Amy and Tiffany remained outside of the drama room. Amy did not have a car, and Tiffany was too young for a driver's license, so they often rode home with River. But, because the three of them were no longer in the crew together for this musical, Amy and Tiffany had to sit through this cast rehearsal for their friend.

They waited and spoke, unaware that the rehearsal started without any sign of River. Then, another member of the crew emerged from the classroom, searching the hall.

Amy noticed him and asked, “What are you looking for?”

He gazed off, frowning. “I'm looking for River,” he answered. Tiffany faced him. “Rehearsal just started, and no one has seen them.”

“We were with them a few minutes ago,” Tiffany said. “They said they had to go take a phone call.”

The other crew member sighed. “Well, could you help me find them”

“Of course,” Tiffany replied, opening the double doors to the adjacent hallway. “They left through here.”

The boy went ahead, turning right down the hall. “If you find them,” he called back, “tell them to get off the phone and come to rehearsal.”

Amy followed Tiffany through the doors, and they both turned left. Seeing the exit door at the end of the hall, Amy asked, “Do you think River took the call outside?”

Tiffany shrugged. “Maybe. I hope they don't get in trouble for being late. They were really excited for today.”

“Well, I hope that call was important. Otherwise, I'm not sure what excuse they'll have.”

As they drew closer to the exit door, Amy’s eyes caught on the black truck parked along the road. Tiffany turned with the hallway, but Amy paused to examine the truck.

It was rare for any vehicles to stay parked there after the final bell. All of its side windows were too tinted to view from so far away. Through the windshield, however, she saw movement.

Amy’s heart rate picked up. She swallowed, her hand resting briefly on the exit door’s handle before she pushed through. She did not look back at Tiffany.

Amy marched down the short sidewalk and across the road. The wind kicked up, and small droplets pecked her fair skin. Her hands trembled from more than the cold, but she concealed them in her jacket pockets.

Even under a darkening sky, Amy could not see through the tinted windows. As she came upon the side of the truck, rain began to sprinkle down. She cupped cold hands around her face and leaned towards the driver’s window. Peering in, she held her breath.

There were no occupants in the front seats, but Amy’s eyes caught on two faces in the back. She saw Camilla, dressed in a black hoodie and black gloves, looking down. Resting on her leg, River laid their head. Their eyes gazed at the roof, but they did not move. 

Amy squinted to look closer. Why is River with Camilla? she thought.

Then, Camilla reached across River. A gloved hand from someone hidden behind the driver’s seat extended to hers, passing over a long knife. Amy sucked in a breath. Camilla tugged her other hand, revealing a rope fastened around River’s neck. She brought the blade to River’s cheek and pressed it into their flesh. The fresh cut oozed very little blood, but the darkening cut on River’s reddened skin was still visible.

Amy reeled back from the window, letting out an involuntary shout. Her breathing quickened as she backed into the road, and her vision became spotty. As rain showered down, she slipped and hit the asphalt.

“Amy!” Tiffany shouted somewhere behind her.

With trembling limbs, Amy pushed herself back onto her feet. She felt a hand on her shoulder, grazing her neck. She jumped and whipped around to see Tiffany’s concerned eyes.

“Amy, are you okay?” Tiffany asked, but Amy turned back to the truck.

“It’s River,” Amy uttered, staring off.

In the truck, Camilla smiled maniacally at the fresh cut on River’s cheek. Her glee was interrupted when she heard someone yell outside. She looked up, startled. From the window, she saw Amy looking at the truck.

“Shit,” Camilla spat, fumbling with the large bag at her feet. “Did she see anything?”

“Who?” Zach asked, peeking around the front seat.

“Amy is looking over here. She looks freaked out. Do you think she saw anything?”

“My windows are tinted, so I doubt it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Camilla snapped, covering River’s face with the bag.

“My face is almost completely covered; I can’t see a thing.”

“Well, my face is not covered, so she probably saw me.”

Zach sighed. “Well, I can always drive you home if you don’t want to get out—”

“Are you serious? She probably already saw me. I’ll just try to improvise.”

“Camilla, are you sure?” Zach grabbed her arm. “I don’t want you getting into any kind of trouble.”

Camilla scoffed and snatched her arm away. “If she saw me, I’m already in trouble. Let me make something up. Either way, I’ll distract her so you can drive.”

“Okay, Camilla.” Zach helped her cover the rest of the body before caressing her face. “I love you—”

“Just drive,” Camilla said as she flung the door open and turned from him. She tossed her gloves into the backseat and slammed the door, waving at him to leave. As he drove from the parking spot, Camilla forced a grin.

Amy straightened when her eyes met Camilla's. She took a step in front of Tiffany.

Tiffany frowned, saying, “What's going on—oh, hey, Camilla!”

Camilla smiled. “Hey, guys!” she called.

“Amy, I thought you said ‘River,’” Tiffany said. “That's Camilla.”

“What are you still doing here?” Amy inquired, staring only at Camilla.

Camilla’s face did not falter. “I’m talking to this guy, and he wanted me to come see him.”

Tiffany gasped. “Was that him in the truck?” Camilla nodded and giggled. “Oh my gosh! Who is he?”

Tiffany walked in front of Amy for only a second before being pulled back by the arm. Tiffany shot her a questioning look that she did not return.

“Who is he, Camilla?” Amy asked. Through the steady rain, she maintained firm eye contact. 

Camilla’s jaw clenched. “He’s no one you’d know.”

“How about the other person in that truck? Would we know them?”

Camilla blinked. “I was the only other person in there. Are you talking about me?”

Amy stepped forward. “You know damn well who I’m talking about.”

“Then say it,” Camilla said, tilting her head.

Amy concealed her trembling hands with a clenched fist. “It was River.”

“What?” Tiffany asked.

“Go on,” Camilla cooed. “What are you so afraid of?”

As rain cascaded down, Amy straightened and took a shaky breath. “River is dead. You killed them.”

Camilla’s face darkened. She advanced towards Amy, her figure towering over. “That's quite an accusation to make against me. You must have some strong evidence.”

“All the evidence is in that truck.”

Camilla stopped in front of Amy. Tiffany shuffled back. “That’s too bad, isn’t it.”

Amy lunged forward, snagging Camilla’s hoodie around the collar. It tightened around her throat at Amy pulled her in. With a swift raise of her leg, Camilla slammed her knee into Amy’s stomach. A firm push sent her back, grip slipping from the dark fabric.

Amy grunted as she stumbled, catching herself on the rain-soaked road. Camilla stood over her as a greater distance than before.

“Amy, you have nothing against me,” Camilla stated, “and you certainly have no one to back you up.”

Back on her feet, Amy looked behind her. On the sidewalk, Tiffany remained planted where she stood before. Her eyes stared at Camilla, wide with dilated pupils. Even with fear evident on her features, she did not move.

When Amy turned forward, Camilla’s hand clasped around her throat. She shoved Amy towards Tiffany and released her.

“You are putting yourself and Tiffany in danger,” Camilla growled. “You would both be wise to keep your mouth shut.”

With a final glare at Tiffany, Camilla adjusted her hood and retreated to the sidewalk. As she hurried towards a nearby parking lot to retrieve her car—ensuring Amy and Tiffany did not follow—her mind raced.

I didn’t have any witnesses last time, she thought. That day went so smoothly. What the hell went wrong today?

Camilla’s jaw clenched. Zach should have never suggested such a risky place. He always thinks he can get away with being so obvious, but he’s just lucky. Of course, he’s become nothing but a nuisance.

I’m sure Amy and Tiffany will be just as inconvenient. I need to kill both of them before they say anything to hurt my reputation. Camilla frowned. I have no idea how I’m going to avoid suspicion if so many people seem to go missing.

Camilla reached her car, entering quickly but staring off as soon as the door shut. 

For the first time, she felt lost.

But she knew she couldn't just sit around, so she started her car. As her arm turned, the fabric around her arm grazed her skin, and she winced. She rolled up her sleeve and raised her forearm closer to her face. There were four red scratches across her skin, none oozing but each with blood close to the surface. The flesh around them flared with pink irritation. 

Camilla recalled River clawing at her as the rope coiled around their neck. She wore gloves and long sleeves that resisted most attacks, but River had reached into her sleeve at one point. 

Camilla felt the scratches as they occurred, but she did not remember them being painful enough to draw blood. Still, she was confident she could keep the marks hidden and covered with makeup.

Camilla rushed out of the parking lot. As she passed the performing arts building, Amy and Tiffany were out of sight.

In the hallway, Amy paced beside Tiffany, who remained still. They shivered, drenched from the cold rain.

“We can’t just stand here,” Amy insisted, grabbing Tiffany by the wrist and tugging her down the hall. “Come on. We have to go tell someone—”

“Wait!” Tiffany shouted. She yanked herself from Amy’s grip.

Amy whipped around. “What are you doing?”

Tiffany’s gaze stuttered. “We can’t just tell people. You heard what Camilla said.”

“Camilla will never be caught if we don’t tell people. Now, come on.”

“Can’t we just call the police?” Tiffany flinched from Amy’s reaching hands. “We can say that River disappeared, then when they question us—”

“We’re going to call the police, too,” Amy promised, “but right now, we need to share what we saw with everyone we can. If something does happen to us,”—Tiffany shuddered—”we need others to know the truth about what happened to River.”

Tiffany squeezed her eyes shut. “You really saw River in that truck?” she asked in an unstable voice. Amy nodded. “How did you know they were… dead?”

With a sigh, Amy said, “You don’t want to know what I saw. Just know that River is dead, and Camilla is responsible.”

Tiffany’s stare drifted to the floor. “I believe you.”

Amy extended a hand. “Let’s go to the drama room. We’ll figure out what to do from there.”

Tiffany hardly looked up as she took Amy’s hand.

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦

The moment she entered her house, Camilla isolated herself in her bedroom without a word to her mother. A few days of the same silence discouraged her from prying her daughter, so she left her alone.

It worked out in Camilla’s favor. She had the solitude needed to have daily phone calls with Zach to work out their schemes. Today, it was especially helpful; this phone call was crucial.

Camilla dialed Zach’s number, entering her closet while she waited impatiently for his answer. After several rings, she was sent to voicemail. She spat a curse and hung up.

Zach never missed her calls. She could only assume he was busy disposing of the body.

Camilla allowed him to take care of the evidence. Not only did Zach live by himself, but he was old enough to get his hands on the materials needed to get Camilla’s jobs done. 

Because of his age, Camilla felt it was necessary to conceal their relationship. Her reputation would certainly be damaged if it became public that she, a 17-year-old girl, was dating a 20-year-old high school drop-out. Considering his questionable habits and concerning record—among her own concerns that he could be caught for their crimes—Camilla had plenty of reasons to avoid any association with Zach. 

To her friends and family, she was single. In private, however, she was grasping the threads of her crumbling relationship to keep Zach in the reigns.

Camilla felt tempted to release her hold as he missed another call.

Her eye twitched and she groaned—much louder than she should have while in her hiding spot. She was far too restless to stand around and wait for Zach to return her call, so she swiped through notifications. 

Messages pinged from the Edwardsville cheerleader group chat. The girls chatted about the football game coming the following day. Camilla indulged in the texts to distract herself. She could only hope the game would hold off any chatter about River.

Camilla’s phone buzzed, dragging her back to the present. She rolled her eyes and answered, snapping, “You missed two of my calls.”

“I was a bit busy carrying a body,” he responded, voice laced with irritation. “You’re welcome.”

Camilla bit her tongue. “Very much appreciated. Not that it prevented me from getting spotted.”

“Did they see River?”

“They saw River dead, Zach.” There was a pause on the other line. “They know I did it. At least, one of them knows, and she’s going to talk.”

“What about the other one? The blonde.”

“Tiffany? I don’t know. She didn’t see anything, but she heard it all from the other one, Amy.”

Zach was silent for a moment. “Do you think this ‘Tiffany’ girl will talk, too?”

Camilla sighed heavily. “I know her well. We are—or we were—pretty close. I have no idea what she’s going to say or even think.”

“How about this,” Zach began. “Find out who’s going to talk. Maybe neither of them will, or maybe both of them will. Then, we’ll plan who to kill from there.”

“Won’t it be suspicious if either of them ‘go missing’ after witnessing a murder?”

Zach clicked his tongue as his voice deepened. “If they keep quiet, who’s to say they witnessed anything?”