact scenario she feared most those two years ago. People suspected her.

It seemed that some were brave enough to confront her. The staring classmates from before surrounded Camilla with stern eyes, questioning her interactions with River the previous day.

Distrusted by her former friends, Camilla reluctantly admitted to speaking with River before leaving campus. But they stopped asking if she spoke with River; they had seen it themselves in the hallway. They wanted to know if Camilla had interacted with Amy.

Inquiries inched towards accusations. All she could do was deny.

The name Amy Gardener began to sting every time it came up. From her fellow thespians most of all, but from Meagan and Michelle, too. Texts flew by in their group chat, and it became clear that Amy alone was leading the accusations.

And they were spreading like wildfire.