My undercover life (Prologue)

@Tenniebenson @khola46 @Anitcham @Stephanie @Mray @Lollybabe1 @Dahcutebae @Delight @Rhennyjay @GeeAdore @Tonia @Hameyeenat @InemLove @Promzy @Mohjisolah @Charliebryn @Charlywizzy @Japhola @Jencute @Jenny @Doublewealth @John451 @Kniphemi @VibratingWind @Emmanesth @Horpheyehmy @Valking1 @Pweety @Kpumpy @Justify @Gracy @Olami @Promise @Sylvia @Besty @Bsam @Youngestprince @Simzy @DonMikie @Portable @Olaking3 @Harddy @Henry @Hardeywummy2 @Blakstudd @Prince @Kingsbest @Flames @Mhzzrblayse @Azeeco @Temmymofrosh @Sandra @Escysegzy @Olusegun @Sandy @Adewunmi @Adesewa200 @Adesewa @Kaysmart22 @Cherryserah @SexyNikky1994 @Tenniebenson @Anitcham @Stephanie @Mray @Lollybabe1 @Dahcutebae @Delight @Rhennyjay @GeeAdore @Tonia @Hameyeenat @InemLove @Promzy @Mohjisolah @Charliebryn @Charlywizzy @Japhola @Jencute @Jenny @Doublewealth @John451 @Kniphemi @VibratingWind @Emmanesth @Horpheyehmy @Valking1 @Pweety @Kpumpy @Justify @Gracy @Olami @Promise @Sylvia @Besty @Bsam @Youngestprince @Simzy @DonMikie @Portable @Olaking3 @Harddy @Henry @Hardeywummy2 @Blakstudd @Prince @Kingsbest @Flames @Mhzzrblayse @Azeeco @Temmymofrosh @Sandra @Escysegzy @Olusegun @Sandy @Adewunmi @Adesewa200 @Adesewa @Kaysmart22 @Cherryserah @SexyNikky1994 @Tenniebenson @Anitcham @Stephanie @Mray @Lollybabe1 @Dahcutebae @Delight @Rhennyjay @GeeAdore @Tonia @Hameyeenat @InemLove @Promzy @Mohjisolah @Charliebryn @Charlywizzy @Japhola @Jencute @Jenny @Doublewealth @John451 @Kniphemi @VibratingWind @Emmanesth @Horpheyehmy @Valking1 @Pweety @Kpumpy @Justify @Gracy @Olami @Promise @Sylvia @Besty @Bsam @Youngestprince @Simzy @DonMikie @Portable @Olaking3 @Harddy @Henry @Hardeywummy2 @Blakstudd @Prince @Kingsbest @Flames @Mhzzrblayse @Azeeco @Tenniebenson @Anitcham @Stephanie @Mray @Lollybabe1 @Dahcutebae @Delight @Rhennyjay @GeeAdore @Tonia @Hameyeenat @InemLove @Promzy @Mohjisolah @Charliebryn @Charlywizzy @Japhola @Jencute @Jenny @Doublewealth @John451 @Kniphemi @VibratingWind @Emmanesth @Horpheyehmy @Valking1 @Pweety @Kpumpy @Justify @Gracy @Olami @Promise @Sylvia @Besty @Bsam @Youngestprince @Simzy @DonMikie @Portable @Olaking3 @Harddy @Henry @Hardeywummy2 @Blakstudd @Prince @Kingsbest @Flames @Mhzzrblayse @Azeeco @Temmymofrosh @Sandra @Escysegzy @Olusegun @Sandy @Adewunmi @Adesewa200 @Adesewa @Kaysmart22 @Cherryserah @SexyNikky1994 @calisto @hbk @frank @davick @whistler @sirp081 @kristen @liciacutes @whistler @murshan @wind @mojhisolar @charlywizzy @scholes junior @seyifunmi @kingsengine @aaron @tony @ruth @besty @shaxee @kemkit @jenny @leo @john @williams @softtouch @hoelhay @christopher @opeyemii @oluchi @maurice @abdulseries @olamy4fun @hameyeenat @stanny39 @harnuholuwa @jhorlade @somkhid @ruth @flames @loveth @peace @chinanza @ty @mrsolace @kingsbest @ib_dreams @frankkie @crusher @wind @maxblaze @jclash @pholaryemmie @dozzle @donvalley @donpaschalo @joseph @fridex @davin @nash @kuks @ewomazeal @nizzy @ebube @okklad @justify @funmilayo1 @loveth @donb @iksqueency @smilie @borwerleh @hollar @kolababs @ogbara @franklin @vasty @walexidey @damzitayo @chikere @anita @iamchris @wisdom @thankmic @christopher @jummy @maurice @herbyhorlarh @magdalene @esejerro @roes @pearl @chernor @priceocity @mature @swissy @omodunbi @sam @ibrams @dhemilade1 @oyindamola1 @samdee @lawman @others u are invited

Wow,this will be so cool,I love this type of story. @Pizzaro,@Mray,@Whizjay,@Taiwo,@Precy,@sandra,@Frank,@T-dak,@everyone else coz I can't remember much,pls join me in reading.

Wow am here....... Donwalter is on it aqain.....Vhiz would be Great......Ride on @Donwalter . @Tenniebenson @Khola46 @T-Dak @Mray @Wiseman @Pweety @Delight @Jummybabe @Somkhid @Mray @Empressjin @Pizzaro @Kemkit @Simzy @Everybody come ooo

@pizzaro, Thank you bro for the invite even though @don_Walter & @purity didn't invite me . ... . I dor show for here like JAMES BOND !! . . . @don_Walter, ride on, im following you . . . @tenniebenson, oya show with some biscuits !! . . @mray, please come o, im catching cold . . . . @simzy, oya you too show. . . I still remain your boy . . . JESUSBOY JNR . . . DE . . COOLVAL YOUNGEST!!!

Sorry@Jesus-BoyJnr,I forgot ne. Don't worry I will give you my seat to sit down on for the duration of the story.

@purity Thanks for the invite yhu are a darling *kisses* This gonna be fun reading... Oya donwaiter, abeg no make me wait

@Donwalter, stayinq tune isn't a problm @all coz am alredy relaxinq, Ok! Anywy, tnx, u rlly did wella 2 hv invited me hia....

I summit my humble self

I don show,triple invite,oga donwalter come and continue

Wow another sweetable story 4rm our donwalter. With my soft drinks av taken my sit

Another supense stori. @donwalter tanks, i don sitti downi, so make d stori dey flow. No dulling

Tankx dear @ Empressjin

Wow wow.... I alwyz love detective stories... @Donwalter tnk ya 4 dis... Can I say I love ya? #hope no one saw dat?#

Ride on detective @Donwalter, @Pizzaro tnxs sire

Am here o let d real misery begin @donwalter thanks @pizzaro I don take my seat for de front sha

Guys thanks, na me and empressjin go share seat.

who drop viz VLC player here.....okkk toh, sitting in my *zaure* kippin calm and hearin dis moonlight tale from my role model........

Y'all Welcum on board quyz....

Update dis thing nao

Present sir. Oya com continue o cos, we r all seated. Thanks for d invite @Donwalter

U wlc @frank but am sori u would av to find ur own seat,@Pizzaro help Frank with seat abeg

Chapter One . . . . . . “The bodies of Allie and Alyce Bryant were discovered after midnight on Friday, December 1st, downtown, in the city of Woodway on Jefferson Ave. Witnesses reported screaming, and the sounds of metal hitting concrete. By the time the police arrived, the killer was long gone. An autopsy was issued last week, showing evidence of rape on Allie Bryant, and multiple scarring on Alyce Bryant. Friends and family members said both girls were loved by everyone in their local high school, Monroe High, sister school to Woodway Prep, and were the star athletes on the soccer and softball teams. Parents of the girls in a grieving voice said that they would be dearly missed and that justice will be brought to them. At this time, the DA is not talking about possible suspects and will only state that this case is under invest—” “Any news?” my mother asked, drowning out the monotone voice of the reporter on Fox 5. She eyed the TV, grabbing the seat next to me on the couch. Sipping on her special green tea, deep brown eyes stared back at me. I shook my head, dejectedly. “They got nothing.” My mother looked surprised, placing her imported tea from China on the coffee table. “They still don’t have any leads yet?” “They said they’re not talking about it. Whatever that means,” I told her, ending my sentence with a roll of my eyes. Biting her lips, she thought for a minute. “That’s strange . . .” she whispered under her breath, taking another sip of her hot drink. As I watched her, her facial expressions, went from confused to gasping in surprise all within a minute of each other. “What? What’s wrong?” I asked in alarm, running towards her in a panic. “Nothing, nothing,” she said a little bit too quickly, as her voice went up an octave. I quirked an eyebrow at her. She was lying big time. But she was my mother, and I wasn’t going to call her out on it. She’ll tell me when she’s ready. “I just remember Megan has to be in school in half an hour,” she fibbed easily, looking at her golden wristwatch my Dad had brought her for Christmas. “Do me a favor and go get her?” “Well,” I began, dragging the last syllable out, “since you asked kindly, sure.” She laughed, patting my back affectionately. “Thank you sweetie.” “No problem,” I sang, as I ran towards the stairs. “I'll be down with Megan soon!” “I wouldn’t expect anything less from my daughter!” I heard her called when I was halfway up the spiral staircase. Going passed my sister, Izzy’s old room, and my room, I came to a halt at Megan’s room. Her door was painted a simple neutral white, with a cursive wooden sign with her name on it. Giving it a soft knock, I twisted the doorknob, walking right in like I did a million times before. Jumping over her drumsticks, and her Basset clarinet case, I made sure I didn’t trip over her piles of dirty laundry like I did yesterday morning. She all but had a field day when she found me spread out on the floor, clutching my knees in pain. And guess what? The dang girl didn’t even help me out afterwards! All she did was worry about her precious instruments and if I broke any of them. Please, like I would. The girl had at least fifteen different kinds of instruments placed all over her room, with multiple awards showcasing her gifted talent from the ages of nine and up. Some say that Megan Reed was a pure genius in the musical industry, and of course, being her best friend, I had to agree with them. I mean do you know anyone that could play any instrument by just hearing someone else play it once? No? I don’t think so. Just as I was about to reach her bed, I fell face-flat on the floor, hissing in pain. Rubbing my sore head, I shot daggers at Megan’s back laying on her comfortable queen-sized bed my mother brought her. And even though she couldn’t see me, I knew she could feel me burning holes at her. “Megan!” I shouted her name furiously. “Why can’t you clean up your room for once!?” I could hear her soft chuckling, as she finally showed her face from underneath her blanket. Holding in her loud laughter, she peered down at me, her dirty blonde hair a wild mess. “You know I can’t do that.” “Why not!?” I nearly but yelled, my light blue eyes probably in a dangerous glow. “Do you enjoy watching me injure myself every time I come in to your room?” She tapped her chin, thoughtfully. “Well—it is highly amusing.” I cut my eyes at her. “How would you feel if I fall on one of your instruments!?” That shut her up, as I earned a glare from her in return. “You wouldn’t.” I grinned. “Watch me.” She gulped, eyeing her treasures all over the floor. She sighed, giving up. “Fine. I’ll clean up my room. Happy?” “Very.” Slapping my thighs repeatedly for three seconds, I jumped up, planting myself on her glow in the dark sheets. “Anyways,” I added, changing the subject, “my mom said you need to be down in twenty minutes for school.” She let a whine escaped her mouth, plopping back on the soft mattress. “Why do I have to go to school? Why can’t I be homeschooled like you?” She pouted, her baby-like features even more prominent. “Because unlike you, I was a child actress, and it wouldn’t be a good idea—” “—if you were seen in public. Blah, blah.” Turning around, she faced me, her bright blue eyes wide and innocent. “You know Lily. That was when you were a kid. You’re seventeen now. You need to experience life. Live a little, instead of being stuck at home by yourself.” “I’m not alone!” I argued, childishly, even though I knew she made a valid point. “I have Dennis.” “Lil, he’s in college,” she stated. “Just break up with him already. He’s no good for you,” she said, the conversation turning serious. My eyes watered at the thought of me breaking up with him. I-I couldn’t do it. Even though I knew I should because of the long distance relationship part, I couldn’t. He was my first kiss, my first crush, my first real boyfriend. “You don’t know that . . .” I heard rumors that he was always at wild parties and hooking up with girls left and right, but I didn’t believe any of them. I know Dennis, and he wouldn’t do that to me. He’s loyal, and plus he was my friend first before we started dating. That has to mean something right? “You’re right, I don’t,” she concluded, “but just think about it. I don’t want to see you regret your decision later on in life. Don’t stay with him just because he got voted the ‘sexiest guy alive under twenty-five’ by teen-magazine.” “It’s not just that,” I argued. Dennis was a lot more than just 'hotness’ in clothes. He’s talented, smart, successful, and caring; an overall good person. “I didn’t say it was.” Feeling the bed shift, I could tell she was getting up. Hearing the closet door creak open, I knew she was about to change into her uniform—which was my cue to leave, and her signal telling me the conversation was over. Heading back down the stairs, I turned the HDTV back on, and began searching for a good TV show to watch in the meantime. “Lily, did you get Megan?” my mother asked, walking back into the living room, with her dark hair now tied up, dressed in a button-up blouse and pencil-skirt. “We have to leave in less than fifteen minutes.” “Yeah,” I told her, stopping on channel fourty-two. “She should be down any minute now.” “Great. Once she’s done, tell her I’ll be in the garage. I want to warm up the car first.” I nodded, laughing at the stupid idiots on Reality Madness. Why would anyone drink until they’re that drunk? “Will do,” I answered her mindlessly. Feeling a light pressure on my forehead, she whispered, ‘I love you’ before heading out the front door, letting the cold air in. Luckily she shut the door quickly, knowing how much I hated the cold. In exactly fifteen minutes, Megan ran down the stairs, with one of her saxophone cases in her hand. Her pin-straight blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, as she wore the required Woodway Prep uniform they issued five years ago. Her face was free from any kind of make-up, going with the natural look, like she did all the time, unlike me who had their make-up professionally done every morning. “Is your mom out in the back again?” “You, my friend are correct.” I smiled, giving her a thumbs up. She dipped her head in response, beaming back. She was almost out the front door when I stopped her, remembering the news report earlier today. “Be careful though! The killer might still be out there.” Terror quickly appeared on her face, when she progressed what I said. “You mean with the Bryant case?” “Yeah. They’re not giving any information out yet, but just watch out. I wouldn’t want your brother coming back and yelling at me, because I didn’t watch out for his ‘baby sister’.” She rolled her eyes at the mention of her protective brother Thomas, and my brother in law. “Please. I can watch out for myself just fine.” “Of course you can.” I laughed. “Anyways, hurry up before you’re late. Wouldn’t want your perfect no-tardy-record to be destroyed.” “Crap!” Her eyes widened at the mentioned of her record. “You’re right! I’ll see you later Lily! Love you!” She blew me a kiss, as she rushed out the door, letting more wintry air in. “Love you too!” I called out, even though she was long gone now. Letting out a loud yawn, I went back to lounging on the couch, pulling the blanket my mom put over the sofa on my body. I was about to watch more TV to pass the time with until my tutor came over at noon, when a knock blared from the front entrance. I twisted my neck at the sound. “Megan?” I waited; nothing. “Hello?” I called again. No response. Shrugging I went back to my shows, when the soft knocking sounded again, but this time more urgently. Sighing, I flipped the covers off of me, and headed straight for the door, ripping it open. “What?!” “Lily Avery Ace?” a deep voice, dressed in all black asked. My eyes enlarged at their bulging muscles, tall frame, and the gun they had strapped to their hips. I was about to slam the door in their faces and call the police, when the guy in front of me held up a golden badge, that said, ‘Federal Bureau of Investigation, department of Justice’ on it. Shit. What kind of trouble did I get myself into now? . . . . . To be continued

Present sir @Donwalter

Hmmmmm...... Nxt

hehe nobody invited me oo no probs even if nobody invited me i don land ride on.......

Nice start

nice start here...

9ice starting

Nice Start Keep rolling

yes I don take sit expecting more from yu @donwalter

For Una Mind Now, Una Neva Knw Me Abi??? Not Even @tenniebenson hala me No P... @tenniebenson incase u dunno,,,, U're well seated on my knees.... WHO CARE FOR SOME POP CORN???

present

Nice,nxt please

Present Don Walter the tale crime master. Front seat Straight.

Lol... @Vames on ur knees ke? I'm alwyz on d high table na

Nice start, keep it rolling.

Oga mi @Donwalter ki lon suping na?

Chapter Two . . . “Don’t be afraid,” the guy in front of me said in a surprisingly calming tone. “You’re not in trouble, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He chuckled, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him. Looking at him closely now, he seemed to be about twenty-five years old. He had one of those mature kind of faces but at the same time you could tell he was young by his kind blue eyes, and the wrinkle free-face. “I’m guessing by that ‘oh-shit’ expression on your face earlier, you’re Lily Avery Ace,” he said with a close-mouth smile when I didn’t respond back. By now, he probably thought I was some kind of an idiot, just staring at him. But could you blame me? What do you even say when two guys that could literally hurt you with a snap of their fingers show up on your doorsteps asking for you? Even though they appeared to be friendly, I couldn’t let my guard down just yet. “How do you even know my full name!?” was my clever comeback to his statement. Only close family members knew my middle name; I made sure the media didn’t know me as Lily Avery Ace. Then again they refer to me as ‘the face’, or the ‘cutest child star ever’. Sadly they still call me that even though I’m seventeen and had already left the entertainment world. “Wow, I’m hurt. You don’t even recognize your own cousins,” the second guy said, finally making direct eye contact with me. His soft grey eyes were filled with fake-pain, and amusement; though I wasn’t sure for what. If he thought this situation was funny, he has another thing coming to him. “Cousins? You’re joking right?” “Why would we joke about that?” he all but asked, stepping forward, his six foot five frame, towering over my short five foot five frame. “We’re from your mother’s side of the family,” he explained, pointing to his partner then back to himself. “Distant but we’re still family,” he added afterwards. “Prove it.” I stubbornly crossed my arms, as I watched them look at each other in thought before turning back around, opening their mouths to respond simultaneously. “Lily, who’s at the door?” I heard my dad’s voice asked, cutting off what they were about to say. Listening to the quiet footsteps get louder and louder, I knew he was getting close. By the sound of his voice, he had most likely just woken up, wanting some breakfast or something. Instead his face is probably in a thin line, looking absolutely confused, just like all of the other times when we had unannounced visitors. “That was your dad’s voice,” the first guy stated. I nodded not knowing what else to say. Either they were telling the truth about being my cousins, or it was just a lucky guess. Feeling my dad’s presence behind me, I all but heard him gasped, before I was pulled inside, behind him. Looking at my dad, he was around the same height as those two guys, and even though he was in his late fifties, he was still pretty well off—youth wise. Sure if you look at him, you could tell he wasn’t the youngest guy out there, but he still didn’t look like he was in his fifties. He could still very well pass for someone in their early forties, and he could still kick some butt if he wanted to. “Demitri, Skylar, what are you guys doing here?” he murmured, looking at each of the guys respectively. “Chill out uncle,” Skylar, the second guy, remarked, “we just wanted to visit you guys and to see how our dear baby cousin is doing.” His grey eyes met my blue ones, as he flashed me a quick smile. I rolled my eyes at that. Baby cousin? I bet they’re only like five years older than me. “Right . . .” My dad rolled his eyes, copying my actions not believing them for even a second. I couldn’t blame him, because even though I just met them, I knew they weren’t telling the truth by their presences alone. “Now tell me the real reason why you’re here.” He took a deep breath, sighing, looking at Demitri for a nod of approval before he began telling us the truth. “Fine, as you may already know, there’s a killer on the loose.” “You mean with the Bryant case?” I asked, before my dad could. Everyone and anyone already knew that. It’s been all over the news. “Yes, but that’s not the only case,” Demitri uttered out causing my eyes to enlarged. There’s more killings!? Seeing the terror on my face, he quickly started to elaborate, as my dad took my hands in his, trying to comfort me. “In the past four months, someone is going around killing young girls left and right. Every first friday night after midnight, two bodies are always found dead. One raped and the other beaten. All located dead in alleyways, right after a high school party. The victims all had something in common. They were all seniors in high school, and their names all started with the letter ‘A’. But that’s not all, the most important thing between all of the victims is that they all shared the same birthday and were born roughly around the time they passed away.” “How come we never heard of this?” You would think if a serial killer was on the loose killing young teenager girls around places that are relatively safe this news would be all over the media and the social web, right? So how come I’m just hearing about this now!? “We just recently pieced all of this together,” he said, telling both of us. “Each killing happened in different states. The Bryant’s case was the first in New York. The FBI has been working on this case since the third attack, but every single person who had witnessed these crimes took place always described the killer as someone totally different. Almost like there’s more than one killer out there, but we know that’s not the case. We tested the DNA in the sperm sample we collected in each of the victims bodies and they were all a perfect match. So either this person is a master of disguise or the witnesses are giving us false information.” I nodded, trying to take everything in. To know a crazy psycho is on the loose would scare anyone shitless. And right now, I’m beyond frightened. If it wasn’t for my dad holding me up right now, I would be on the ground, passed out. “Do you even have any leads?” my dad asked, holding me close to him, rubbing soothing circles upon my back. He was trying to calm me down by whispering comforting words to me, but all I could think about was the killer. What if he decides to go after someone whose's name doesn’t start with the letter ‘A’? What if he decides to go after Megan or me? Then what? “Three. We finally got some leads during the Bryant’s case. The suspects aren’t exactly who you would picture as blood-thirsty killers though. They’re all eighteen, and two of them are brothers. And they all reside in this lovely town called Woodway,” Skylar said, as he ended his sentence in a sarcastic tone. My face paled, freezing on the spot. D-d-did he just said what I think he said? “And just why are you exactly telling us this? Isn’t this suppose to be top FBI information?” my dad questioned for me, seeing as how I couldn’t even blink my eyes, let alone ask questions at the moment. “If we’re just hearing about this so-called serial killer, I’m pretty sure they wanted to keep this on the downlow.” “Well yeah, but you guys aren’t just anyone,” Skylar said, putting air quotes on the word anyone. “W-what do you mean?” I finally spoke up, amazed I didn’t stammered on my words too much. “The real reason why we’re here isn’t because we wanted to visit you guys or to scare you, Lily half to death with all of this information,” he grimaced, both of them looking quite guilty and apologetic. “Then what are you here for?” “We need you to go undercover,” he blurted out bluntly with a straight face. It took me a second, before I fully grasped what he had said, before I cried out, “U-under what!?” “You heard me.” He tried to pulled of a smile. “We want you, Lily Avery Ace to go undercover to help us solve this crime.” “W-why me?” Their faces turned serious when they uttered the sentence that made my blood ran cold. “The three suspects all go to your town's private school, Woodway Prep.” . . . . . To be continued

Wow,now this is getting intresting

interesting story

Go dear.. Stop odas from being killed.... You cn do it!!

Y u,,, lets c hw it goes. Ride on

Hmmmm Dat Could be Danqerous......#Whayasay??....

Still observing

So y is he killing dem? For wat?

Hmmmmmm....... Nafin shuld happen 2 ha oooo...... Wch1 b say make she cum go undercover ni.....? Make nafin happen 2 ha oooo

qettinq interestinq

D tori don start *my undercover life* lily avril ace. From entertainment world to undercover world.

hmmm' guess it gona b a though and dangerous one

hmmm.....serial killer why is it onli gals dat he usually kills...... dere is more to this.....jst pray lily doesn't get into problems.......

Hmmm lovely am following

@donwalter again. interesting! weldone

Let the ball keep rolling

Hmmmmmmm! This's no child's play ooooo. The matter serious ooooo

@Pizzaro I done land after all she done loan me come ur side

< l i > ride on bro

ℓ̊ don land here,,,,,,,,,,,, hmmnn @Donwalter Α̲̅πϑ @pizzaro tenx dearies for †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ IV's

Chapter Three . . . . . “Repeat that, please.” “Repeat what?” one of them asked. I think it was Skylar that talked, but I wasn’t quite sure. I wasn’t really paying attention to their faces, just their voices. And trust me when your brain is feeling overwhelmed with information, you tend to not pay attention to details. Like for example, whose voice is whose’. “What you just said.” “What?” he inquired, “that the three suspects all go to Woodway Prep?” “Yeah that,” was the last thing I remembered saying before I fainted from the shock and the fear flowing through my body. When I finally came around, I woke up on the couch with my dad leaning over me, a worried expression plastered on his face. “Lily! Baby, are you okay? Don’t scare daddy like that ever again!” he said all in one breath, hugging the life out of me. “D-dad?” I asked, confused. Leaning away from his overbearing hug, I sat in a sitting position. “What happened?” “You fainted,” a voice that was clearly not my dad answered. Looking to my right, I saw two guys in police get-up, and suddenly everything started coming back to me. The murder of Allie and Alyce, my cousins Skylar and Demitri showing up, me finding out that they were FBI agents, and that they wanted me to go undercover for them to find a crazy serial killer who’s going after teenage girls who names start with the letter ‘A’. Oh, and let’s not forget that the three suspects all go to Megan’s private high school. And did I mention the fact that they want me to go near three potential killers!? I can’t even kill a stupid bug, let alone act ‘normal’ around three guys that could be blood-thirsty killers out to get me! “So I did,” I stated, running my hands through my blonde locks. Slumping back against the couch, I looked up at Demitri and Skylar. “C-can you just please tell me why I need to be the one that has to go undercover? Can’t you guys like get some professional FBI agent to do that?” “We would, but none of our agents can actually pull off being in high school,” Demitri answered for me. “Well, why not?” I asked, pulling my mouth into a thin line. “Well for starters, most of our female FBI agents are in their late twenties or early thirties. Trust me when I say that they would never ever pull off being eighteen again,” he said, his face scrunching up in disgust, probably picturing the female FBI in a school uniform. “Why don’t you just hire a spy then?” I proposed, hoping they’ll take the idea. “Again, the age thing,” he countered back with. “There’s no spy that can pull of the teenage-look. We don’t want the killer to know we’re on to him; not until we can gather enough evidence against him so we can finally arrest him.” “Okay . . .” I said, pausing for a second before I started speaking again. “But that doesn’t explain why you decided to have me as your little ‘spy’.” “You’re the only one who actually knows the school and plus the fact that you’re the only one with the FBI cousins.” He pointed to himself and to Skylar. “We can’t let outsiders know about this.” “Okay, but here’s the thing,” I started out explaining, “I never went to that school. I was homeschooled ever since I started pre-K.” “We know that,” he said, “and that’s actually why we decided to pick you. We needed someone who the three suspects didn’t know. That way you can become close with them, without them suspecting anything.” “Yeah, that’s great,” I said sarcastically, trying to hold back an eye roll, “but in case you’d forgotten, I’m Lily Ace. The child star!” I exclaimed loudly. “Everyone knows who I am in this town. Once I step foot into that school everyone will know who I am. Including them!” He made a tsk sound with his teeth, waving his pointer finger in front of my face. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Holding back the temptation to smack his finger away, my face twisted up in confusion instead. “Wait, huh? How?” “Ever heard of the term undercover before?” he posed like I never heard that word come out of his mouth before. “Well no shit sherlock,” I couldn’t help but yelled. “Lily, language!” Dad cried next to me, his tone disapproving. I grimaced, forgetting it wasn’t just Demitri and I in the room. “Sorry dad, I’ll watch my tongue next time.” “Good.” He nodded, his eyes drifting back to Demitri and Skylar. “Please, continue on what you were saying before.” “I’ll be happy to.” He coughed, clearing his throat annoyingly. “Pretending you didn’t just say that just now, I’ll explain what going undercover really means.” Taking his sweet ass time, probably enjoying the impatient look on my face, he finally started talking again. “If you agree to this, the people at Woodway, including your own best friend, won’t even recognize you once we’re done with you.” “So, what you’re saying is you’re going to give me a makeover,” I concluded. He nodded. “Pretty much.” “And once we’re done with this makeover of yours, I have to enroll into Woodway Prep pretending to be a new student, am I correct?” His smile brighten, probably ecstatic I was getting his plan. “Exactly.” “And I’m suppose to make friends with these three guys, and find out who’s the killer, right?” “Yup!” he said, cheerfully. “I’m so glad you’re getting it.” “Right.” I lowered my head. “I’m not doing it,” I said at last, wiping the smile off his face. “What!?” they both cried in unison, traces of their smile gone. “Why not?” “Because!” I shouted, “I’m not going anywhere near those guys! Who knows what they can do to me? What if the disguise doesn’t work? What if they see right through me? I’m not taking that chance!” “So what?” he barked back, letting me know that Demitri was the ‘leader’ of this duo. “You’re going to let this guy kill two more innocent girls next month, just because you’re scared?” “I am not scared!” I fumed, as I quickly shot up from my position on the couch. “Seems like you are.” “Lily Ace is never scared! I’d been through worse than this!” I defended myself. From going through the kidnappings of my older sister Sabby, and the almost death of Thomas, my sister’s husband, to my older brother John protecting Amanda from her stalker. Even though I wasn’t directly involved in those cases, I was the brave little sister, and friend on the sidelines. “Oh yeah?” He arched his eyebrow, getting way too close to comfort. “Then prove it! Do the job.” “I know what you’re doing!” I wailed, poking him on the chest. Please, like I can be fool by this dumb trick. “Doing what?” he asked, trying to play innocent. “You know!” He shook his head, still playing dumb. “No I don’t.” “Yes, you do.” “No, I don’t,” he said in a monotone voice. “Oh my God. Shut up!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration. I was about three seconds away from kicking him where the sun don’t shine. “You’re annoying me!” “Then just accept the damn job and I’ll shut up,” he said, letting his control slipped. Trying to hide the smile on my face, I crossed my arms across my chest. “You’re not the boss of me.” “Technically I am. Remember who you’re speaking to.” “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I know I’m speaking to a teenage girl PSMing.” His eyes blurred with red. “What did you just say!?” “Okay! Enough!” my dad yelled, breaking the argument between Demetri and I up as his partner held him back. “Lily, stop tempting him, and Demitri stop edging her on. She has a very short temper just like her brother, John.” “Dad!” I screeched, cutting my eyes at him. I. Can. Not. Believe. He. Just. Told. Him. That! “What?” He laughed, shrugging. “It’s true.” “That doesn’t mean you should tell that jerkhead—” I pointed at him, “—that.” “Lily . . .” he warned, his voice going all dad-mood on me. “Fine.” I sighed, taking a deep breath. I faced Demitri, trying to be as apologetic as I could be. “I’m sorry about that.” “I guess it wasn’t totally your fault either,” he let out soon after. “I’m sorry I pushed the job on you. It your decision anyways. We can’t really make you take this assignment.” “Ah . . . thanks,” I told him, awkwardly. Even though he wasn’t the greatest of people I’d met, he wasn’t the worst either. And plus, he apologized, and he meant it. His voice wasn’t sarcastic and he actually looked me in the eye when he said all of that. But, he wasn’t wrong either . . . I was scared. But at the same time I couldn’t let his guy get away with murder, couldn’t I? And, if I help out, I’ll finally be able to go to private school instead of being homeschooled. I’ll finally be able to experience a real life as a regular teenager just like my sister and brother did at Woodway Prep. Maybe . . . this won’t be so bad after all . . . I mean, I get to go to school with Megan, and I get to catch some bad guys at the same time. Before making up my mind, I faced them. “Um, I have a question.” “Yeah?” Demitri and Skylar both asked. “I-If I ah, do this job. You guys will protect me right?” “Of course! Even though we won’t be able to be with you twenty-four-seven during school hours, we’ll be parked right outside. And we’re going to be hooking a microphone on you, so we can talk to you whenever. We will also be hiding a tiny camera on your shirt or something so we can record everything that is going on and we’ll watch for suspicious activity. If we deem anything dangerous, we’ll be right next to you before you can call either of our names,” Skylar answered with a kind smile—a quality I liked about him. “Okay, one more question.” “Yeah?” Demitri said this time. “When does this makeover start?” He smirked. “I thought you would never ask.” . . . . . To be continued

Hmmmm,hope u can do dis @Ace

Hmmm... Go for it girl!!

So undercover

wow! hmmmm.am eager....... next!!

Hmmnn,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ℓ̊ doubt if she is gonna suceed dis

Comment reserve

Intrestinq..... Lily I know it will be difficult but u u'll succeed at the end.... Next please...

Chapter Three . . . . , . Repeat that, please.” “Repeat what?” one of them asked. I think it was Skylar that talked, but I wasn’t quite sure. I wasn’t really paying attention to their faces, just their voices. And trust me when your brain is feeling overwhelmed with information, you tend to not pay attention to details. Like for example, whose voice is whose’. “What you just said.” “What?” he inquired, “that the three suspects all go to Woodway Prep?” “Yeah that,” was the last thing I remembered saying before I fainted from the shock and the fear flowing through my body. When I finally came around, I woke up on the couch with my dad leaning over me, a worried expression plastered on his face. “Lily! Baby, are you okay? Don’t scare daddy like that ever again!” he said all in one breath, hugging the life out of me. “D-dad?” I asked, confused. Leaning away from his overbearing hug, I sat in a sitting position. “What happened?” “You fainted,” a voice that was clearly not my dad answered. Looking to my right, I saw two guys in police get-up, and suddenly everything started coming back to me. The murder of Allie and Alyce, my cousins Skylar and Demitri showing up, me finding out that they were FBI agents, and that they wanted me to go undercover for them to find a crazy serial killer who’s going after teenage girls who names start with the letter ‘A’. Oh, and let’s not forget that the three suspects all go to Megan’s private high school. And did I mention the fact that they want me to go near three potential killers!? I can’t even kill a stupid bug, let alone act ‘normal’ around three guys that could be blood-thirsty killers out to get me! “So I did,” I stated, running my hands through my blonde locks. Slumping back against the couch, I looked up at Demitri and Skylar. “C-can you just please tell me why I need to be the one that has to go undercover? Can’t you guys like get some professional FBI agent to do that?” “We would, but none of our agents can actually pull off being in high school,” Demitri answered for me. “Well, why not?” I asked, pulling my mouth into a thin line. “Well for starters, most of our female FBI agents are in their late twenties or early thirties. Trust me when I say that they would never ever pull off being eighteen again,” he said, his face scrunching up in disgust, probably picturing the female FBI in a school uniform. “Why don’t you just hire a spy then?” I proposed, hoping they’ll take the idea. “Again, the age thing,” he countered back with. “There’s no spy that can pull of the teenage-look. We don’t want the killer to know we’re on to him; not until we can gather enough evidence against him so we can finally arrest him.” “Okay . . .” I said, pausing for a second before I started speaking again. “But that doesn’t explain why you decided to have me as your little ‘spy’.” “You’re the only one who actually knows the school and plus the fact that you’re the only one with the FBI cousins.” He pointed to himself and to Skylar. “We can’t let outsiders know about this.” “Okay, but here’s the thing,” I started out explaining, “I never went to that school. I was homeschooled ever since I started pre-K.” “We know that,” he said, “and that’s actually why we decided to pick you. We needed someone who the three suspects didn’t know. That way you can become close with them, without them suspecting anything.” “Yeah, that’s great,” I said sarcastically, trying to hold back an eye roll, “but in case you’d forgotten, I’m Lily Ace. The child star!” I exclaimed loudly. “Everyone knows who I am in this town. Once I step foot into that school everyone will know who I am. Including them!” He made a tsk sound with his teeth, waving his pointer finger in front of my face. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Holding back the temptation to smack his finger away, my face twisted up in confusion instead. “Wait, huh? How?” “Ever heard of the term undercover before?” he posed like I never heard that word come out of his mouth before. “Well no shit sherlock,” I couldn’t help but yelled. “Lily, language!” Dad cried next to me, his tone disapproving. I grimaced, forgetting it wasn’t just Demitri and I in the room. “Sorry dad, I’ll watch my tongue next time.” “Good.” He nodded, his eyes drifting back to Demitri and Skylar. “Please, continue on what you were saying before.” “I’ll be happy to.” He coughed, clearing his throat annoyingly. “Pretending you didn’t just say that just now, I’ll explain what going undercover really means.” Taking his sweet ass time, probably enjoying the impatient look on my face, he finally started talking again. “If you agree to this, the people at Woodway, including your own best friend, won’t even recognize you once we’re done with you.” “So, what you’re saying is you’re going to give me a makeover,” I concluded. He nodded. “Pretty much.” “And once we’re done with this makeover of yours, I have to enroll into Woodway Prep pretending to be a new student, am I correct?” His smile brighten, probably ecstatic I was getting his plan. “Exactly.” “And I’m suppose to make friends with these three guys, and find out who’s the killer, right?” “Yup!” he said, cheerfully. “I’m so glad you’re getting it.” “Right.” I lowered my head. “I’m not doing it,” I said at last, wiping the smile off his face. “What!?” they both cried in unison, traces of their smile gone. “Why not?” “Because!” I shouted, “I’m not going anywhere near those guys! Who knows what they can do to me? What if the disguise doesn’t work? What if they see right through me? I’m not taking that chance!” “So what?” he barked back, letting me know that Demitri was the ‘leader’ of this duo. “You’re going to let this guy kill two more innocent girls next month, just because you’re scared?” “I am not scared!” I fumed, as I quickly shot up from my position on the couch. “Seems like you are.” “Lily Ace is never scared! I’d been through worse than this!” I defended myself. From going through the kidnappings of my older sister Sabby, and the almost death of Thomas, my sister’s husband, to my older brother John protecting Amanda from her stalker. Even though I wasn’t directly involved in those cases, I was the brave little sister, and friend on the sidelines. “Oh yeah?” He arched his eyebrow, getting way too close to comfort. “Then prove it! Do the job.” “I know what you’re doing!” I wailed, poking him on the chest. Please, like I can be fool by this dumb trick. “Doing what?” he asked, trying to play innocent. “You know!” He shook his head, still playing dumb. “No I don’t.” “Yes, you do.” “No, I don’t,” he said in a monotone voice. “Oh my God. Shut up!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration. I was about three seconds away from kicking him where the sun don’t shine. “You’re annoying me!” “Then just accept the damn job and I’ll shut up,” he said, letting his control slipped. Trying to hide the smile on my face, I crossed my arms across my chest. “You’re not the boss of me.” “Technically I am. Remember who you’re speaking to.” “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I know I’m speaking to a teenage girl PSMing.” His eyes blurred with red. “What did you just say!?” “Okay! Enough!” my dad yelled, breaking the argument between Demetri and I up as his partner held him back. “Lily, stop tempting him, and Demitri stop edging her on. She has a very short temper just like her brother, John.” “Dad!” I screeched, cutting my eyes at him. I. Can. Not. Believe. He. Just. Told. Him. That! “What?” He laughed, shrugging. “It’s true.” “That doesn’t mean you should tell that jerkhead—” I pointed at him, “—that.” “Lily . . .” he warned, his voice going all dad-mood on me. “Fine.” I sighed, taking a deep breath. I faced Demitri, trying to be as apologetic as I could be. “I’m sorry about that.” “I guess it wasn’t totally your fault either,” he let out soon after. “I’m sorry I pushed the job on you. It your decision anyways. We can’t really make you take this assignment.” “Ah . . . thanks,” I told him, awkwardly. Even though he wasn’t the greatest of people I’d met, he wasn’t the worst either. And plus, he apologized, and he meant it. His voice wasn’t sarcastic and he actually looked me in the eye when he said all of that. But, he wasn’t wrong either . . . I was scared. But at the same time I couldn’t let his guy get away with murder, couldn’t I? And, if I help out, I’ll finally be able to go to private school instead of being homeschooled. I’ll finally be able to experience a real life as a regular teenager just like my sister and brother did at Woodway Prep. Maybe . . . this won’t be so bad after all . . . I mean, I get to go to school with Megan, and I get to catch some bad guys at the same time. Before making up my mind, I faced them. “Um, I have a question.” “Yeah?” Demitri and Skylar both asked. “I-If I ah, do this job. You guys will protect me right?” “Of course! Even though we won’t be able to be with you twenty-four-seven during school hours, we’ll be parked right outside. And we’re going to be hooking a microphone on you, so we can talk to you whenever. We will also be hiding a tiny camera on your shirt or something so we can record everything that is going on and we’ll watch for suspicious activity. If we deem anything dangerous, we’ll be right next to you before you can call either of our names,” Skylar answered with a kind smile—a quality I liked about him. “Okay, one more question.” “Yeah?” Demitri said this time. “When does this makeover start?” He smirked. “I thought you would never ask.” . . . . . To be continued

@Donwalter u've posted Chapter three already...... Huh..

Chapter Four . . . . . . After Demitri had said that, he disappeared into the kitchen leaving Skylar, my dad, and I in the living room. “Is he ever going to come back?” I asked impatiently, eyeing Skylar. “When he’s done with his calls,” was all he said before he went back to staring blankly into space. Giving out a loud exasperated breath, I leaned back on the couch, as I waited another twenty minutes before he finally came waltzing back in. He was in the middle of putting his phone away in his back pocket, when he gave me a wide grin. “Okay Lily, are you ready for your new look?” “Um . . . you’re not going to be the one giving me the makeover right?” I asked warily, stepping back. No offense, but he didn’t look like someone who could even match outfits together, let alone give a teenage girl a whole new identity. He gave out a loud laugh, before he shook his head. “Of course not,” he dismissed. “What do you think I was in the kitchen for? I was calling for backup.” “Backup?” Before he could even answer, a loud buzzing sound echoed throughout the whole house, letting us know someone was at the door. “That must be Team A,” he said smiling. “Team A?” “You’ll see.” He grinned, going towards the front door. He only opened the door slightly, so I couldn’t really see who he was talking to until he let them in a few seconds later. Team A consisted of two girls who looked about thirty-years-old, with two small black cases in each of their perfectly manicured hands. They let a smile appeared on their faces when they saw me. “She has beautiful hair,” the girl with long black hair complimented. “Agree. It’s so long, and shiny!” the other girl gushed in awe, “it’s so blonde it’s almost white!” “It’s a shame we’re going to have to dye it,” the calmer one said, bending down a bit. Dropping the case next to her foot, she started whispering things to her partner. Every now and then they would look at me. From the looks of it they were trying to figure out what to do with my hair. Whatever they’re trying to do, I just hope they don’t cut it too short. The long blonde hair was always my signature look—well beside the electric blue eyes. “Okay as we wait for them to decide what to do with your hair and for Team B to get here, we might as well show you this now,” Demitri spoke up, taking the seat next to me on the couch. “Skylar.” Demitri held out his hand, waiting for Skylar to give him whatever he wanted. Watching Skylar, I saw him taking out an envelope from behind his back. Even though I was slightly confused on where he hid such a thing, I continued watching quietly. As he placed it on Demitri’s hands, Demitri flipped it open, laying them out on the coffee table in front of me. Three faces looked back at me. “Okay so these are the guys. These two are Bradlee and Hunter Le Feuvre.” He pointed to their respected profiles. I leaned forward, trying to study them closer as Demitri gave me more information about the brothers. “They’re fraternal twin brothers. Both eighteen-years-old. And that’s pretty much what they have in common—beside the hair. From what we had gathered Bradlee is the more quieter of the two, but that’s only because he hates everybody and anybody. So don’t let that face fool you Lily,” he warned. “He’s bad news. Out of all three, he’s the top suspect. He’d gotten in trouble with the police before, doing stupid idiotic things. Fighting, stealing, and punching a police officer. His brother on the other hand is the quarterback on the football team. Looks like he’s a straight A student, and he’s pretty popular with the ladies. His record is only filled with good deeds, from volunteering at pet shelters, to helping the elderly.” Helping the elderly? How did this guy even end up on the list? From what I could see he’s nothing but good. Though I can’t say the same about his brother. “Last but not less, this is Ian Lynch. He’s also eighteen, and a bit weird. He’s always happy. We’d never saw the kid not smiling. His grades are pretty average, and the kid doesn’t exactly have many friends. He lives with his grandparents and little sister, and beside that the kid’s a mystery.” Taking a good look at Ian, he didn’t seem bad either. He was cute, in a puppy-kind-of way. All three didn’t really seem like murderers. They all looked like average teenagers to me. Well . . . beside Bradlee. He looked the most scary with the bad-ass look he has going on. But even so, none of them seem that bad. “Are you sure you have the right suspects? They don’t exactly look like killers,” I responded. “Trust me, we know,” Demitri said, “we told you that, didn’t we?” “Yeah, I know,” I said, looking through the files again. “But why are they your suspects?” He let out a long sigh, going into another one of his explanations. “When we were interviewing people around the general areas from the murder location, their names were mentioned. More than once as well. At first we were a bit surprised ourselves, but after doing some background checks on them, we found out all three were at these parties on the night of the victims’ death. Every single one of them, in every single state. And since we don’t have any more leads to go, we have to go with what we have.” Taking everything he said in, I glanced down at the three guys, as I studied their faces once again. I guess the saying is true. Never judge a book by it’s cover. You never know, they just may end up as killers one day. Not wanting to look at them anymore, I put their pictures and their information back in the file, and gave them back to Demitri. He shook his head, pushing it back to me. “Keep it. You’ll need it.” I nodded, throwing it down on the table. Not even three seconds later, I saw my dad picking up the file, giving it a quick study. “Lily, are you sure you want to do this?” he asked softly, “I mean what if you get hurt? I can’t risk that—” “Chill Uncle. We got this,” Demitri reassured my dad. “Yeah, we won’t let anything happen to her Sir,” Skylar cut in as well. “We’ll protect her with our lives.” “Yeah but—” “Dad,” I spoke up, getting his attention. “I’ll be fine. Like they said they’ll protect me.” I know at first I was the one who didn’t want anything to do with this, but now I saw just how selfish I was being. People’s lives are at risk here! And I know I’ll regret it if I turn my back on Demitri and Skylar now. I can’t let anymore people get hurt! Even as I said that, he still didn’t look fully convinced but he eventually lowered his head. “Fine. But if you get hurt in anyway, I’m pulling a plug to this whole operation. Deal?” “Deal,” all three of us said. My dad grinned in return, waving the folder in the air. “I’ll keep this safe,” he said before slowly getting up from his seat. We watched him go up the stairs, before the doorbell sounded again. “Ah. That must be Team B,” Demitri said, running towards the front door once again. I stayed behind with Skylar and the two girls before Demitri came back with another girl. She was younger than the other two, and shorter. She had crazy red hair which matched the red lipstick she had on. She smiled politely at me, shaking my hand when Demitri introduced us. Apparently her name was Chrissy. “Now that everyone is here. Let’s get this makeover started!” he exclaimed loudly, pumping his fist up in the air. He then eyed his backup two teams.“You guys know what to do right?” “Of course,” the girl with dark black hair said, “why do you think it took so long to decide what to do with her hair?” she asked rhetorically, as she rolled her eyes at him. He rolled his shoulders in response. “Just . . . get to it girls!” he ordered, and then asked suddenly, “Oh Chrissy you do have the uniform right?” “Duh.” She pointed at her suitcase. “Why do you think I took so long to get here?” “Don’t know. Don’t care. Right now we need to hurry!” She cut her eyes at him. “Don’t rush us. Perfection takes time.” “Whatever. Just try your best to not take all day,” he pleaded with her, his commanding tone gone. “No promises.” She grinned wickedly. Facing me now, she beckoned her hand to follow her to the bathroom. “Come on sweetie, time to transform you into someone totally different.” Shutting my eyes, I calmly breathed, before opening my eyes again. I guess it’s now or never. *** After four long hours the makeover was finally completed. If it wasn’t for my long curly hair, it probably wouldn’t have taken so long. But at least it’s done. Jumping down from the high chair, I ran my hands through my hair several times, trying to get use to the smoothness. It was different. A lot different. It was shorter too, maybe a inch below my shoulder or so, and guess what? It wasn’t blonde anymore. It was an auburn brown and it was actually straight for once! As my attention drifted away from my new hair, I saw the plaid skirt I was wearing. It wasn’t ugly but it wasn’t my style either. Moving my hands up, I straightened my black blazer, loosening the blue and white tie they’ve everyone wear with their uniforms. “Do I really have to wear this uniform?” “Seeing as it’s part of the dress code in your school, yes,” Chrissy said, as she finished up buttoning my blazer. “But it’s so plain . . .” “That’s the point.” She chuckled. “Plus it goes well with your new style.” “My new style?” “Take a look for yourself.” Before I even said anything, she pulled a mirror up to my face. My eyes widened when I saw my face for the first time. My usual make-up was gone, and my blue eyes weren’t blue anymore. Instead dark brown eyes—almost black—stared back at me and a pair of black glasses were sat on the bridge of my nose. The hairstyle they decided to give me was one of those edgy scene haircuts as my newly bangs framed my heart-shaped face, covering my thin eyebrows. My eyes were outlined with black eyeliner, and on my lip was a pair of fake metal piercings. Letting out a small gasp, I couldn’t help but be shocked at the result. “Good, huh?” “More like fantastic! I didn't even recognize my own self!” They all giggled, happy I liked it. “That’s the point,” one of my hair stylist said. “Now let’s go back and show them the new you,” she said cheerfully. I eagerly listened to them, heading back to where Skylar and Demetri are. When we got closer, I heard a pair of new voices. When I heard her call my name I knew it had to be Megan and my mom. I guess school just ended. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Chrissy started to announce with me still behind her, “I present to you the new Lily Ace!” When I stepped into view, I saw their eyes popped out and their mouths wide opened. “Oh my Gosh! Is that really you Lily?” . . . . . To be continued

Wow....... Nxt ooooo...... Dnt kip us waitin @somhkid

Let see what happen Lily you af start the mission and yu must surely end it

next o.. .i just dey watch for here

ride on

waow............. It Has Started........

Hey! I tink dis z gona b fun

wow! interesting! continue pls.

Interesting

Uhmm.. Totally different!!! Ready to apprehend the killer.. Ride on..

ladies and gentlemen! Welcome the new Ace lily.... My undercover life.

Whoa! Really interesting. Move it please

lovely story. Cant wait to read wat happened next

Wow nice

Interesting.....cont plzz

Wheew! I'm here... Hey! I need a makeover toooooooo

what next

Chapter Five . . . . . “Of course not,” I managed to said with a straight face. Megan automatically frowned, tilting her head to the right. Her eyes narrowed down trying to see through my lie, and when she caught the little grin on my face, she punched my shoulder lightly. “Ha-ha, very funny Lily.” Even though she was rolling her eyes at me, I could see the small smile on her face. “What?” I asked innocently. “I wanted to see if you saw through my little lie.” “I wasn’t fooled one bit,” Megan pressed; though I could tell by the high pitch squeak at the end of her sentence that she was in fact tricked for a second or so. I kept my eyes on her, until she started wavering under my intense stare and admitted the truth. “Okay fine.” She sighed. “When you came out, I didn’t believe it was you, but when you spoke, I recognized your voice.” My eyes widened slightly. That’s right. My Voice. Would the three suspects know my voice too? I haven’t done any acting since I was a child, but then again my voice hasn’t changed that much. It’s just a mature version of my old voice. But then again guys doesn’t really pay attention to those tiny details anyways. And by the way they acted, and their personalities alone, I doubt they have even seen my acting, let alone know what my voice sounded like. I was about to reply when Demitri’s voice caught my attention. “Lily, take note of this. Even though Megan is a close friends of yours, you can’t brush the fact that other people may know your voice too. So try to deepen your voice just a bit. You have a very soft voice so if you deepen it just a bit, and maybe talk a bit louder, it will probably change it enough to mask your real voice.” “Got it.” I smiled, following his instructions. When I saw Demitri nodding in approval I knew I had the voice down. I silently thanked my parents for putting me through acting classes when I was little. Changing your voice was just like changing acting roles in films. You just need to know your part well and you can execute anything perfectly. “Lily, sweetie,” my mom said, coming to my side. “Are you sure you want to do this? This isn’t exactly what you call safe.” “Mom,” I voiced, relaxing my shoulders as I gave out an audible breath. “Calm down. I already went over this with Dad. I need to do this. I know it’s not the safest situation to be in, but Demitri and Skylar will be there too. And plus Megan will as well. It’s just school. It’s not like I will be truly alone with those guys. There’s probably security guards and cameras posted in every corner.” I looked at Megan out of the corner of my eye, enlarging them a bit and gave her the help signal. She stepped in the moment she saw my pleading look. “Lily’s right Mrs. Ace. There’s cameras and security guards posted on every floor and area throughout the whole school. She’s safe.” “Yeah and you know us. We’ll protect her auntie,” Demitri added, as Skylar smiled in agreement. “You better,” Mom warned them. “I don’t want anything happening to her.” They both nodded their heads respectively as they continued to assure my mom that they’ll protect me. All three of them were in their own little worlds, talking quietly to themselves when I felt a poke on my shoulder. Looking behind me, I saw Chrissy. “I’ll love to stick around some more and talk, but I got some business to take care of.” The other two girls then told me they needed to go as well, and told me they had fun styling my hair. I thanked them for the makeover and gave them hugs before waving goodbye. They were soon out the door, bypassing my mom and the guys, giving them their final goodbyes as well. When the door was shut, my mom went back to talking to Demitri and Skylar probably wanting to get more information about the situation or something. That or, they’re catching up, since my mom had plenty of time to get caught up on the situation when I was getting my makeover done. “So, who are they,” Megan asked as soon as they were out of earshot, pulling me aside. Her blue eyes were wide with excitement as she waited for me to talk. I raised an eyebrow. “They?” “Don’t play dumb. The three suspects. The FBI agents already told me everything about the letter A birthday killers.” “Letter A birthday killers?” Oh gosh. Leave it to Megan to come up with a ridiculous name for the killer. “What?” she blurted, “it’s a good name!” “Um . . . right.” I nodded my head quickly as I tried not to laugh. I didn’t want to offend her or something, but that wasn’t really the catchiest name for them. It was more like a description than anything. “It’s not that bad of a name . . .” she grumbled when I let a chuckle slip passed my tongue. “Okay, okay.” I surrendered, “it’s not that bad,” I quickly told her, going back to the topic on hand. “So, they didn’t tell you the names of the three guys?” She shook her head sadly. “Nope. They only told me the basics.” “I see.” In the next second, I pondered if I should tell her about them or not. I mean if my cousins didn’t tell her about their names, maybe I shouldn’t either. They probably had a reason why they didn’t tell her. That or, they just didn’t get around to it. And plus Megan is my best friend . . . I know I can trust her. It’s not like she’s going to tell them I’m a spy working for the FBI. It was at that moment that I decided to tell her. “Um, if I remember correctly their names were Ian Lynch, Bradlee and Hunter Le F—” She gasped, her facial expression turning surprise in the matter of seconds. “The twins!?” “You know them?” “Of course! Who wouldn’t? They’re legend in our school.” “Legend?” I asked, sounding doubtful. Even though they had the looks, I doubt anyone can be called legends just for that right? “Duh!” Megan gushed, getting this dreamy look on her face. I couldn’t help but gag. “Even though Bradlee talks to no one, it just makes him even more irresistible. Every girl is cray-cray over him! They love the bad boy mysteriousness he gives off. And Hunter, even though he can be a jerk—” “Wait, a jerk? I thought he’s like the all-American guy? You know volunteers, straight A’s, team captain, and all that cliche stuff.” “He is, but it’s not by choice. Rumor has it, his parents are the ones making him do all of that. Apparently he doesn’t even like football.” “So, you’re saying he’s really a jerk?” Okay, I take back whatever I said about Hunter being nothing but good. Maybe he does deserve to be on the list after all. “Yeah,” she responded, “if he doesn’t like you, he’ll make sure you’ll know he doesn’t like you. But that doesn’t make him any less popular. He’s top dog at our school.” “Great, a big shot.” I muttered something under my breath before I looked up at Megan again. “What about Ian? Is there anything I should know about him?” “Not exactly. He’s pretty out there. That guy is always smiling and happy, and skipping down the hallways. But I haven’t really see him talking to a lot of people. I think people just find him strange.” “Interesting . . .” I mumbled to myself. Even though I don’t know them personally, I knew being friends with them will be a challenge. I’ll probably want to kill Hunter for him being a jerkface, and I’ll probably lose all patience trying to talk to Bradlee. Seems like Ian will be the easiest to be friends with. At least he’s cheerful. “And,” Megan piped up, “if you really want more, just to let you know Hunter is just like my brother.” “Thomas?” “Yup, back when your sister was in high school. You remember how he was right?” “A douche?” She laughed, chuckling loudly. “Duh. Maybe you could change his ways just like Isabella changed my brother ways.” “Maybe, maybe not.” I shrugged. “I’m not as patience as my sister.” “Of course not. You take after your brother.” I opened my mouth in shock. “Do not!” “Do too!” “Do not!” I shouted back. “See!” She pointed out. “You’re just a stubborn as he is.” “I-I—” I muttered, not knowing what to say to that. Caught off guard, I bit my lip. “Ugh! Whatever.” Hearing her quiet giggle, I stubbornly crossed my arms across my chest, as I leaned away from her. “Okay-okay,” she said, the laughter still in her tone. When I didn’t say anything back, she began tugging on my arm. “Oh come on Lily! I’m sorry, okay! No hard feelings?” The corners of my lips lifted up at her effort, even though I tried to keep my face in a straight line. “Ah-ha! I saw that!” “Fine!” I gave her a wide grin, as I faced her. “You’re lucky I love you.” “Aw,” she let out happily. “I love you too best friend!” She held her arms open, pulling me down for a hug. I hug her back, before coming out of the embrace a minute later. “By the way, do you even know when you’re starting this mission of yours?” Megan asked curiously as she pulled away from me. “Tomorrow,” Skylar replied for me, when I didn’t know the answer to that. But when I heard him say tomorrow, I couldn’t help but be surprised myself. I didn’t think we were starting that early. How the hell did they get me enrolled as a student already? “Tomorrow?” I repeated. “How is that even possible?” I asked, voicing my thoughts out loud. “We already enrolled you as a student before we stopped by your house today. Seeing that this is a special case the school allowed it. They know you’re there because of a case, but they don’t know anything further than that.” “So they know it’s me? As in Lily Ace?” “The superintendent does, but that’s about it. Everyone else will know you under a different name.” “And what name will that be?” I asked. “That’s up to you. We didn’t want to give you a random name, so we thought we’ll leave it up for you to decide.” “You can take my last name!” Megan exclaimed excitedly. “We can tell people that you’re a distant relative of mine, and that you’re staying with me and my family for a few months.” “That’s not a bad idea,” Demitri agreed. “Now we just need a first name.” “Avery,” I immediately suggested. “Your middle name?” Mom was the first to speak. “Are you sure sweetie? What if people piece it together, and connect you to Lily?” “They won’t.” I waved my hand dismissively. “No one even knows my middle name anyways.” “That’s true but—” “It’s fine,” I assured her. “Plus, it’s better to use something Megan and I are familiar with. If we call out the wrong name, it could mean trouble.” “Lily’s right,” Megan spoke up. “We call each other by our full names anyways, so calling Lily, Avery isn’t very hard to do.” “They’re right,” Skylar asserted. “It’s better if they use a name they already associate with one another than with anything else. We can’t risk Megan calling her Lily by accident.” “I guess that makes sense,” my mom said, finally agreeing with us. “Just be careful,” she said for the millionth time. “I will mom.” “Alright!” Demitri cheered, probably happy that everyone was on the same page. “From now on, you will be known as Avery Reed, a top secret agent for the FBI.” As soon as he said that I couldn't help but instantly be nervous. I’m actually going to do this tomorrow. I’m actually going to be a secret agent for these FBI cousins of mine. I just hope for their sake, Megan’s and mine, that I don’t mess anything up. . . . . . To be continued

Whoa!! Avery Reed...wish ya well in ya job and prayinq u don't mess tinz up.....Gudluck.

Ua nt gonna mess up...... Nxt plssss

Nexttttttt

now thats more like it....i hope u pass

Pls dont fuck up

wow! nice one @donwalter. so love it,

don't fall in love with any of them.......lolz

Following

U ghat ur fate in ur own hands yung lady

Goodluck! Avery Reed. My undercover life starts tmao.

lily jst be careful

Hope you no mess up oo

Let the game begin

Go baby.. Bring dem killas down!!!! Good luck

hope I'm not late

Interesting...

Chapter Six . . . . . . “You, you. When you say “love you, love you”, you make me believe. You, you, when you silently, look into my eyes and laugh you make me laugh. The reasons why I like yo—” The rest of the lyrics were drowned out when I groggily pressed the snooze button on my phone, silencing it. Giving out a loud yawn, I rolled over, pressing my face against my pillow. I sighed comfortably, feeling the soft texture underneath my face. I was about to shut my eyes when I heard my mother’s voice. “Lily, it’s time to get up for school! You don’t want to miss another day of learning do you?” she asked. I couldn’t help but groaned loudly. She just had to say that. Since my cousins Skylar and Demitri came over yesterday, I missed my lessons with my home tutor. Apparently when I was getting my makeover, she came over, but they politely sent her home. When my mom first found out about it, she wasn’t exactly happy. To her, missing one day worth of classes was missing a whole week’s worth of school. I, for one don’t really care if I miss one day of school. I mean, it’s not like the end of the world or something. “Lily! Do you hear me?” she once again yelled, banging her knuckles against my door. I knew if I didn’t answer her soon, the pounding would only get louder and louder before she unlocks my door and force me out of bed. “I’m up!” I answered, the sleepiness still evident in my tone of voice. “Good.” I could literally picture my mom’s triumphed face right now. “Be ready and downstairs in half an hour.” It took a minute, but when her words finally hit me, my eyes widened in shock. Wait!? Half an hour? There’s no way I can get ready in time! Trying not to panic, I kicked the cotton sheets off my body, not caring if they landed on the ground or not. Sprinting towards my closet, I hurriedly grabbed my uniform hanging neatly on the rack, before I ran towards my bathroom. Stripping out of my clothes, I took the fastest shower in my life, and threw on my undergarments and uniform, leaving the tie loose on my neck. Running my brush over my newly styled hair, I noticed I didn’t have that many knots like I would normally have when my hair used to be curly. Whatever they did to it worked miracles and made my hair permanently straight. I made a note to thank them if I ever see them again. Once I had my hair the way I wanted it, I quickly ran my toothbrush filled with toothpaste over my teeth, before spitting the content out, and rinsing with a glass of water. I put on the dark eyeliner, and makeup the stylist taught me, before I put my fake piercings on my lip. Giving myself an once over in my full length mirror, I make sure everything was perfect before I headed back to my bed, and grabbed my glasses, contacts and bag, and made my way downstairs. Skylar, Demitri, Megan and my mom was already waiting in the living room, talking amongst themselves quietly. When they heard my footsteps, they turned their heads my way. “Finally!” Megan cried, running up to me. “What took you so long? We’re going to be late!” I puffed out my cheeks. “Look. A girl can not get ready for school in half an hour.” “I did,” she countered back. “Well . . . I had to put on my disguise!” I shout back, knowing that Megan would never accept that excuse. “You didn’t even do a good job at it,” Demitri chimed in. “Huh?” I looked at him. “What do you mean? I made sure everything was perfect!” “Your contacts.” He pointed at my eyes. “Shut up.” I blushed in embarrassment, forgetting I'd never put them on when I grabbed them at the last minute. “I was getting to it.” “Sure, you were.” He didn’t sound convinced, and I was about to snap back at him, when my mom interrupted us, telling us we only had twenty minutes to get to school before the first bell rang. “Shit. Let’s go! I can not be late!” Megan stressed, urging us forward, as she ran towards my mom’s jeep. I vaguely heard my mom yelled “language” before the car door was slammed, cutting off whatever Megan was going to say next. “Don’t forget to put on your contacts and your glasses. And also put this on,” Demitri instructed as Skylar got into their van. It took every ounce of energy for me not to roll of my eyes at him. “Okay mom.” I did what he said, and carefully put my contacts on, before the pair of black rimmed glasses was placed back on my face. I took the small mic camera thing, and clipped it on my blazer. To anyone else it just looked like a regular pin you would clip to any old bookbag or something. “Remember.” He pointed his finger at me. “Find them and collect.” “Yeah, yeah. I got it. You don’t have to tell me twice. I know what I have to do.” He smiled. Though it was kind of cocky. “Just making sure. Have a great day first day at school Avery,” he told me with a smirk, before heading towards his van and driving off first. I got in the back seat of my mom’s jeep before she also pulled out, heading straight for Woodway Prep. When we arrived at the school, I couldn’t help but be impressed. The building itself was freaking huge! Given where I come from, I shouldn’t be blown away by a school’s grandeur but boy was it pretty. Woodway was like a castle but you know with red bricks and of course it didn’t have the pointed arches and columns. I guess it looked more like gothic architecture than anything. “Pretty cool huh?” Megan asked catching the look in my eye, as I stared in awe. “Try awesome!” I exclaimed excitedly. “I didn’t know you go to school everyday at a place like this!” “Ha-ha. Just wait until you get inside. It’s not that amazing.” “Okay, girls. This is our stop,” my mom said, cutting off my next words. After putting the car in park she faced us. “Megan, keep an eye on Lily and make sure she gets to her classes. You are her “cousin” now.” “Don’t worry I will,” Megan promised, before she slided out of the front seat. As she shut the door, I climbed out of the back seat, and stood next to her. “Thank you.” My mom smiled. “Have a great day at school.” She waved goodbye, as we watched her pulled out, her blue jeep disappearing from our line of view a few seconds later. “Okay, let’s hurry up and get your schedule,” Megan said, leading me. I nodded, following her. As we started walking down the parking lot I felt the eyes of many of my peers. I noticed some groups were quietly whispering to each other, as they tried to discreetly point at me. I guess, I couldn’t really blame them. It’s not every day you get a new student in the middle of the year especially when it’s your senior year. “Do you think they’ll like me?” I whispered to Megan when I heard laughter. I silently hope this disguise wasn’t over the top. “Of course they’ll like you!” she gushed, quickly to dismiss whatever I was thinking. “What’s not to like about you?” When she heard the giggling of some girls, she probably saw the drop of my shoulders. “Don’t worry. They’re just jealous of your beauty,” she said trying to cheer me up. “Come on! Let’s go,” she said switching the subject. “Before we’re late.” This time it was my turn to smile. “Okay, miss never late.” “Hey! I take pride in that!” She chuckled as she dragged me to the front office. Megan was definitely wrong. The inside was just as gorgeous as the outside. I heard they remodeled four years ago when they wanted to get into the top most pretentious schools in the world. And they totally outdone themselves. I mean the lockers were freaking painted in the color of gold for crying out loud! But of course I didn’t fully get to enjoy it’s interior when all I kept hearing about was soft whispers about me. I only caught some of the conversations, but I knew they were wondering who the new girl was. By the time we made it to the front office, I had to hold myself back from punching the next guy who whistled. Gosh. Are rich guys really behaving like a bunch of assholes? Aren't they brought up to be respectful and crap? So why the hell are they just acting like a bunch of pigs, who haven't seen a girl in a million years? “Avery Reed.” When my name was called, I snapped out of my daze state, and turned to the women behind the counter. “Huh?” “Your schedule.” She had a piece of paper in her hands, and it looked like she was losing her patience by the second. Just how long was I just standing there? “Um. Right. Thanks,” I softly spoke, taking the piece of paper in my hand. “No problem. Have a great first day.” If it wasn’t for the obviously forced smile, I would had smiled back, but of course I didn’t. “Let me see that.” Megan took the piece of paper in my hand, and began scanning her eyes over it as soon as we were out of the main office. “Looks like you have College Biology first period.” I couldn’t help the groan coming out of my mouth. Even though I was good at it, why did I had to have it first period? I’ll probably just sleep throughout the class. Why couldn’t I have a more relaxing first period like Study Hall or Art? “Seriously!?” I asked anyways, hoping that Megan was just joking with me. But when she didn’t laugh, I knew she wasn’t kidding. “Yeah,” she answered, giving me my schedule back. “Seems like it. And it doesn’t look like you have any classes with me.” Frowning, I asked with a hopeful voice, “We do have at least the same lunch period right?” “Yup!” she cheered, “We’re both seniors remember?” “Of course I remember that.” I laughed. “So where exactly is this class of mine?” “Room 567. You have it with Mr. Meyer.” I bit my lips. “Is he nice?” “The nicest! He’s pretty chill,” Megan responded, turning a corner, going up the stairs. I, of course followed her since I had no idea where room 567 was located. “Okay. This is it.” Megan stopped outside my classroom, pointing at it. “My class is right down the hall, and I’ll meet you after class, so just wait for me, and I’ll show you to your next class.” “Thanks! I’m so glad I have you with me.” Her smile broaden. “Me too. I’ll see you later.” She waved before turning around, and headed to her own classroom. Peaking inside, I saw that most of the students were already in their seats chatting away about the latest gossip or trends before the final bell rang. Before I entered, I took a deep breath. You can do this Lily. They’re just teenagers. They’re not going to bite you. After a minute of deep breathing and exhaling, I walked in, catching the eye of everyone’s attention. They of course started whispering among themselves, as the teacher gave me a pleasant smile. “You must be Avery Reed.” “Yup, that’s me.” “Welcome,” he said, “my name is Mr. Meyer, and I’ll be your teacher for College Biology this year. Would you like to introduce yourself or would you rather just start lab work?” “There’s not much to tell, so I guess I’ll just start lab work.” To tell you the truth, I’m so glad this teacher gave me an option. I didn’t want to give out too much information about myself just yet. “Well okay.” He chuckled at my response. “You can work with Bradlee in the back. We’re always one student short on partners, so I’m glad you came. Now Bradlee can actually work with a partner.” When I heard the name Bradlee, everything just froze. Don’t tell me Bradlee was the Bradlee I was looking for. When I turned around, sure enough, Bradlee was sitting in the back with his headphones on. I thought everyone was gossiping about me, but I was wrong. He couldn’t care less. He was practically in his own little world; even when the teacher told Bradlee to take his headphone off and that I was his new lab partner. He didn’t say anything but did what Mr. Meyer instructed. As I passed the three rows of tables, a million of questions were thrown my way. Questions like: “Where did you move from?” “Are you related to Megan Reed.” “Do you have a boyfriend?” “Wow, you have awesome piercings. Where did you get those?” I pretty much just ignored all of the questions thrown my way, answering the simple ones like the one that I was indeed related to Megan. When I got to Bradlee’s table, I tried giving him a bright welcoming smile. “Hi,” I said, happily. Even though I was happy on the outside, I was anything but on the inside. This guy could be the killer. I waited but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even bat an eyelash, let alone move. All he did was stare at his cellphone like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Did he not hear me or something? Maybe I should speak louder? Or, was this what Megan meant when she said he doesn’t talk to anyone? “Um. I’m Avery,” I told him a bit louder, grabbing the stool under the table. I took a seat, and set my bag on the stool next to me. This time there was a slight pause in his hand movements, but within a millisecond, he went back to scrolling through his phone. “Ah. What’s your name?” I tried again, hoping he would at least look at me! I gave him a minute, hoping he would respond, but to my disappointment he didn’t. Guess, I was right. He’s going to be the most difficult to be friends with. Who am I kidding. Forget about friends. Getting him to talk to me will be a task all on it’s own. How the hell am I suppose to get a guy who supposedly don’t talk to anyone to talk to me? “Uh, listen,” I started speaking, hoping this will work. He can’t be that heartless and ignore a new student, right? “I’m new here, and I don’t really know much about Biology or anything. And you seem like a cool guy.” I had to hold my tongue when I spoke that last part. “I was just hoping you could help a girl out, and um, help me?” His thumb stopped, as I heard a slam of a cell phone. I jumped, startled by the loud sound. I was about to shield my face, when I saw that he wasn’t going to hit me. I lowered my arms slowly, and watched his movements closely. He snatched the worksheet from me, and produced a black pen from his jean’s pocket and soon started filling out the answers to the lab. My eyes widened in shock. No way. He was actually doing what I asked? Peaking up under my bangs, I focused on him, as he concentrated on the task at hand. Within five minutes, he placed the worksheet in front of me, filled with his neat handwriting. I scanned my eyes over the paper, reading them, and to my surprise, every single question was answered correctly. The only reason why I even knew I was right, was because I took College Biology last year. Even though I was only seventeen years old, I was years ahead. And it seems like Bradlee was too. When I finally decided to look up, Bradlee was staring at me. His gray-ish blue eyes were a lot more darker than I’d remembered moments before. They were more icy, as they held a look of curiosity. He continued to stare at me to the point that it had me squirming in my seat. The look he had was way too intense, and I had no idea what he was thinking about, and why he was looking at me like that. Not even five minutes ago he was ignoring my presence, and now he couldn’t stop looking at me. What the hell happened!? . . . . . To be continued

Wow dis is sooo intresting Nextttttttttt

next.......

he founds u interesting

u can do it... jest keep cool #following

Ride on writer

Mehn vhiz is qettinq more intrestinq.....

Nxt plssss....... Update everidai pls

wow! so interesting! cant wait for next epi.

hmmm.....Becareful oooo..... My instincts tells me he is the killa,bcos at the introduction of this story,it says u fell in love with the killa.......i jst hope am correct...... #GODWIN

Hmmmmmm.

Nexxxttttttttt

next

Still observingggggggg next

Nice one keep it up nxt pls

next! It don start. Bradlee hard quy.

Hmmmmm don Walter i really like ur stories

Nice one @donwalter. Next pls

Ummmm!!! kinda scare for u ooo

Were d nxt episode mw

Chapter Seven . . . . . . . “Shit, I am so—” “Freak!? How the fuck am I a freak? You’re the one who freaking bumped into me!” I spat out, giving him the coldest glare I could muster up. There’s no way I was going to let him talk to me like I’m some low life or something. I couldn’t even care less that I had to make friends with this douchebag. Screw the damn plan. The babbling idiot finally decided to shut his mouth and the look on his face when he heard my words thrown at him was priceless. He looked so confused. He probably didn’t even know what to say. He looked so lost for words that I had to held in a small chuckle at his expression. For the next minute or so, he just stood there, his eyes on me with his mouth opening and closing like an idiot. It looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know what, so he just kept repeating his mouth movements, until I decided to just walk away. I needed to find Bradlee anyways. I didn’t have time to stand around and look at that fool anymore. I was halfway down the hall, when a voice decided to scream, “Wait!” Of course, it was Hunter. I decided to ignore him, and kept on walking, but I could hear the loud pounding footsteps right behind me getting louder and louder. And I just knew for a fact it was him catching up to me. My thoughts were proven right when I felt a hand on my shoulder, halting my steps. He walked in front of me, his hands still on my shoulder, looking afraid I would run away any minute now. “What’s your name?” was the first sentence out of his mouth. “I don’t remember seeing you before.” “That’s none of your business.” I slapped his arms away, before I started making my way away from him. “Oh come on!” I still heard his loud voice. “Don’t be like that. I just want to know your name!” I whipped around, eyeing him. “Why do you even want to know my name?” “Because, it isn’t every day I meet someone I like.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “And just how many girls do you use that line on?” “Huh?” He blinked. “That wasn’t a line. I was being serious. It’s not every day a girl like you shows up in front of me.” “Oh?” I crossed my arms. “Just what kind of girl am I?” “The kind who’s not afraid to speak her mind. You remind me of a small kitten not afraid to lash out at anything, even when their opponent is ten times as bigger as they are.” “Kitten!? The hell are you calling a kitten?” I yelled, not caring if we’re in a public hallway or not. This guy did not just call me a kitten. “Okay fine. What about Kitty?” he suggested seriously. Was this kid mentally insane or something? Did he not see my face when that word left his mouth? Or how much I wanted to kill him right now? “That’s the same freaking thing!” “Well it’s not my fault a certain someone won’t even give me her name.” He smirked, ignoring my pure hatred of the word completely. “So I’m forced to call you Kitty.” “There’s no way you’re calling me that ridiculous name.” “Why not Kitty? I think it’s cute.” He grinned, winking. I mentally gagged. He did not just wink at me. Did he really think he was that hot or something? “Just like you.” “Stop that!” He smiled innocently. “Stop what?” “Flirting!” “I’m not flirting,” he denied, rolling his shoulders. “I’m just speaking the truth Kitty.” “Oh my gosh!” My voice rose an octave, as I tried to control myself from strangling him in the next second or so. “Stop calling me that! My name is Avery, okay!” He immediately smiled down at me, his dark brown eyes sparkling with laugher. “Now was that so bad?” My eyes narrowed down at him when I finally understood his game. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” “Yup.” His smile widened, probably enjoying every single second of this conversation. “But now that I think about it, I still like Kitty better.” “Don’t you dare call me—” “Well, would you look at the time.” He glanced at his imaginary watch on his wrist. “I got to go before I’m late for class, so I’ll see you later Kitty!” “Don’t call me that!” I shouted loudly at him, even though he probably couldn’t hear me anymore. Clutching my hands into tight fists, kicking the ground. I took a deep breath, before I started counting to ten. Calm down Lily. Don’t let that idiot get to you. That’s what he wants. After getting my anger under control, I ignored the looks I was getting from the lingering students still in the halls, and took out my schedule from my bag. Scanning my eyes over it, it said I had College English with Wilson second period, and I had no idea where room 678 was. I suddenly remembered that Megan was suppose to take me to my next class but that was before Hunter showed up and ruined everything. She’s probably already in her next class by now. In the end I decided to just ask the first person I saw where room 678 was located at. She wasn’t the most friendliest person I’d ever met but she did give me instructions to the classroom so I guess that’s better than nothing, right? I hurried as fast as I could, not wanting to be even more late than I already was, and rushed towards my English class. This time I wasn’t so lucky and had to introduce myself to the class. The teacher forgave me for being late but that was only because I was new, and got lost. I guess her little punishment was making me talk about myself. After our little Q&A section was over, I sat in the back, and picked up the copy of “Into Thin Air” the teacher had just given me and started following along. The class just started the book so I didn’t miss much. They only read just the first four chapters, which I could catch up on in a day. I was just about to turn the page, like everyone else, when I felt the vibrations from my phone in my pocket. Peaking up from my bangs, I made sure the teacher wasn’t paying attention before pulling my phone out and checking my newly received text message. Hey, where were you? I waited for you but Mr. Meyer said you already left. After reading that message from Megan, I started texting my reply to her. Sorry! I was going after Bradlee before Hunter bumped into me. I got mad and walked away. You met them already!? What the heck happened? She sent ten seconds later. Hunter is such a jerk! He called me a freak after he bumped into me. And then he had the nerve to call me Kitty! Like what the hell? Oh my gosh! Kitty? Seriously. That’s too funny! If Megan was here right now I would’ve slapped her. It isn’t funny! You were right! He’s a dumb jerk. And he didn’t even apologize for what he said! I’m pretty sure he did apologize. I was about to reply back when my name was called. When I looked up, the teacher’s eyes were on me, waiting for me to say something. When I didn’t, the girl who was next to me, whispered, “It’s your turn to read.” “Oh. Um right . . .” I started saying, before glancing down at the book. “Last paragraph on page 65,” the girl muttered quietly under her breath, as she pointed to the spot in her book just in case I didn’t heard her. I sighed gratefully, as I began reading out loud. Whoever this girl was, she saved my butt, I thought, as I read on. After reading two pages, the teacher called someone else to continue on where I left of. That went on for half an hour, before the bell rang, signaling the end of second period. Before the girl had a chance to leave, I gave her my thanks for what she did back there. “Oh no problem!” she cheered happily. “You’re Megan’s cousin, right?” “Yup!” I said, “I’m Avery.” “Annemarie,” she introduced herself. “Megan and I are in band together.” “Oh! So, you get to see her at her best,” I joked, causing her to laugh. “That depends.” She smiled. “Sometimes she can be a bit overprotective of her instruments,” she admitted, as I agreed with her. “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed, eyes wide. “Someone who finally understands what I have to deal with on a daily basis.” “Don’t worry.” She chuckled, moving her hands up to tuck her black hair behind her ear. “We all understand,” she said, probably referring to anyone who’s in band with Megan. “I remember one time I knocked her flute on the floor by accident I mind you, and she totally flipped! She kept crying, “Oh my God, what have you done!? My baby, my poor baby!”.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. Her impression of Megan’s voice was dead on. She even looked like Megan for a second there, but you know minus the black hair, brown eyes, and darker skin tone. “Just because of that, I have a feeling, you and I will be very good friends from now on,” I told her honestly once my laughter died down from her little performance. “Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page then.” She smiled widely, linking our arms together. “Come, let Annemarie.” She pointed to herself, talking in third person, “show you to your next class!” “Alright!” I said cheerfully, “Avery shall follow then!” Right after I said that, she started pulling me down the hall, but once she realized she had no idea where my next class was, she blushed in embarrassment, asking me what class I had next. After looking over my class schedule, she took me to History, before she told me she’ll see me during lunch. I waved goodbye to Annemarie before going to class. *** History pretty much dragged by slowly after that, and by the end of Trigonometry, I was ready to leave and go home for the day. I needed a long ass nap after this. Once I heard the sweet bell, I practically sprinted out of the classroom, as I waited for Megan to lead me to straight to the cafeteria, so I could get some food in me. It only took a minute before I saw blonde hair and those blue eyes that could put a sparkling diamond to shame. “So any news from the boys yet?” she probed, curiously as we walked down the stairs together. She was pretty much texting me throughout the day asking if I encountered any of the boys again. Sadly, I haven’t even seen Bradlee since this morning, and I was pretty much trying to avoid Hunter. Ian, on the other end, was a no show. Maybe he was absent from school today? “Nope,” I popped the ‘p’. “Not since the last time you asked.” “Aw.” She pouted. “So I’m guessing you haven’t met Ian yet?” “No.” I shook my head, my dark locks falling a bit in my eyes from my head movement. “I’m not even sure if he’s here today.” “Oh, he’s here, alright.” My eyebrows arched down, looking at her questionably. “How do you know that?” “I heard him in the hallway,” she stated, like it was obvious. “You heard him?” “Yeah.” She lowered her head, grinning. “Remember he’s really out there. You can't miss him.” “Then how come I’d never saw him yet?” This school couldn’t be that big, right? “I guess you guys just haven’t crossed paths yet,” Megan guessed, “But no worries, you’ll see Ian soon.” “Soon?” “Duh,” she said, making a weird face, sticking her tongue out. “It’s lunch, and Ian is always causing a big scene during this period.” “Seriously?” She nodded, pulling open the doors to the cafeteria, me right behind her. “Everyday.” Soon the chaos of teenagers during free period hit me like a brick, stopping me from opening my mouth to speak. It was crazy. Well not like wild animal crazy, but more like crazy party kind of crazy if you know what I mean. There wasn't really any cliques, but I could tell who the ‘popular’ kids were. Their table was right in the dead center of the cafeteria, and just by their aura alone I could tell people looked up to them. The surrounding tables practically ogled them. I was looking for the typical girl 'in control' but when I didn’t really see her, I turned to Megan who was already heading to the lunch line to get her food. I ran after her, tapping her shoulder. She was in mid reach for a fruit when she faced me. “So who’s the queen bee here?” “Queen bee?” she asked, looking beliwered, moving down the line. “You know,” I responded, grabbing a tray. “The top girl. Leader of the bitches?” Megan soon started laughing loudly, drawing the attention of students around us. She of course just ignored them, and carried on laughing, making me stand there like an idiot. When she finally calmed down, she whipped her eyes. “Avery, you have been watching way too much TV.” “Well excuse me if I’d never been to actual school before.” I rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay,” she hurried to say. “And to answer your question, we don’t have one. Well not exactly, I guess. The “Queen Bee” is whoever Hunter is eyeing. And I have a feeling his new target is you.” I frowned at that. I did not want to be his new eye candy. “What do you mean?” “Look there.” I faced the direction she was pointing towards, and there was Hunter sitting in the center table with his friends, staring dead at me. When my eyes caught his, he smiled widely and waved his hands enthusiastically in the air. “Kitty!” My eyes automatically narrowed down at him, and just before I could even scream something at him, a new voice cut me off. “Who missed me!?” a high pitched voice shouted, followed by a bang of a door. “Fear not! Ian Lynch is finally here!” . . . . . To be continued.

Fear not indeed,Lily just be careful of those boys

Kul mehn....... Nice story @Somhkid...... Plssss update regularly.......

Letter "A" Hope ANNEMARIE wud b saved

Nice one

Hmmmmmmmmmm..............

Hmmmmm next

interesting story nxt plz am enjoying dis

Fear. Not. Just. Be. Careful.

Wow am really enjoyinq vhiz.....Hunter is kool and am sure he's beqinninq to like ya....ride on oo

Wow am realy realy enjoyin dis Pls post d next episode

Me loving dis tori ooo abeg yan me more

Damn! u ar such a lucky gal 2 mit d 3 of dem on d first day of sch

So glad i didnt miss much... Let d story continue @Donwalter

Chapter Eight . . . . . . . . . . I was surprise no one was giving him weird looks, or paying attention to his outburst. It was almost like they were used to his daily presence, and instead of looking at him, they choose to ignore him instead. I frowned. No wonder why he didn’t have many friends. No one seems to even cares about this guy, let alone go out of their way to even talk to him. But as I look back at him, the big smile on his face never wavered, in fact it got even bigger—if that was even possible. I was slightly confused as to why he was so happy, when no one even said, “Hi” to him as he bypassed his fellow classmates, but when he got closer to me, I was nearly knocked over. “Hi! I’m Ian,” he said overly hyper, his hug almost overbearing. I awkwardly stood there as he squeezed the daylights out of me. When he let go, his light eyes searched my face. For what? I wasn’t sure. “You must be Avery!” “Ah . . .” His eyes dimmed a bit when he saw the look on my face. “Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” My heart practically melted when he said that. Even though I could see the hurt in his eyes, the smile never faded from his face. It was at this point, that I knew he was just looking for a friend. Someone that didn’t know him. That didn’t judge him, for being him. “I-I’ll leave you alone.” My hand automatically shot out, grabbing his wrist. “Wait! There’s no need to leave. You only surprised me.” I offered him a small smile. “That’s all.” “Really?” he asked, his full on hyper-active mood back on. “Does that mean I didn’t ruin a potential friendship?” My heart swelled when I heard the hopefulness in his voice. This guy . . . all he wanted was a friend? “Of course not.” Instead of answering me, he attacked me with a big bear hug. “You won’t regret this! I’ll be a great friend. I promise.” I could practically hear the happiness oozing out of him. I patted his back, chuckling at his behavior. “I believe you.” “Great!” he exclaimed his child-like eyes big and round. “Your piercings are awesome by the way!” “Huh?” “Your lip piercings.” His finger glazed the metal on my lip, making me blush a deep red. “They’re—” “Get your fucking hands off of her!” I was suddenly yanked away from Ian’s touch, and was soon engulfed in a tight hug. The smell of cologne mixed with a hint of gingerbread invaded my nostrils, making my head spin from the delicious scent. But that image was soon destroyed when I realized the person hugging me right now. Struggling against his hold, I finally managed to free myself when he realized I was anything but comfortable in his arms. “What the hell Hunter?” The corners of his lips lifted up into a smirk. “So, you know my name.” I blinked, replying my earlier encounter with him. Crap. He never told me his name! No wonder why he has that stupid smirk on his face now. He probably thought I was so interested in him, that I had to ask someone his name. Which by the way, isn’t true at all. I already knew his name before I came to this school, but of course I can’t tell him that. “I know what you’re thinking, and I’m going to shoot down that little ego of yours, and tell you right now that it’s not true.” “Oh yeah?” He cocked a brow. “And how else would you know my name? I know for a fact that I didn’t tell you earlier, little Kitty.” “Would you please shut up with that nickname!” I screeched at him, causing the surrounding students to look my way. I cut my eyes at them, telling them to mind their own business before they quickly went back to their lunch. “Why? It fits you.” He grinned, ignoring my current anger. “And nice try, but you’re not going to change the subject that easily. I mean, unless you admit I’m right, of course.” He crossed his arms smugly. “I’m not changing the topic, you are!” I barked back, jabbing him in the chest. “And how am I doing that, huh?” “You’re the one who freaking came over here and just started screaming randomly.” “Oh that.” His eyes shifted behind me. “Well it’s not my fault this weirdo was all over you!” “Excuse me?” I bawled, cutting my eyes. “His name is Ian, and he’s my friend, so leave him alone!” I heard a gasp behind me, and suddenly, I was pulled backwards. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, as I suddenly felt his warm breath fanning my face. “T-that’s the first time anyone has ever defended me,” he choked out, “T-thank you.” I touched his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “That’s what friends do.” “Uh.” I heard a growl. “I hate to break up this moment, but I don’t care if he’s your friend, he’s still a freak, and he touched you.” I shot him a look, silencing him. “How many times do I have to tell you? He’s not a freak. Okay!” I shouted, drawing the eyes’ of our classmates once again. No wonder why the whole cafeteria suddenly just got quiet. Everyone dropped everything they were doing just to watch their ‘God’. “And plus,” I started, a bit quieter. “Why does it even matter if he does? I’m not your property.” “But—” “Let’s go, Ian.” I grabbed his wrist, and started pulling him away from Hunter. “Come on Megan. We’re leaving.” “Um…okay,” Megan said meekly. I heard the rustling of food, and before I knew it, she was by my side carrying her tray and my food on hers. Even though I was just in a heated argument, I couldn’t help but laugh. Leave it to Megan to remember our food. I vaguely heard Hunter telling me to stop before the doors to the cafeteria closed. “Is he always like that?” I asked Ian when we were far away from Hunter and our student body. He nodded. “Pretty much. But I tend to just ignore it.” “Why?” “Yeah why do you?” Megan spoke up, standing on the other side of Ian. “I mean, I see you all the time, but I never seen you talk talk.” He shrugged. “It’s better if I just ignore the bad. I mean what’s the point of keeping that bad energy around you? I don’t know about you but I like being happy.” He winked. “And to tell you the truth, Megan.” He faced her, the smile on his face still present. “There wasn’t ever a need to. Everyone practically stayed clear of me, so I choose not to have any friends. But it gets lonely sometimes, so when I heard there was a new student, I thought, “Hey why not try to be normal for once, and befriend her?”” I chuckled, smiling at him. “And that was you being normal? Man, I can’t wait to see you on a normal day.” “Oh, don’t worry Avery.” He grinned. “You’ll love my uniqueness.” “I bet I will.” I giggled. Sometime tells me Ian, and I will be great friends. There’s no way he can be the killer my cousins were talking about. “So, care to join us for lunch? Well, the rest of it.” I pointed to Megan and I. “We don’t have to go back there. I’m sure we can go in the back and eat or something, right?” I turned to Megan, hoping she’ll see yes. “There is actually. My friends and I go in the back garden to eat lunch sometimes. I’m pretty sure they're there already.” “Great!” I cheered. “So what do you say, want to come?” “Um . . .” he started off nervously. “Are you sure? I mean I know your circle of friends. And I’m not exactly sure if they’ll like me.” “Nonsense!” Megan objected quickly. “I know we never made the effort to ever be friends with you before, but that was only because I thought you were just some weird kid.” Ian’s eyes dropped at this. “But!” Megan quickly said once she saw this, “I was wrong. And when they talk to you, they’ll know you’re just an unique person.” “Thanks,” Ian said the sadness gone from his face. “I should be saying thanks to you for not hating me,” Megan said, “Come on. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang.” She beckoned us to follow her, and I nodded my head, following along with Ian skipping happily right behind us. *** The garden Megan brought us to was surreal. It was right behind the school, located right next to the track. Even though it was late fall, there was still a few fishes swimming around the small pond. A small Japanese statue was placed in the center of the garden, surrounded by rocks, and exotic looking plants. Even though most of the plants’ leaves were already long gone, it didn’t lose it’s beauty. Two of Megan’s friends were sitting on ground, enjoying the peacefulness before they heard our approaching footsteps. One of them I recognized as Annemarie. “Hey guys! I brought company!” They both looked up, hearing Megan’s voice. “Avery!” Annemarie shouted, when she saw me. “Annemarie!” I copied her excited tone. “Wait.” Megan paused in front of us. “You guys already met?” We both nodded, as I pointed between us. “We have English together.” “Well okay, that’s one less person I have to introduce then.” Megan laughed. “Alright, so that’s Annemarie, as you already know, and this is Asher.” She pointed to a guy with bleached silver hair, and bright green eyes. He waved shyly when he saw me looking at him. “And this is my cousin Avery, and our new friend, Ian,” Megan said pointing to us respectively. “You probably already know him.” “Hi!” Ian chirped. Annemarie giggled. “You’re just as happy as the rumors says.” “Oh.” He arched a brow. “And what else have you heard about me?” Ian asked, plopping down across from them. Megan and I did the same, taking the seat next to Ian. She then gave me the sandwich I grabbed earlier. I mouthed a small thanks, taking a small bite out of the turkey sandwich. “Just that you’re always happy and that you’re really loud, and crazy,” Annemarie spoke honestly. He laughed. “Well, I guess that’s true. But I can be normal when I want to.” “I see that,” she said. “You’re also surprisingly really nice.” “Thanks!” He smiled at Annemarie. “You too!” he complimented her. “And dude,” he said facing the new guy, Asher. “Your silver hair rocks!” Asher blushed, shying away. “T-thanks.” “No problem dude!” Ian, said, oblivious to Asher quick liking toward him. I couldn’t help but giggle at that. But then again, who could blame Asher? Ian was pretty cute with his light blonde hair, cute smile, and his natural charm. Soon, his light pools caught mine staring at him. His grin widened when I felt the blush I knew was on my face. Bashfully turning away, I started to nibble on my sandwich, as the rest of the group talked amongst themselves, trying to get to know one another. I was about to join in when I felt the eyes of someone burnings holes in the back of my head. When I cranked my neck to look behind me, I saw the retreating figure of none other than Bradlee. *** A lot of you think Annemarie and Avery are targets since their names starts with the letter 'A' but don't forget, the targets also have to have the same birthday with each other, and their birth time must be around midnight! Otherwise there would've been a lot more killings than two per month! . . . . . To be continued.

Hmmm... Nw u've met all three.. A part of me feels it might be Ian..he's always trying to make friends..

Well datz true... I've been scared... Cos of d letter A tin... But I'm here 2 watch out

I fink z ian cs e z 2 weird

Ride on plz.......

following next pls

nice one. weldone @donwalter.

nxt pls

Hmmm, let me reserve my comment for nw

Owk. Letz see hw tinz unfold

Hmmmmm, Who can d killer be. Next plz

Hmmm am following

Dnt jugde a book by itz cover....... M gonna read till d ending nd find out wu d killers re.....

Avery, pls be careful

Stil waitin

folowinq... Wu wil be next and wu d killer wil be.. Nxt pls.

who are those won talkin here let me knw them........... .folowin u boss

hmmm nxt plz

I even tot anoda episode don land when i saw a new comment... Stop raising my hopes jae

Lolz. New episode loading

We dey wait ooo

Chapter Nine . . . . . . . . . . The rest of Lunch went by in a blur. All I could think about was Bradlee. I knew for sure he was looking at us, but why? I couldn’t have upset him in any way, right? I mean, I know I was a bit pushy this morning, but that’s not something to be upset about, right? Or maybe, it was because I took his pen? Ugh, why the hell am I even thinking about this so much? So what if Bradlee was there? I’m probably just jumping to conclusions. He could’ve just been walking by, and happened to see me. Yeah. That’s probably it. After coming up with that conclusion, I went through the rest of my classes in a breeze. By the time I made it to my last class of the day, the excitement that I was the ‘new girl’ finally decided to die down. Most of the people in my grade already knew ‘me’ from the gossip they’d heard throughout the day. With that, they were satisfied enough to stop asking me a boatload of questions everywhere I went. After getting changed into my gym uniform, my new PE teacher gave me, I made my way back into the sweaty gymnasium. My steps halted when I saw the one person I’d dreaded sharing a class with—Hunter. Before I had time to even run back into the locker room, he waved at me, calling me over. I, of course ignored him, and slightly prayed that Ian would hurry up and save me. I’d found out earlier today that we shared last period together, and I was grateful I’d someone I could talk to. Having gym alone, would’ve sucked. Especially if we had to partner up in some of the sports or games we’ll be doing. I wouldn’t want to be that one person who’s left alone because they didn’t have anyone they could partner up with. Megan was lucky and had Annemarie, and Asher with her during her gym period which they had right after lunch. Now that I knew Hunter was also in my class, I seriously wanted a schedule change. But, most likely that wouldn’t happen. My cousins, Skylar and Demitri will probably refuse saying it’s the perfect opportunity to make friends with them or something like that. I bet they’re eating this up as we speak. I knew they were watching this scene with that stupid camera they gave me this morning. “Kitty!” Hunter called, using that dreadful nickname once again. I think anyone who was in a ten mile radius from me could tell I was eyeing him murderously. Well, anyone but him. I purposely ignored him for the second time, flipping my high ponytail at him. Stomping my way up the bleachers, I sat as far away from him as possible. “Oh come on,” he started whining, his bottom lip sticking out. “Don’t give me the silent treatment. Anything but that.” I raised a brow at his comment and that ridiculous face, before shrugging. “That’s all I’m gonna get? A shrug?” He puffed his cheeks out, his face becoming more baby-faced. “Did I do something to upset you, Kitty?” Well no shit, I thought. “If it’s about lunch, or this morning,” he started saying, scratching the back of his neck. He bit his lips, nervously. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered, exhaling loudly. When he didn’t get a response from me, he gave a loud sigh, running his fingers through his dark locks. “I’m really sorry, okay?” When I heard the sincerity in his voice, I almost gasped in surprise. Seeing the sorrow swimming through those brown orbs of his made me almost want to give in. Keyword: almost. When he saw that I was far from giving in to him, his shoulder slumped forward, his face looking dejected. “I’ll call you Avery if that makes you happy, yeah?” he tried again, a slight accent slipping through his tongue. I licked my lip, feeling the fake metal rings present, as I tried to figure out that accent of his. It sounded almost australian but maybe it was british? I wasn’t very good at pinpointing accents, so I wouldn’t know the difference between those two. “Avery,” Hunter said softly, almost afraid of my reaction, “I’m sorry. Really.” I blew out a puff of air, tucking my legs closer towards my body. “I know you are.” I couldn’t watch those eyes of his anymore. They looked so hurt. So broken. And honestly, I didn’t know why. I mean, we just met. He instantly smiled, his damn eyes lighting up like a freaking puppy. “You’re talking to me!” I chuckled quietly, seeing the excitement oozing out of him. “Yeah, I guess.” “Thank you!” he chirped, scooting closer towards me. “I promise I’ll be good.” He touched his chest, swearing on his life. I was about to say something, when someone decided to make his entrance known to the entire class. When I looked up, it was Ian. I automatically smiled watching him. The students lingering on the other side of where currently Hunter and I sat, watched him too, probably expecting him to do something crazy. They all rolled their eyes when Ian decided to scream, “Gym! Ol’ how much I love, gym.” “Oh come on guys!” Ian shouted, trying to get our classmates more preppy. “It’s gym! The most beautiful class of the day!” Ian sang when he had gotten a chorus of groans from our fellow students. “Cheer up guys!” he yelled excitedly, spinning in circles. He did a few skips, doing a cartwheel. “Life is a lot happier if you smile!” I couldn’t help but giggle at that. Ian was practically dancing in the center of the room, throwing fake flowers as he started singing, “One flower for you, one flower for you, and another for you!” and so on. We carried on watching, eyeing his next move. Even Hunter who was next to me couldn’t help but laugh as well. And this time, he wasn’t laughing at him. Seeing the twinkle in his eyes, and the soft smile on his face, made me think. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. “And a special flower for my dear friend Avery!” Ian cheered as soon as the teacher came waltzing out of her office. She gave him a look, appearing to be unaffected by his behavior. Guess he does this all the time as well. “Come on Ian.” She urged him towards the bleachers. “I have to get class started.” “Oh yes!” He smiled, bowing dramatically, swinging his arms in the air. “Go ahead, the stage is yours!” he said, ending his sentence in a high-pitch, as he made his way over to me. He flopped his butt on the space next to mine, giving me a quick hug before I could even react. In the corner of my eyes, I saw the slight frown on Hunter’s face, before he turned his body away from us. “Today, we’ll be playing dodgeball.” A loud chorus of cheers sounded across the gym, including a very loud Ian. “Now, before we start, let me take attendance first.” She went through roll call quickly, knowing the student’s faces and names by memory. It was when she got to the ‘L’s’ that she paused. Pushing her glasses up, her hazel eyes roamed around the room, searching for a student. “Bradlee?” she called. My eyes widened when I heard his name. He’s in this class too? Oh, great. Not only do I have Hunter in this class, I also have it with his twin? Plus, Ian. Which means, I have all three suspects with me during gym. Fun. When no one answered, she called his name again, but again, silence. “I think he went home early, Miss. M,” Hunter decided to say next to me. “That’s the second time this week,” I heard her say, before she scribbled something down on her clipboard. When she looked back up, she called Hunter’s name next, before Ian’s. He, of course, shouted “here” at the top of his lungs, damaging my eardrums in the progress. She sighed. “I know you’re here Ian.” He gasped, pointing a finger at her. “How?” “You were dancing in the middle of the gym when I walked over here, Ian.” “Oh, yeah! I was!” He laughed, his blue eyes filled with joy. “I forgot.” She chose to ignore him, only nodding her head, probably already used to Ian’s behavior every time eighth period rolled around. She soon went back to calling the rest of the student’s names, and when she got to my name, I raised my hand. She gave me a small smile before, moving on. She only called three students after me, since my last name was now at the end of the alphabet, and there weren’t many students with last names after ‘R’. Once she was done, she asked for a few volunteers to help her out. A few guys towards the front, raised their hands. She motioned her hand to follow her. They disappeared for a bit, behind the bleachers before they came back with bags filled with different color balls. The three guys helped set the thirty-something dodgeballs in the middle of of the gym, before they went back to leaning against the wall. “Alright, last names beginning with A to Le, you’re on the left side, the rest of you will be on the right side. Got it?” We all nodded, heading towards our respected destination. When Ian and I started making our way to the other side of the gym, Hunter gave me a small smile before he went to the opposite side of us. “Okay Avery. You stay behind me, okay?” Ian asked, pushing me back gently. He got into a protective stand. “I’ll make sure you won’t get hit.” “Um...alright?” “Good!” He smiled widely. “I promise I won’t let you get hurt. You’re too cute to get hit.” I blushed at his compliment, mumbling a small thank you in return. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen,” Miss. M, called, raising her hand up in the air. “Once I blow the whistle, you guys can go crazy. Remember, once you’re hit, you’re out. And don’t think I won’t notice if you cheat.” We all lowered our heads in understanding, before the whistle sounded through the air. In a flash, all I felt was a gust of wind, before Ian disappeared from my sight. He let out a loud roar, yelling, “I got this!” before he started racing towards the blue line in the center field. Glancing around me, every guy in the room was racing towards the same goal, trying to carry as many balls as they could before they started hitting each other with them. The girls stayed back, as they waited for the balls to come to them. Once a ball rolled up to their feets they would pick it up, and aim it at the other team, but the balls usually only ended up going so far, missing their targets completely. There were only one or two girls on our team who actually aimed pretty well, and got three guys out. Within twenty minutes, most of the class were out, and the only remaining people were Hunter, two girls would couldn’t care less if they win or not, a guy who I didn’t really know the name of, and Ian and I. The two girls were on our team, and Hunter and nameless face dude were on the opposing team. Most of the balls had ended up on our side of the field, leaving Hunter’s team with only three balls left. “You’re both going down!” Ian shouted, before throwing three balls all at once at them. Hunter avoided them quickly, before any of the balls could reach him, but Ian did managed to get Hunter’s friend out. “Ha! I win!” he shouted in victory, spinning around in circles. He grabbed his leg, and did this weird dance move, before he spun around and faced me, a big smile still located on his face. “We’re almost winning ladies!” He winked, mostly at me. The other girls on our team, nodded their heads, looking quite bored. Before I could even say anything, the blonde girl with nicely painted nails shouted, “Ian, look out!” It was too late though. A blue dodgeball hit him square in the back, knocking him forward. “Ian! You’re out!” the teacher shouted, blowing her whistle. “What!?” he cried, stepping towards her. “That’s not fair! Hunter cheated!” “Ian, Hunter didn’t cheat.” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “You turned your back towards him.” He pouted, trying to guilt trip her. “B-but.” “Just get out here.” “Fine!” he grumbled, stomping his way over towards her. “You can do it Avery! I believe in you!” he cheered me on, giving me a thumbs up, his previous mood completely gone. I nodded, turning my head towards Hunter. It was now between Hunter, me, and the two other girls. Knowing that the two girls weren’t going to do anything, I picked up a ball laying near me, and threw the ball at Hunter. It went half way across the room, before Hunter easily dodged it. Picking up the balls Ian threw at him earlier, he hit the two girls easily on the their feet, getting them out in one go, leaving me by myself. I gulped. I was so going to lose. When he bent down to pick up another ball, I knew it was game over. I watched as he threw the ball as hard as he could, but it never made contact with me. Instead it hit the backboard bouncing back, flying straight at him. In the next second, Hunter jumped in the air, and touched his shoulder with the red ball, before he jumped back down. When the teacher blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game, I couldn’t help but ask Hunter why he threw the game. He and I both knew, he would’ve easily won, if he didn’t do that. I watched him earlier hit five guys without breaking a sweat, so I knew he lost on purpose. But, why? Why not hit me, and win? The corners of his lips turned upwards into a friendly smile. “Because, I couldn’t and won’t hit you,” was all he said, before he brushed past me, his shoulder blade touching mine in the progress. I blinked rapidly, staring at his back. Did Hunter really just say that? Hunter? Seriously? No, freaking way. Before I could even get over my shock, he disappeared into the boy’s locker room, along with the rest of the boys. Feeling the weight of another person jumping on my back, I was almost knocked over when I felt warm hands wrapping around my shoulders. “Bye-bye Avery! See you tomorrow!” he sang at the touch of his lungs, before giving me a light kiss on the cheek. I felt the familiar blush creeping up my cheeks at the featherly touch. He didn’t wait for a reply before he jumped off my back, and ran towards the locker room. As the door opened, I could hear Ian, yelling, “Stop stripping, Ian’s finally here!” I shook my head, laughing quietly under my breath. I think it’s safe to say that Ian is indeed very special. No guy—or person would ever say that. Only him. Heading back into the girl’s locker room with a smile on my face, I hurried to change back into my school’s uniform. I didn’t want my mom waiting in the parking lot for way too long. I knew my mom, and she was probably already in the parking lot waiting for Megan and I. After I was suitable to leave, I stuffed my gym uniform in my bag, before running out of the locker room. But before I could walk any further, I saw Bradlee walking out the boy’s locker room, with his backpack slung over his shoulder. When his icy blue eyes met mine, he stared for a second before he kicked the doors open, leaving me standing there in confusion. W-what? I thought he left earlier? Don’t tell me he ditched class and was hiding in the locker room this whole time? Referring back to the file my cousins gave me, I remembered them saying something about ditching classes. But I wasn’t positive. I could be mixing it up with something else Bradlee did. He really didn’t have a clean record like his brother and Ian. But before I could figure it out, the bell blared throughout the gym, as my eyes widened. Shit. Pushing the double doors open, I ran out the gym, rushing down the marble floor hallway, before turning right. Bypassing the crowded lobby, I ran down the few steps that was located there, as I felt the sudden gush of cool air. Pulling my blazer closer towards my body, my eyes searched the parking lot for my mother’s familiar car. When I found the jeep at the far end, I immediately ran towards it. When I inched closer, I could see Megan already sitting in the front seat. Of, course. Typical Megan. She’s always early. “Sorry for making you guys wait.” “Nonsense, sweetie.” My mom smiled, removing her glasses. “I just got here.” I smiled back as my mother unlocked the car door. I gave it a small tug, before hopping into the backseat. “Don’t forget to buckle-up,” Megan reminded me, her eyes staring at the rear-view mirror. I rolled my eyes, but did as she said. Knowing that if I didn’t, not only would I get a mouth-full from her but also from my own mother. The drive back didn’t take long. It was rather quiet as well, save for the occasional questions from my mom. She of course, asked all the typical questions a mom would ask her daughter on her first day of actual school. How was it? Did you make any new friends? Did you like your teachers? Your classes? Did meet the killers? Were they mean? And so on. Okay…so I lied. The drive back wasn’t exactly quiet, but I thought that if I believed it, my mom would stop asking me so many questions. But, of course, she didn’t. She just continued on talking, as I answered her questions with a nod or a no, praying that she would drive faster, so I could get away from her. *** In fifteen minutes flat, my mom’s car was parked in garage. And within seconds, I was jumping out of the car, and running towards our front door. But before I could even reach it, I heard the black van driving into our front gate. Hearing the loud honks of a horn, Demitri cut the gas, and parked his van right next to my parents’ cars. “So, how was school?” he asked casually. “Just peachy,” I couldn’t help but say sarcastically. “That bad huh?” Skylar asked, coming up right beside his partner in crime—literally. “Cut the chit-chat.” I rolled my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. “You guys saw everything. So you know exactly what happened.” Demitri smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. “Fine. Here’s our conclusion then. We think Bradlee’s the killer.” . . . . . To be continued.

Nxt oooooooo....... 9ic 1 @somhkid........ Kip it up

Bradlee Ke,am Suspectin Sm1 Else N Dat Is Lan.

*Fingas crossed*

hmm. am not sure. this mad Ian is a suspect. or maybe non of them. loving this tori. ride on.

Till Following

Of course it bradlee he always ditched class. Next o

Observing

hmmm stil following nxt plz

okay just following..... . Ian is funny though...one flower for you lolzzz

not now 2 dcide bradlee z not d killer

Nice one keep the packesh rolling

I dnt fink z bradlee

U beta luk well bf jumping 2 conclusion u guys

I don't think bradlee iz d killer Buh i think iz bradlee shez gonna fall in love with Kon2noon

where is the next episode

@precy dis is not somkhid's story... Its Donwalter's @Donwalter abeg drop next tin

Chapter Ten . . . . . . . . . . “Really now?” All I could do was stare at Demitri and Skylar as I heard Megan and my mom in the background. I could hear the sounds of metal keys jingling so I knew they were going inside to give us some privacy. When I focused my attention back on the FBI agents, I couldn’t help but wonder why they thought Bradlee was the killer. It was only the first day. At least wait a week or something to make that decision. “We have reasons to believe he is,” Skylar spoke up when he saw the look on my face—disagreement. “When you told Bradlee your name was Avery there was a slight pause in his hand movements, and when you were having lunch, we saw him looking at you strangely, almost like he was trying to figure something out. Also, let’s not forget about gym class. It seems like he was glaring at you, almost challenging you in a way. I can’t help but think that he knows you’re up to something.” “Yeah, but it’s still too early to tell,” I countered back with. Even though Skylar did made valid points, we can’t exactly accuse someone without hard cold evidence. And right now, it’s way too early in the stage to make a decision, even if it’s only a guess. “Let’s give it a month before making any conclusions,” I suggested right after. “Lily,” Demitri sighed, the light in his eyes dimming. “We don’t have a month to figure this out.” My eyebrow arched down in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Did you forget?” he asked, “the killer kills every first friday of the month. We only have less than four weeks before the killer makes another move and strikes again.” “Oh shit.” My eyes widened at that fact. “You’re right!” He chuckled quietly at my surprised reaction. “Of course I am.” He laughed once again, before his face turned serious, the laughter gone. “Anyways, for the next few weeks, you need to get closer to them, especially Bradlee. With winter break coming up at the end of December you only have a little over two weeks unless you can get them to spend time with you over the break, otherwise that’s all the time you’ll have with them.” “Great.” My eyes fluttered close in annoyance. “I totally forgot about winter break. Is there even enough time to build a strong friendship with them before then?” “Well,” he started, “it looks like both Hunter and Ian took a fast liking to you. Like I said, you’ll just have to work on Bradlee, but I have no doubt in my mind that both Hunter and Ian will be wrapped around your little finger in no time flat.” “But not Bradlee, right?” “He’s definitely a little bit more difficult than the others . . .” Demitri muttered truthfully scratching the back of his head. “Especially since he doesn’t like talking to anyone.” “Yeah, I know.” No matter what I tried this morning in College Biology, he wouldn’t give. But, I’m not going to give up just after the first day. Not now, and not ever. “I’ll work on him. He’ll crack eventually.” Both Demitri and Skylar smiled at my attitude. “That’s the spirit!” Skylar said, cheerfully. “You’ll do great.” “Yeah, with that positive attitude of yours, you’ll be a great FBI agent and spy,” Demitri added with a playful wink. I smiled back at them, though I ignored Demitri’s wink. “Thanks guys.” “Welcome,” they both said in unison, before Demitri looked down at his wristwatch. When his eyes meet mine again, he told me they needed to go back to headquarters and report to their boss about everything they had gather today about the guys. I nodded, giving them a quick wave goodbye. “You’ll be back tomorrow, right?” “Bright and early,” Demitri said, as Skylar held his thumb up in response. “We’ll be here before you even wake up.” “Alright, sounds good. Have a safe trip back.” I gave them a departure smile, as I watched them climbed back into their van. They smiled in return, before I saw Demitri leaning forward in the driver’s seat. When the car roared to life, and the guys were safely buckled in, they drove out in reverse. When they made it passed the silver gate, they honked their horn, before their black van disappeared from my line of view, zooming down the street in a blaze. *** “So, what did Demitri and Skylar want with you?” a voice asked as soon as I walked through the front door. Jumping an inch up in the air, I yelled, twisting around at the sound of Megan’s voice. I narrowed my eyes at her when I saw her standing next to the staircase for scaring the crap out of me. She bit her lips innocently, giggling softly. In return, I purposely made her wait for my answer as I took my blazer off, folding it neatly in my hands. When I unzipped my bookbag, I placed the piece of clothing inside, humming a tone I’d heard yesterday. When I heard the impatient tap of her foot, I couldn’t help but hold back a laugh. Deciding to put her out of her misery, I headed over towards her, bag in hand. Taking a seat on the cold metal step, I waited for her to join me before I spoke. “They just wanted to tell me who they think the killer is,” I said, putting air quotes around the word killer. “Let me guess.” The corners of Megan’s lips curved upwards, “they think it’s Bradlee?” I groaned, running my hands toward my hair. Styling my dark locks back in place, I uttered, “Not you too.” “What?” She smiled knowingly. “He is the most suitable candidate out of the three suspects.” “Yeah, I know, but it’s still too early to tell,” I reasoned for the second time today, even though I knew for a fact that a blind cat would even pick Bradlee as the top suspect. Ian and Hunter just didn’t seem like the rape and murder type of guys. But then again . . . Bradlee didn’t either. But compared to them, Bradlee would probably be labeled as the ‘bad boy’ or ‘troublemaker’ out of the three. She shrugged. “Can’t argue with you there,” she said agreeing with me. “But you have to admit that Ian nor Hunter seems like the guys to actually go out of their way to kill someone, you know?” “I know.” I sighed sadly. “How did these guys even make it onto the FBI’s list?” I questioned, mostly talking to myself. “I don’t know . . .” Megan answered anyways, “but like your wise older brother once said, ‘no one is too nice.”’ I eyed her in confusion. “What does that have anything to do with this?” “I’m just saying,” she started to explained, “don’t let their niceness deceive you. You never know, it just might be Ian.” My eyes widened, as I gasped in shock. Ian? The killer? No way. He wouldn’t even hurt a puppy let alone kill eight girls. He’s just too congenial to actually be a blood-thirsty killer. I couldn’t even imagine him going to parties, let alone seducing two girls, and then raping and killing them. Plus, he’s way too innocent—so there’s no way, right? Before I could even defend my newly made friend, Rockers started blaring loudly throughout the air interrupting our conversation. I held a finger up, telling Megan to give me a minute. Snatching my phone out of my pocket, I tapped the green button before I even saw the number on the screen. “Hello?” I asked softly. “Baby!” My eyes immediately lit up, as I sat up straight. I automatically ran my hands through my hair even though he couldn’t see me through the phone. Whenever he called, I had the urge to look perfect for him. Ignoring the slight groan coming from Megan, I could literally feel her eyes rolling at me. From that reaction alone, I could tell she knew who I was talking to. “Dennis!” I copied him. He chuckled, his laughter causing me to shiver in pleasure. Even though I’d known Dennis since I was ten years old, the slightest sound or touch from him could cause me to turn into a pile of mess. “How’s my baby doing today?” he asked, as I pictured his face—dimples showing and all. “I’m doing great!” I told him eagerly. “I just got done with school. And you won’t believe where it was at today.” “Ahh, in your kitchen?” he guessed, as I heard a light chuckle coming from him. “No!” I giggled. “It was at Woodway Prep!” “That Prep school where Isabella and your annoying brother went to?” I couldn’t help but laugh. My brother John and Dennis never exactly got along well. Let’s just say never make-out with a guy who’s five years old than you on the couch when you know your overprotective brother is coming back home. Especially if you know that those said guys would probably butt heads with one another as soon as they saw each other. To this day, John still doesn’t know Dennis and I are dating, and I’ll like to keep it that way as long as possible. Who knows what he’ll do. “That’s the one!” “What were you doing there?” he asked, his tone bewildered, but also curious. “Going to school,” I said, in a duh kind of tone, as I smiled. “I just enrolled there yesterday.” “That’s—” He paused for thirty seconds before he spoke again. And when he did, he sounded a bit breathy; his voice raspier. “—great,” he finishes. Thinking nothing of the strange pause, I lowered my head in a nod. “I know! I finally got to experience private school like my siblings did when they were my age. Walking through those halls knowing that they both—” Before I could even finish my sentence I heard a faint gasp coming from the other side of the line, followed by a loud bamn, and a voice that didn’t belong to my boyfriend, Dennis. . . . . . To be continued

Oh ohh!!! What next!!!!

I guess it's a ladies voice Nx

hmmm nxt plz dnt tke lng

hmmm i cnt wait to knw d persn dat own d voice nxt plz dnt tke lng

Wat next?

@donwalter u don start again abi

dis ur relationship will blow ur cover

NEXT

Hez nt cheatin on u, z he........? Nxt bomb abeg oooooo, ciriously cnt wait

I was left behind, but thank God am able to read this story.. I haven't digest what is happening in d story yet, buh keep it rolling@donwalter.

Wu qet da t voice! Female or male we qo know... Next!!!

observing........next pls

He has some1 else?

Nice one Nxt pls

Chapter Eleven . . . . . . . . . . “Hello?” Hearing a string of curses, and a groan, I tried to make out the voices on the other end. All I heard was someone saying my name but I knew for a fact that it wasn’t my boyfriend’s voice. The voice was way too deep to belong to Dennis. I didn’t even had the chance to figure it out before the line went dead. “What happened?” Megan asked, probably hearing the loud bang not even a second ago. “I’m not exactly sure…” I told her the truth. “I was just talking to Dennis like I normally do, and then I heard weird noises before I heard another guy’s voice. And then the phone went dead.” She shrugged, her shoulders rolling up. “It’s probably one of his roommates.” I bit my lip. “I don’t know…” “Look,” Megan started, reading me too well. She could probably tell I was feeling really anxious about this. “At least it’s not a girl’s voice you’re hearing, right?” “Yeah.” I nodded after a while. “You’re right. But I’m still a bit worried. I mean those noises…” “Call him again,” she suggested. “I don’t know, what if he’s still—” “Who cares, you’re his girlfriend. If it’s just his roommate, he’ll answer it.” Making up my mind, I nodded my head. Unlocking my phone, I dialed his number. Shaking my foot—a nervous habit of mine—it rang three times before Dennis picked up. “Hey Lily,” he spoke, his voice a bit rough. My eyes narrowed at that. Is he cheating? “I’m so sorry I hung up on you. My roommate came in asking if I wanted to go on a beer run with him. When I told him no, he practically tackled me towards the ground, and stole my phone from me. Even now, he’s making fun of me for ditching him to talk to my girlfriend.” “Oh.” I blew out a sigh of relief when I heard the clear chuckle in the background. He’s not cheating. “That’s okay. Go. We can talk later.” “Um, you sure?” “Of course!” I exclaimed, “go have fun with your friend.” “Alright.” I could picture his dazzling smile, smiling at me right now. “Thanks baby. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” “I love you too,” I whispered before ending the call. “So…?” Megan asked with smug look. “Was I right? Or was I right?” I rolled my eyes at her. “Yes. You were right. It was just his roommate wanting to hang out with him.” “Told you! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head upstairs and practice my new songs. I’ll see you later tonight for dinner.” “Alright, but don’t play too loudly! I have homework too you know!” I shouted at her, laughing quietly. I heard her chuckle, as her shoes clicked every time she jumped from step to step. “I’ll try but no promises!” “Try harder!” I yelled, as I ran after her. “Again no promises.” I shook my head, chuckling under my breath. I knew for her fact, she’ll live up to her non-promise. *** Since I didn’t want a repeat of yesterday, I decided to wake up extra early. So early that when I was fully dressed, both Megan and my mom weren’t even up yet. I had to actually knock on their doors for once. They were surprised when they saw me come in—their eyes wide and their mouth open. After getting over their shock, they headed into their respectful bathroom's and was in the kitchen fully dressed and ready in half an hour. They quickly had their breakfast while I put my dishes away, and waited for them in the garage. Demitri and Skylar were both already parked right outside our gates waiting for the long day ahead of them. Hearing the loud slam of a car’s door, I knew they were both buckled in, and ready to go. In about twenty minutes we were parked in front of school’s parking lot. This time my mom didn’t bother parking inside, instead she let us off at the front. She gave us both a kiss good-bye and told us to have a fantastic day. “Where do Demitri and Skylar go anyways?” Megan asked, as her electric blue eyes scanned the almost empty lot; save for some cars and the early-bird students lingering around. I shrugged. “I think they hide themselves a building over or something.” She nodded, as she pushed open the front doors, letting me go in first. I whispered a small thanks, in which she returned with a smile. “So, I’m guessing you don’t need me to show you to your classes today?” she asked, switching topics. “Nope,” I popped the ‘p’, as we made our way up the stairs just like we did yesterday. “I’m good.” “Oh, thank gosh,” she blew out. “Now I won’t have to worry about being late.” She chuckled. “Ha-ha. Very funny.” “You know it.” She winked, flipping her blonde hair back. “I’ll see you during lunch then?” she asked, pausing outside my homeroom. “Of course.” After giving Megan a hug goodbye, I headed into the classroom, as I heard her descending footsteps. I was surprised to see that I wasn’t the only one there since I was about twenty-five minutes early today. But I was even more surprised to see that it was Bradlee. He was sitting in the back, scrolling through his phone again. From what I could tell, he still hadn’t noticed me walking in yet. That, or he’s ignoring me—again. “Good morning Avery.” Mr. Meyer smiled. He waved at me behind his desk with a pen held in-between his index finger and thumb. From the looks of it, he was probably getting some grading done. I greeted him back, before I made my way over to my seat across from Bradlee. He, of course never looked up once. But when I sat my bag down on the table, I saw the slight movement of his eyes. As I pulled the stool out, I heard the annoying screech, as the metal legs connected with the marble floor. Flopping my butt on the chair, I clasped my hands together, as I stared at him. Tapping my foot impatiently, I waited for Bradlee to do something, anything. But after a minute of silence, I concluded that he wasn’t going to do anything beside being on his phone. “Good morning,” I decided to say. I tried to made my voice sound as friendly as ever. I sucked in a breath, hoping he would at least look up and acknowledge me. But after thirty seconds had gone by, he still didn’t show any signs of looking up. Getting annoyed, I slammed my hands down on the table, causing Bradlee to jerk a little. “You know,” I barked, knowing I have his attention now. “You could at least say something back. I know you don’t talk or whatever, but it’s just common courtesy to at least give a nod or something when someone greets you.” His pale grey eyes snapped up at me, but to my utter disbelief, they held no fury whatsoever in them. Given his past record I thought he would be incensed with me. Instead his eyes held a soft glow, almost smothering me with it’s kindness. I bit my lips in guilt. As I studied his movements, it looked like he wanted to say something, but at the last second he decided against it, and went back to staring at his phone’s screen. I let out a loud audible sigh, as I felt the gust of wind blowing the strands of hair on my forehead. So close. Feeling the silky texture under the pad of my fingertips, I swept my bangs back in place. What now? Do I keep talking and push my luck a little bit more? Or should I just let it go and be glad he even looked at me? After having an inner debate with myself, I finally decided to go for it. With that in mind, I reached out for my bag, and started searching through piles of folders and textbooks before I felt the smooth outline of my pencil case. Taking it out of my bag, I pulled the zipper opened. Digging through the many pencils and pens I had, I finally found his pen buried at the bottom. Setting the pen in front of him, I beamed when I saw him glancing back up. He cocked his brow, and gave me a weird look, almost like he was asking me why I was even giving him this. “You left this yesterday,” I explained, seeing the confusion wiped away. “Thought I’ll give it back to you.” He lowered his head in a nod before snatching the pen in his hand. When his attention went back to his phone, I couldn’t help but catch the small flicker of a smile gracing his lips. I sucked in a breath of air, gasping in shock. Even though the reaction was small, it was still a smile. Bradlee smiled—at me. He smiled at me! And, it wasn’t even one of those fake smiles people randomly give people they don’t like. No—it was a genuine smile. Something I never thought Bradlee would ever give me in a million years. But he did. With that in mind, I let one of my own smiles ghost across my face. Though, that smile was quickly wiped off when Mr. Meyer announced we were having a pop quiz when the class finally started. Of, course I wasn’t the only one groaning in detest. Everyone, but Bradlee was complaining about the quiz as Mr. Meyer started making his way around the room. “You guys will be fine.” Mr. Meyer laughed. “Don’t think of it as a quiz. Just pretend it’s a worksheet.” “Does that mean we can help each other out,” a girl with really long blonde hair asked. “No,” he immediately answered her. “It’s a quiz.” “But you just said—” “I said pretend, Kimberly.” I could see the annoyance in her eyes, but she reluctantly nodded and got to work. When Mr. Meyer got to our table he gave one to Bradlee, and then one to me. “Try your best Avery,” he told me, “but don’t worry about it if you don’t do so well. I won’t count it since you just transferred.” “Thanks,” I said even though I knew I could pass this quiz with flying colors. “No problem.” He smiled before he made his way around the many lab tables and back to his desk. “You guys can begin if you haven’t already.” With that, I heard the flipping of papers, and the rustling of pencils and pens. I did the same and saw the word Enzymes labeled on the top page. There was only twenty questions, and thankfully they were all multiple choice. Seeing the Times New Roman font, the first question asked us what organic molecule Enzymes were composed of. Seeing the choices, I knew it wasn’t DNA or sugar. The obvious choice was proteins. The rest of the quiz went by in a flash and before I knew it I was already circling my last answer to question number twenty. Letting my pencil dropped, I peeked under my eyelashes and decided to see how Bradlee was doing. His paper was underneath him as his head laid on his elbows. His eyelids were closed, his breathing deep and relaxed. The muscles in his face looked at peace, his guard down. His lips were parted open a bit, as I felt a gust of warm air coming from his mouth. It smelled sweet, almost like mint. As I moved closer towards him, I could practically make out the light freckles decorating the tip of his nose, and the little creases on his plump lips. My eyes soon made it’s way up to his hair. It was dark—almost black, like his brother’s. But his style was different. He had his bangs swept to the side, covering half of his ears, while the rest of his hair ascended an inch above his shoulders. As I glanced closer, I noticed a small round thing peeking out of his hair—where his ear was at. Before I could even make out the item, I saw in the corner of my eyes Bradlee’s hands immediately going up to his ears. He ran his hands quickly through his hair, making sure it covered his ears, before he scanned the rest of the classroom in panic. When his eyes met mine, they were wide-eyed, looking almost ashamed and embarrassed. Thinking that he didn’t like people staring at him while he slept, I was about to start apologizing like mad, but no words left my mouth when I realized Bradlee was fingerspelling using the ASL alphabet. And that’s when I realized, that Bradlee wasn’t embarrassed that I was looking at him while he slept but because I saw the round device in his ear—his hearing aid. Bradlee . . . he's hard of hearing. . . . . . To be continued

Eyah,maybe thats why he seems quit. Hoping he isnt the killer.

Uhmmm... I av a feeling avery is gonna fall in love with bradlee... All well nd good.. I'm here 2 find out

Oh my...... 2 bad...... Xowi 4 ya...... Nxt

i think so @tennie but lets watch out

Maybe dat y he hardly talk, xowie u hear

Yep move on

Mmmmm

No wonder he dozn't interact that much Nxt

waiting

D nigg gat ear problems

Bradlee.. Na dumb ass

He may not b d killer,new here

heeyah dat y hear dnt hear wen u ar grting hm

heeyah dat y he dnt hear wen u ar grting hm

Oga Donwalter watz up?

a nice story.. Hope the episodes come faster

I love these kind of stories.. keep it up guys

finally i don land like lander brothers, weldone @donwalter

i don meet una....great story. The killer myt no be among any of dem. The guy wic she didnt knw his name, even asher myt b d killer

Chapter Twelve . . . . . . . . . . . After staring at Bradlee for a good five minute, I realized that he was trying to talk to me. He was fingerspelling super slowly, probably hoping I at least knew the ASL alphabet. But, I didn’t. Though, when I was younger, I remember doing a movie where my character was hard-of hearing so I had to learn some sign language to prepare for that role. That was also years ago, so I attain little to nothing. I mean, I still knew the easy letters like a, b, c, j, l, x, y and z and I think I caught a few ‘a’s in there but I wasn’t positive. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the alphabet . . .” He let out an audible sigh, his electrifying eyes drifting down, glancing at his phone. I watched as he quickly tapped some buttons before showing me the screen. Notes was opened, and in clear black letters it read: Please don’t tell anyone I’m hard of hearing. “Why?” I couldn’t help but asked. It wasn’t like anyone will start making fun of him just because he needed hearing aids to hear. He’s one of their ‘Gods’ according to Megan. In my opinion I think that will make the girls fall for him even more. He bit his lips, concentrating on his typing before he showed me his phone again. I don’t need anyone treating me differently. I like my space, and I certainly don’t need pity. Pity. Even though I personally never experienced pity from anyone before, I got where he’s coming from. All my life my family sheltered me because I was this innocent child star. Sometimes you just need to explore life on your own—just like everyone else. “Alright.” I nodded, giving him a thumbs up. His eyes moved from my lips to my thumb. “My lips are sealed.” I made a small motion with my hands, demonstrating the zipping action causing him to chuckle the tiniest bit. It was super soft, but I couldn’t help but appreciate how his eyes lit up, looking like he actually enjoyed my company, unlike yesterday where he didn’t acknowledge me at all. Thanks. This time he actually mouthed the words, and even though I’m a horrible at ASL, I could at least read lips. Plus, the word ‘thanks’ was an easy word to read. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. “No problem,” I voiced, knowing that if he didn’t quite hear that, he would’ve read it. His eyes were perfectly focused on my lips whenever I spoke, so I doubt he missed what I’d said. I’m guessing that’s how he was able to understand the teacher yesterday during class. He had read his lips. “So, um . . . forgive me if this is insensitive,” I started off saying, chewing on my bottom lip in nervousness, “but can you talk if you wanted to? I know that some hard of hearing people can speak orally and sign, or strictly one over the other.” Instead of typing his answer on his phone, he lowered his head in a nod, and when I saw the corners of his lips lifting up, I knew he wasn’t offended by my question. I blew out a sigh of relief when I saw that response. “That’s great!” I said cheerily, glad that he wasn’t mad at me. The last thing I wanted was to ruin this moment. “But you rather sign, correct?” He nodded his head again, causing a few strands of hair to fall over his eyes. I couldn’t help but watch as his muscled ripped under his dark vast as he moved his arm up to rearrange some of his hair to the side. “Would you ever talk to me?” As soon as that question left my mouth, he immediately lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine. Deciding to get a closer look at them, I realized they weren’t just a grayish blue in shade. No, they had specks of gold and green surrounding his irises, making his eyes even more unique and colorful. Hearing the sound of a loud gulp, I snapped out of my daze state, and automatically moved my eyes away from his. Seeing the wave of his hand underneath my lashes, I slowly peeked up seeing him mouth the word, maybe before the corners of his mouth moved up, giving me a full blown smile. I was about to return the gesture when a loud annoying ringing filled the air, signaling the end of class. Feeling reluctant to leave, I made sure to take my time packing up, watching Bradlee in the corner of my eyes. When he had his folder inside his bag, I heard the sound of metal scraping across wood, as he pushed his chair backwards. I started gathering my things together when I thought he was going to leave, but I was surprised to see him still standing there. Looking up slowly, I saw him with his head down, his dark locks covering the side of his face. Even though I couldn’t exactly see his face, I could tell he was debating over something by the unclenching and clenching of his fists. He continued that motion for a few seconds or so before he made his mind up, and lifted his hand up, and took the sheet of paper in front of my desk. Once it was safely in his hands, he hurried past me and bypassed the rows of students before turning our quiz onto Mr. Meyer’s desk. I watched as Mr. Meyer thanked Bradlee before he turned around, his brilliant grey-like eyes looking dead at me. I was about mouth the word thanks, before my breath got caught in my throat. Bradlee, he was standing there with the utmost captivating smile plastered on his face. He continued to stare at me, even though our annoying classmates started giggling softly, gushing at Bradlee. They were mostly looking at him, probably just as memorized as I was by his smile. By the sound of it, it appeared to be the first time they’d ever saw Bradlee smiling. I couldn’t help but feel special in a way that he was actually smiling at me, and not at them. Almost as special as the fact that I was the only one that knew his secret—something that I’ll make sure to keep. Before I could even walk over towards him, he started making his way out the classroom, his fangirls following right after him. Shifting back to my bag, I stuffed everything I’d gathered earlier inside not exactly caring if it was neat or not, and started making a beeline towards the front door. Catching his lean body turning the corner at the end of the hallway, I was about to run after him when I felt a hand on my shoulder, halting me in mid-step. As I whipped around, I saw the face of none other than Hunter Le Feuvre. The corners of his lips started forming a smile; his body practically oozing happiness at the sight of me. “Hey Avery,” he chirped, his mood pleasant and not like yesterday morning at all. “Hey, um...listen I’m kind of in a hurry—” His smile wavered, his whole demeanor changing. It was almost like I had kicked a puppy or something. “Oh, I see.” He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with me. Though I could tell they were filled with despondency. “You’re looking for my brother, right?” My eyes widened. “H-how—” “I just saw him walking by,” he explained, cutting me off. “I just kind of guessed.” He shrugged. “I’ll let you get to it—” “No-no,” I stepped in, “it’s fine.” I gave him a welcoming smile. “Did you need something?” “Not anything in particular,” he said, his smile back on his face, his voice perky again. “I was actually going to talk to Mr. Meyer when I saw you walking out of his room.” “Mr. Meyer? You have him too?” I asked, curiously. “Yeah, I have him third period,” he told me as he shifted to a more comfortable position. Leaning against the doorframe, he started staring at the wall behind me. His cheeks heated up in embarrassment when he uttered the words, “but, I’m kind of failing his class.” “Really? Are you in the regular class or are you in college course?” If he was in the college course, I could understand why he would be. It’s a pretty difficult class if you can’t grasp the material well. And some people just don’t get Biology as well as others. “Regular.” “Well,” I started, thinking, “if you want, I could help you with the subject,” I offered, not exactly sure where this was coming from, or even why I was offering Hunter this. It may have been the way Hunter was acting when he told me he was failing his class, or the way he was looking at me with actual kindness. “I’m actually pretty good in biology, so it wouldn’t be too hard to teach you.” “Seriously!?” he asked, his eyes wide with shock. “You’ll actually tutor me?” “Yeah.” I rolled my shoulders up, chuckling at his cute reaction. “Why not?” “Thank you!” He leaped forward, as he brought my head to his chest on impulse. His arms engulfed my backside, his airy scent mixing with my cherry blossom perfume. “You have no idea how much this means to me!” “Ah… Hunter?” I mumbled into his chest, his arms still around me. “Yeah?” He looked down at me, his minty breath fanning my face. It was then that he realized how close we really were against one another. All he had to do was move his head down an inch or so, and we’ll be nose to nose. “Oh, shit!” He backed away like I was on fire. “I’m so sorry,” he apologized like mad, his face turning red. “I didn’t realized what I was doing…” “It’s fine.” I laughed, patting his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, alright? I need to hurry before I’m late to my next class. I so don’t want a repeat of yesterday.” “Um… yeah… sure…” he started off muttering under his breath, his eyes shifting back and forth. “I wouldn’t want you to be late or anything on my behalf so I guess, I’ll see you at lunch then?” “Yes, yes.” I chuckled. “You’ll see me at lunch,” I told Hunter as I gave him a final wave goodbye. As I made my way down the white-colored hallway, the last thing I heard from Hunter was, “she said yes!” I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath, causing some people to stare at me weirdly. I shrugged them off, not exactly caring what they thought of me anymore. All I could think about as I made my way to class was the next few weeks with these guys. No matter how I think about it, none of these guys seemed like cold-hard killers to me. Maybe just maybe my cousins were wrong when they put together the suspect's list. But then again...it’s still too early in the game to tell anything. One of them could just be a really good actor, but the question is—which one? *** A/n: Sorry it was short, but I hope you still enjoyed the chapter though! . . . . . To be continued

yup! nice. next pls.

Wow!!! Nice story u'hv got here, ride on

You are doing a great job here, weldone Donwalter!

I really enjoy it,thumb up

The suspend is killing us pls try and make it fast weldone great work

Cool story ride on

Chapter Thirteen . . . . . . . . . . Before I knew it, half of my classes went by in a breeze. When the bell signaled for lunch, I was the first one out of my seat, rushing towards my locker. I was about to dial in my combination when I jumped nearly three feet in the air. On impulse, I twisted around smacking whoever scared the living daylights out of me. But, when I saw the familiar face howling in pain, I couldn’t help but gasp in horror. My hand automatically went up to his cheek, checking the damages I caused. “Oh my God!” I shouted, eyes-wide. “Ian, are you okay!?” “Kind of…” He grimaced, rubbing the side of his cheek. I bit my lips in guilt as I saw his pale skin, reddening. His eyes snapped up, round and doe-like. “Why did you hit me?” “I-I didn’t think it was you,” I told him honestly, feeling like shit. “I kind of reacted.” “Still!” He raised his voice, his lips turning into a pout. “That really hurts!” “Sorry,” I apologized, my shoulders hunching over in despondency. “I promise I won’t hit you next time.” I placed my palm on my heart, swearing. “Good.” He laughed, pout gone. “But seriously, Avery. You hit hard. I didn’t think you’ll get that scared.” “Well, it’s kind of hard not to when someone sneaks up on you like that. Like seriously!” I motioned my hands around as I talked. “How the hell did you even managed to get behind me without me hearing you at all?” His face twisted up into a smirk, waving his hands around as well. “It’s easy.” The smile on his face more pronounced. “It’s one of my many special skills.” He winked at me. I arched an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think scaring the living crap out of someone is considered a skill.” “It only ever scared you.” He shrugged, running his lean fingers through his platinum blonde hair. “And plus I wanted to surprise you. I thought you’ll be happy to see me . . .” “I am!” I exclaimed, seeing the glint of sadness in his eyes, even though his smile was still there on his face. “Just don’t do that anymore . . . I’m easily frightened,” I confessed, even though I hardly got scared when I was younger. I guess growing up changed that. “Alright,” he promised, clapping his hands cheerfully together. “So,” he started out, hovering over my shoulders, “what were you doing before I got here?” “Eh.” I rolled my shoulders up, facing my locker once again. “I was going to switch out some of my textbooks before I head to lunch.” “Oh!” he shouted, as I felt his presence close behind me. His breath lingered on my neck for a second, as he spoke. “Can I walk with you?” “Yeah, sure, just let me do this first,” I said, turning the knob to the left, then to the right, and then the left again. Once I heard the soft click, I lifted the lock, and opened the gold-painted lockers. Drifting my eyes downwards, I gathered up my textbook, and switched them out for my afternoon classes. Once my bag was stuffed again, I slammed my locker shut, spinning around to see Ian smiling happily, as he whistled some catchy tune. “Ready?” he asked, skipping over to my right. I giggled. “Ready! Let’s hurry and meet the others, shall we?” “Let’s!” he hollered, hooking his arm around mine. I couldn’t help but smile as I skipped happily to lunch with Ian by my side. Of course I didn’t miss the stares and the whispers of our fellow classmates as we bypassed them. They were mostly looking at Ian, giving him weird looks, but as I eyed him in the corner of my eyes, he was totally oblivious to all the stares. The corners of my lip curved upwards, smiling, feeling the joyful radiance practically oozing out of him. Ian—he really was a gem. ***** “There you are!” was the first thing I heard when the double doors to the cafeteria opened. “I’d saved a seat for you Avery!” Hunter said, jabbing his fingers behind him. Looking behind his shoulder, two empty seats surrounded by a group of his friends sat in the middle of the room, centered by the other groups of people, just like yesterday. “Um, thanks Hunter.” I smiled at him, “but I was actually going to sit with my friends. They’re probably waiting for me already.” His smile deflated. “But I thought you said, ‘you’ll see me at lunch’?” I nodded slowly. “I did, but I never did said I’ll sit with you.” “Oh . . .” Seeing his brown eyes stirring with sorrow, his demeanor flipping, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I should’ve been more clearer with him if I’d known he would get the wrong idea from it. “You can join us if you want,” Ian offered, stepping in before I could say anything back. Hunter’s eyes snapped to Ian’s. His brow arched down in confusion, probably trying to put a name to his face. “Um, and you are . . .?” “The ‘freak’ as you so put it.” Ian bowed down, gesturing his hand towards his body. “Nice to meet you, your gracefulness.” Recognition dawned on him, as Hunter pulled his bottom lip in, chewing on it carefully. “Listen dude . . .” Hunter started, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness. “I was um, in a bad mood yesterday, and I really didn’t mean any of that. I’m really sorry though.” “It’s fine!” Ian laughed, smacking Hunter on the arm. “Now, are we just going to stand around here or are we going to get some food? Because, I don’t know about you guys but I’m freaking starving! And I want my stomach to stop growling at me.” “I already got my food,” Hunter said, pointing behind him. “But I’ll wait for you. Where are you guys sitting?” “You’re actually sitting with us?” I asked, pretty shocked. I would’ve thought he’ll refuse, and demand me to sit with him again or something. Maybe he really was in a bad mood yesterday? Because in all honestly, I have no idea how we went from lashing out at one another to actually having civil conversations with each other in a day. Especially on my end of things. “Outside.” “In December?” His eyebrow shot up. “You’re kidding right?” I smirked, poking him. “Aw, is the big bad Hunter afraid of the cold?” “No!” he shouted, a little bit too fast may I add. “I’ll meet you there!” He started off towards his table, a determined look plastered on his face. He mouthed some things to his friends before making it back to us with his tray in his hands. My nose scrunched up seeing the gross looking pizza on his plate. “Um Hunter, do you know where we even sit?” “No, but I’m pretty sure I could figure it out. I doubt anyone else will be crazy enough to sit outside. Well . . . beside my brother that is.” “He eats outside too?” Hunter nodded, bringing the pizza up to his mouth. He took a small bite before putting it back down. “He hates loud noises,” he mumbled around his bite of food. “How co—?” “Avery!” Ian whined, pulling on my arm. He stomped his feet like a small child wanting something. “Can’t we just chat afterwards? That pizza is making me really hungry.” He pouted, eyeing me with those eyes of his. “You go first, I’ll be right there.” “Promise!?” I laughed. “Promise, now go get your food!” His smile brightened, as he nodded furiously. He turned around, waving his hands around in the air, as he shouted, “Yay! Food!” for the whole student body to hear. When Ian was out of earshot, I turned my attention back to Hunter. “So as I was saying, how come Bradlee doesn’t like loud noises?” “Um . . .” Hunter started off, sounding uneasy. “I shouldn’t be saying th—” “I know he’s hard of hearing,” I interrupted him, seeing the surprised look on Hunter’s face. “H-how?” he asked taken aback. “He usually doesn’t let anyone close enough for them to even notice.” “I saw his hearing aid today,” I explained, seeing his mouth formed an ‘O’ shape. “Does, um, the loud noises bother him that much or something?” “Uh yeah.” He lowered his head. “He can’t block out sounds out like the rest of us can. Every little noise hits him full on, and if he doesn’t take his medication, he can’t function correctly.” “So that’s why he was outside yesterday . . .” I whispered under my breath, lost in my own thoughts. But then again, why was he looking at me so intensity…? “What was that?” he posed, stepping closer towards me. “Nothing!” I giggled nervously, taking a step back. “So, um listen I’m going to grab something to eat, and I’ll see you out back, okay?” His brown eyes brightened, glowing of joy. Why? I wasn’t quite sure. “Alright!” “Make sure to tell them I sent you though.” I gave Hunter a pat on the shoulder before I made my way over to the lunch line. Even though I was still a few feet away from Ian, I could hear Ian, talking loudly to himself debating if he should have the chicken nuggets or the pizza. Seeing the lunch lady roll her eyes at him, I could tell she was getting impatient. “Why don’t you just get both?” “But then I’ll get fat!” he complained, his eyes not even looking at me. “Trust me Ian, you won’t get fat.” The boy was like one hundred pounds. Even if he did magically gain weight, he still won’t be considered fat by any means. “How would you know?” He finally faced me. “Can you see into the future?” “No Ian.” I chuckled, throwing my head back. “Just trust me on this.” “Fine,” he concluded, turning back to the lunch lady. “I’ll get the pizza and the chicken nuggets then!” “Do you want corn or carrot—” She shut her mouth realizing her mistake a little bit too late. Whispering a quiet, “shit” under her breath, she slapped her forehead, shutting her eyes. “Geez.” Ian started tapping his index finger under his chin in thought, “I’m not exactly sure . . .” “For the love of—” the lady started to scream, before I cut in. I didn’t want an argument to break out or something. “—Ian, just get them both, alright?” I suggested, praying he would do as I said. “But what if I don’t finish it?” “Then you can throw it out,” I stated the obvious, extending my hand towards the trashcan located by the double doors we’d just walked through. “But, I don’t like wasting food!” he retorted, “think about all of the starving children in Africa! I just feel so bad about—” “Then I’ll have it, okay?” “Well . . .” he paused in mid-sentence, giving it a second thought, “I guess that’s alright.” “Great!” I chirped, hearing the lunch lady giving out a sigh of relief. In the corner of my eye, I could see her curving a smile at me, thankful. I smiled back as I faced her, stating my order, “Can I please just get the chicken salad with corn on the side?” “You can have whatever you want sweetheart,” she said, probably still grateful for what I’d done. After she handed us our trays full of food, we paid for them quickly before Ian could debate about getting fruit or not. When we got to our usual lunch spot outside, we saw Hunter and Megan chatting aimlessly while Annemarie and Asher watched, nodding their heads to whatever Hunter was saying. I was about to wave my hand to get their attention when Ian screamed, “We’re here!” at the top of his lungs, letting everyone know in a five mile radius of our presence. “Took you guys long enough!” Megan shouted, clearing two seats between her and hunter. Ian planted his butt next to Megan while I sat in between Ian and Hunter. “What happened? Did you guys get lost?” “No,” I said, sitting crossed-legged. “Ian just couldn’t decide on what to get.” “Hey!” he shouted, causing me to crank my neck back, his face practically two inches from mine. “It’s not my fault everything looked so good to me.” “Sure it wasn't.” I rolled my eyes, stabbing my fork into a piece of chicken. “So, what are you guys chatting about?” I asked, eyeing everyone in the group. I took a bite, chewing slowly, actually enjoying the chicken salad. It wasn't too dry or too bland. “Megan here,” Annemarie spoke up, “was just asking Hunter why his brother was so quiet compared to him.” I arched a brow. “And?” “Hunter just said, ‘it’s not my business to tell’.” “I see . . .” I couldn’t help but hid the small smile ghosting across my face knowing that I was the only one to know the real reason why Bradlee was so quiet. “He likes his space, that’s all,” Hunter pipped in, shrugging. “Is he like that at home too?” Annemarie asked, as I saw a small flicker of interest in Asher’s oddly colored eyes. Hunter nodded, as he took a loud gulp of his drink. “Yeah, he’s in his room a lot doing God knows what. The only time I ever see him at home is during dinner.” “Do you guys even talk then?” Megan asked, joining the conversation. “Of course! We’re not zombies you know.” “Ha-ha.” She fake-laughed, rolling her light orbs at him. I couldn't help but laugh as well, knowing that Megan's God like image was forever ruined by Hunter himself. “So, I’m guessing you’re close then?” she asked next. “Um . . . I wouldn’t say we’re the typical twins that stays glue to one another, but we’re not strangers either.” I rolled my shoulders. “Better than nothing, right?” “True.” Hunter gave me an open-mouth smile, before his eyes started squinting slightly. Soon his smile turned into a smirk. “And speaking about my twin, he’s right behind you actually.” I jolted in my seat, twisting around preparing to see his lean body and those memorizing eyes of his, but he was no where in sight. “Where?” I asked, confused. He covered a laugh, seeing my reaction. “Over there.” Looking towards the direction Hunter was pointing to, I started to make out Bradlee’s figure sitting on the bottom bleachers. He had his headphones on, jamming away to whatever he was listening to, bobbing his head up and down. As I was about to turn away, his eyes flickered upwards, connecting with mine. I sucked in a breath of air when I saw his eye swimming with despair a second later. . . . . . To be continued

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Intresting

This story is taking time o... I forgot abt it sef.

I thought u will never update ni o@donwalter, anyway thanks for the updates

Chapter Fourteen . . . . . . . . . . I didn’t even had time to blink before Bradlee broke our eye contact, and twisted his body away from us. His shoulders were still hunched over as he suddenly got up and made a big leap of the bleachers. “That’s strange,” Hunter said, “usually he’s not that anti-social.” I nodded, even though I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying. My eyes were still focused on Bradlee, as he made his way around our school building, his figure disappearing completely soon after. If I had to guess, he’s probably making his way towards the parking lot right now. And knowing him, he’s probably going to be skipping the rest of his classes. And for some odd reason as I continued to stare at the spot he’d last been, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed I wouldn’t be seeing him during Study Hall today. I was actually looking forward to seeing him again . . . “Earth to Avery!” Megan’s high-pitched voice rang, as I heard the snap of her fingers near my face. “What?!” She pulled her lips into a thin line at my tone. “I know he’s hot and everything, but seriously, we need to start heading back soon.” Feeling the familiar heat on the back of my neck, I bit my bottom lip at a lost for words. Especially with Hunter staring at me with a weird indescribable look in his eyes. “Please,” I heard Ian’s voice say. “He’s not that hot.” Suddenly, five pairs of eyes all snapped up at once, as we directed our attention at Ian. When he felt our stares, he stopped chewing mid-bite. His head slowly looked up, the smile still placed on his face. “What?” His tone was slightly confused. “I’m just stating the truth.” He shrugged his shoulders as he finished off the last bit of his chicken nuggets. “And before you guys all ask, I’m not gay.” “We weren’t thinking that . . .” Annemarie spoke, her tone suggesting otherwise as I saw Asher’s clearly dimmed eyes at Ian’s choice of words. “It’s okay if you were!” He grinned. “But don’t worry!” He pointed to himself, “I like the ladies’ parts.” “Oh my gosh, you did not just say that!” Annemarie exclaimed, as Megan and Hunter held in their laughter, their faces turning a shade of red. They looked like they were about to burst out laughing. “What?” Ian grinned. “You’re lucky I didn’t say I like boobies.” He gasped a second later, covering his mouth. “Oops, too late.” He winked, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. Once the straps were secured on his shoulder blades, he stood up with his tray in hand. “Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m outta here. Don’t want to be late!” He gave us all a quick wave before he started skipping down the pathway towards the back entrance, all while singing, “I love girls. They’re so pretty. Brown hair, and brown eyes. They’re like angels in disguise.” “Is he always like that?” I asked no one in peculiar, as I continued watching his little dance. “Yup,” they all said in unison. “You have to admit though, that’s a catchy song. It reminds me of you,” Hunter whispered quietly, suddenly a lot closer than I thought he was. “Brown hair, and brown eyes,” he started singing softly, his accent more apparent, “you’re an angel in disguise.” I sucked in a breath of air when I felt a soft blow of air at the crook of my neck. I could literally feel the heat radiating off of him—his cologne engulfing me with it’s strong scent. Hearing a low chuckle, I twisted my neck around to see the smirk plastered on his face. “I’ll see you later Avery.” He winked, walking backward, before twisting around, and jogging towards the direction Ian had went. “Um, Avery . . .” Megan poked me once he was out of earshot. “What was that about?” “I’m not exactly sure . . .” “Seems like Hunter really does have a thing for you.” She giggled. “He actually sung for you!” “You’re totally lucky Avery!” Annemarie chimed in. “Hunter is like totally hot. When I saw him walking over towards us earlier, I almost fainted! Luckily, I stayed cool.” “You know—” I looked at the girls, “looks aren’t everything.” “Well duh.” Megan rolled her eyes at me. “Of course we know that. Hunter’s pretty damn sweet too, you know.” “Yeah, when he wants to be that is,” I couldn’t help but add. “Anyways, let’s hurry back before we’re late for class.” Sliding my bag over my shoulder, I was about to start making my way towards the school when I paused in mid-step. “Oh, by the way Asher.” I cranked my neck around, eyeing Asher who was quietly standing next to his friend. “There’s plenty of fishes left in the sea to catch.” I gave him a wink, seeing his blushing cheeks. Even though Annemarie and Megan’s faces were full of bewilderment, seeing his rosy cheeks, I knew he understood what I’d meant. ***** Soon, classes came and went and before I even knew it, it was already the last period of the day—Study Hall. Even though I was still getting used to this new schedule of mine, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the idea that on ‘A’ days I have gym and on ‘B’ days I have study hall. Like, what’s the point of having A and B days if it’s just one class you’re switching every other day? After getting a pass from my study hall teacher, I made my way towards the library located on the first level. From what I heard from Megan, there was a cool study lounge in the back of the library. She said no one uses it since everyone tends to avoid the library for some odd reason, so when I opened the door, I was surprised to see Hunter sitting alone in one of the many desks they had. Piles of textbooks were spread out in front of him with his notes scattered all over the place. From the looks of it, he was too absorbed in his readings to even notice me stepping inside. “I’m surprised to see you here,” I said quietly. Hunter’s head rose up immediately, his body physically jolting. “Ditto.” His grin widened when he saw it was me. “What brings you here?” “Oh you know,” I started, walking forward. “I didn’t want to stay in a classroom with a weird ass teacher, so I asked for a pass.” He chuckled, his brown eyes crinkling. “Yeah, but you could’ve just gone home. No one stays for study hall anyways.” I shrugged, taking a seat across from Hunter. “Don’t have a car. My mom’s my ride home.” “Really?” His tone was surprised. “That’s a first.” I tilt my head to the side. “What is?” “You not having a car.” “Well, now that I think about it, I guess that’s a little bit weird.” I laughed, knowing that Megan and I were probably the only teenagers on earth that doesn’t want a car. “But I never really had the desire to get my license before.” He raised an eyebrow at that. “You’re eighteen aren’t you?” “Almost.” “Well,” he started off, leaning forward, “if you want, I can offer you a ride back?” “Thanks.” I smiled, even though I heard the flirtatious undertone to his statement, “but aren’t you studying?” He blew out an exasperated breath, slumping in his chair. “More like trying to. Biology is going to be the death of me.” “Oh come on! It’s not that bad.” He snorted. “Yeah, for you.” “Aw come on, don’t be like that!” I said trying to cheer him up, “you have me as your tutor now.” “Oh yeah!” His eyes widened, his demeanor brightening up. “I almost forgot about that.” “You really don’t remember a lot of things do you?” I laughed jokingly. First forgetting about Ian, and now this? He rolled his shoulders. “Can’t exactly help it, I do have selected amnesia.” “What’s that?” “Basically, I lose certain parts of my memory. The doctors says it’s quite rare.” “Wow.” My eyes widened. “First Bradlee and now you,” I started mumbling under my breath. “Huh?” “Nothing!” I said immediately, laughing awkwardly. He scrunched up his face in confusion, probably trying to figure out what I’d said. “So . . . were you born with that or did something happen to you while you were young?” “Um . . .” he started, his dark eyes darting to the side, “something like that.” From the way he was avoiding my eyes, I knew he was hiding something. But I also knew not to push it. Knowing that this was probably a sensitive subject, I decided to change subject for his sake. “Ah, so what topic are you learning in Biology now?” His brown eyes connected with me, looking grateful at the switch of topics. “Genetics.” “Oh! I love punnett squares!” I exclaimed, excitedly. “Are you learning about monohybrid cross or dihybrid cross?” “D-dihybrid what?” “In a dihybrid cross you’re looking at two or more genes,” I started explaining, looking at his face for any signs of confusion. So far there wasn’t any. “For an example, say that you have two heterozygous plants. If each of the heterozygous plant has the genotype RrAa, and you cross both plants, you will get four types of gametes, RA, Ra, rA, and ra. In the end you should get sixteen possible outcomes for their offsprings.” “Sixteen? I thought we were suppose to have only four possible outcome?” “Oops, forget what I just said.” I motioned my hand at him, dismissing my thought. “Looks like you’re just learning about monohybrid cross. I forgot that you only learn dihybrid cross in the college level class.” I cut my eyes at him, pausing. “Don’t you dare go back to that God awful nickname.” He pouted at me, his eyes wide and round. “B-but—” “—No.” “Fine.” He shoulders dropped, disappointed. “So, Avery, shall we get back to those monodihyids?” “Monohybrids,” I corrected, pitching the bridge of my nose. “That’s what I meant.” “Uh huh,” I said as I went back to the problem at him. Once I was done filling out the square I showed Hunter, and he quickly nodded his head. “Avery! You’re so good at these monodihyids thingys!” “Oh my gosh! For the last time, they’re called monohybrids!” “Eh,” he dismissed, “same thing.” Slapping my palm against my forehead, I couldn’t help but let out a loud groan in frustration. What in the world did I get myself into? . . . . . To be continued

intereting....nxt pls

Nxt plzzzzz

Following.. Next!!!

Gosh! What a story.. Interesting is an understatement!!

Finally!!! I am here.... Hunter needs brain surgery... Gosh! He 4gts tinz easily ... Ian is really a clown

ur now a tutor,wonderful,i like ur way

Hmmmm,Hunter is falling 4 u @Avery,dat y he cnt remmber wat u r teaching him

INTERESTING WHAT NEXT?

Hmmm next plz

Interesting!

Nexttt

interesting ride on plz

Chapter fifteen . . . . . . . . . Glancing down at my phone, I looked up to see a gold-plated plate with the last name Le Feuvre engraved on it with a fancy san-serif typeface. Shoving my phone back inside my front pocket, I twisted my body around and gave my cousins the thumbs up. The corners of Demitri’s lips lifted upwards, before his face turned serious. “Now remember Lily, this is your first time in the suspects’ house. Search for clues,” Demitri said, sticking his head out the car’s window. “We’ll be recording everything, so really look around, especially in his room.” I gave out an annoy sigh, pushing my bangs to the side. “I know,” I uttered, for the billionth time today. During the whole ride over to the twin’s house, both Demitri and Skylar had been repeating this fact over and over again. It’s not like I’ll forget something like this in a matter of minutes. I’m not dumb or anything. “Geat!” His smile grew. “Don’t forget about Bradlee’s room as well.” “What if Hunter doesn’t leave?” I asked, voicing my concerns. “It’s not like I can tell him, ‘oh hold on a second. I have to go and investigate your brother’s room now’.” “Then wait until he leaves the room or something,” he answered with a shrug. “He’s going to have to leave at some point for a bathroom break.” “Fine, but you totally owe me for this,” I said, pointing an index finger at him strictly. He held his hands up in defense, leaning back in his seat. “Hey, it’s not my fault you decided to tutor Hunter in Biology this weekend.” “Whatever,” I grumbled, even though he was 100 percent correct. It wasn’t his fault that my brain wasn’t thinking when Hunter asked me to help him study over the weekend for his test on Monday. Then again what was I suppose to say? No? I was his tutor. He gave a soft chuckle, covering his laugh at my childish response. “If you need us, we’ll be down the street. Text us when you’re done.” “Yeah, yeah. I know the drill.” They both nodded their heads, wishing me good luck before Skylar turned on the engine, and did a three point turn. I made sure their car was out of sight before I took a deep breath, and gather up enough courage to rang the doorbell. I only waited a minute or so before the door was thrust open. When he saw that it was me, he was practically beaming in delight. I almost did a double take when I saw him in jeans and a plaid long sleeve shirt since whenever I’d saw him, he was always wearing his school uniform. It was nice to see him in casual clothing for once, and I’ll admit, it looked good on him. “Avery! You made it.” “Of course I did.” I chuckled. “Did you think I’ll ditch you or something?” “Ah, um, ah . . .” he started babbling, probably at a lost for words. Scratching the back of his neck his face started turning pink. “Something like that.” “Well as you can see, I’m here.” I gestured to myself, giving him a wide smile. “I know.” He grinned. “Anyways, come on in! Mi casa es su casa.” I cocked a brow at his choice of words, but nonetheless stepped inside. The first thing that caught my eye was the ceiling. It was a three-dimensional illusionistic ceiling painting. It looked like the house didn’t even have a roof—instead a clear open view of the sky, filled with doves and white fluffy clouds. Making sure to close my mouth at the breathtaking scenery, I faced Hunter, remembering what he had said. “So, you speak spanish?” “Not really.” He rolled his shoulders, as he leaned his back against his medium tone-wallpaper. “That’s pretty much the only phrase I know, beside like hello and thank you.” “I honestly hope your knowledge of Biology is a lot better than your Spanish accent.” “Hey!” he exclaimed, “it’s not my fault I’m half-british!” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “What does that have anything to do with this?” “Everything!” he defended. “Okay half British guy,” I gave in, even though his argument was invalid. “Let’s just go upstairs and study. Don’t you have a test coming up on Monday?” “Do we have to start now?” He started whining, sticking his bottom lip out for emphasis. “Can’t we like, I don’t know make lunch first?” “You do realize it’s like two o’clock in the afternoon right?” “And?” He sounded confused. “And, don’t you think two o’clock is a little bit late for lunch?” I questioned, moving closer towards him. His eyes flickered down towards my legs for a split second before they connected with my eyes again. “It’s never too late to eat! We can have dunch.” “What the hell is dunch?” “You know.” He motioned his hands in between us, “a mix between lunch and dinner.” I rolled my eyes, appalled that he didn't even know the techinical term was actually called linner. “You’re just making excuses.” “Am not! I’m just really hungry!” “Sure you are,” I said, not even bothering to mask the sarcasm in my voice. “But I really am hungry,” he tried again, sounding a bit more truthful. “My parents left for work early this morning, and my brother’s out so I haven’t eaten anything since nine this morning.” “Seriously?” I asked, taken aback. “Why don’t you just go into the kitchen yourself and make something to eat?” “The last time I tried cooking, I nearly burnt the house down. Bradlee told me to never ever cook again.” I couldn’t help but laugh imagining Hunter trying to cooks as he fails miserably. Somehow I wasn’t surprised to hear him say that. “So does that mean he does the cooking around here?” “Mostly. My parents work long hours,” he started off, as I heard a small break in between his voice, before he started clearing his throat. “And um, sometimes, if the business calls for it, they’re gone for weeks.” My eyes dimmed knowing that his parents aren’t around as much as they should be. “So you guys are mostly alone then.” “Well beside my sister—” “Wait a minute, you have a sister?” I asked totally shocked. I thought Ian was the only one with a sister. “Yeah, she’s a pain in the ass,” Hunter complained, but I didn’t miss the clear smile ghosting his lips when he’d mentioned her. “Is she like five or something?” “No, but she acts like one.” He laughed, probably thinking about something she did. “She’s actually seventeen.” “Really? How come I haven’t seen her around school then?” Even though I wasn’t the most observant person around, I should’ve at least seen a girl around them before. But for the past week that I’d known them, the only girls I’d seen around them was their ‘fangirls’ gushing over them. And from the looks of it, I don’t think their sister was like that in any shape or form. “That’s because she’s enrolled in our sister school, Monroe high. Said something about wanting to go to an all gi—” I drowned out the rest of his sentence when realization hit me. The Bryant sisters had been enrolled in Monroe high before they were murdered. Could Hunter had known them through his sister? Knowing that I wouldn’t get the answer I want by just standing here, I started asking the one question that was dying to come out, before I heard the jingling of keys, and the laughter of someone’s else other than Hunter. “—for taking me there. I to—” The voice paused in mid-sentence probably seeing that they weren’t alone. Turning around slowly, I saw Bradlee standing next to the doorframe, while a petite girl stood in front of him holding her school’s uniform. Seeing the similar facial features—blue eyes, dark locks, and sharp nose—I could tell this was the little sister. When her round doe-like eyes met mine, they blinked several times in confusion. But when they saw her brother standing right behind me, the confusion was whipped away. “Seriously Hunter?” Her voice was light and airy. “Haven’t I taught you anything? If you want a girlfriend, you can’t have sex with them on the first date. You’re whoring yourself out, you know.” “We’re not even dating!” he blared, his face as red as a tomato. I couldn’t help but laugh at his clear discomfort. “She’s helping me with Biology.” “Do you really think I’ll believe that?” “Believe it, because it’s true!” Her cat-like eyes went towards me, studying me from head to toe. “Well I guess she’s not exactly like the other bimbos you bring home. She’s pretty. I like the whole scene thing.” “Um, thanks?” “No problem.” She smiled, ignoring Hunter’s words as he tried to defend his friends. “I’m Ailee by the way.” I looked down at her tiny frame, seriously jealous of her beauty and angelic voice. “Avery.” “Avery . . .” she repeated, pausing for a split second. “Why does that name seem so familiar?” “Don’t know.” I rolled my shoulders, keeping my facade up. She couldn’t know it’s me right? I mean no one knows my middle name . . . unless you’re like a die-hard fan or something. “It’s a common name.” “True . . . but it’s your face too. I’m sure I’d seen you somewhere before. I—” she started to say when Bradlee poked her on her left shoulder blade. Even though he started signing stuff to his sister, his electric blue were on me, piercing straight through me. The connection was lost when his sister started signing back, his eyes going back to her. “Oh, then where’s your room?” “This way.” He motioned his hand to follow him. “It’s past Bradlee’s room.” As we made our way down the hall again, my attention was solely on Bradlee’s room. And when we bypassed it, I couldn’t help but look inside, and take a peek. What I saw taped up on his wall made me froze in fear. . . . . . To be continued

hmm. this suspence is killing me.

What is dat o

Wat did u see oo Ah dats y I hate suspence Next plss

Next plsssssss

Hmmmmmmmmmm, pls update fast, don't let us die in suspense here

Chapter Sixteen . . . . . . . . . . “Earth to Avery!” Coming out of my daze state, I looked up to see Hunter staring at me with worried-filled eyes. Blinking quickly, I tried to get the mental image of my face up on Bradlee’s wall out of my head. But no matter how hard I tried it was still there. “Uh, yeah?” I finally managed to say, hoping my voice didn’t break. I didn’t need Hunter figuring out I was really Lily, otherwise this mission could end up in disaster. I just hope Bradlee hasn’t figured it out already. If he has, let’s just say, everything would be over. “What are you doing?” he asked, concern etched in his tone. “You look like you’d seen something you shouldn’t have. ” “Ah, um, that—” “What?” His gaze followed my finger, and when he saw the picture I’d been pointing to, his mouth formed an ‘O’ shape in recognition. “Oh that?” He chuckled. “Bradlee’s totally obsessed with her.” “Obsessed?” “Yeah obsessed.” He nodded. “He’s borderline in love with her.” Hearing Hunter’s words, I didn’t know if I should be flattered, or totally shock that Bradlee was actually in love with me. Even though I have a boyfriend, I couldn't help but blush knowing that information. “In love?” I asked, flabbergasted, playing my role. “Has he even met her before? She could be a bitch in person and he wouldn’t even know it.” “She’s not according to Bradlee. They already met each other when he was younger. If I remember correctly he said something about her being his guardian angel.” “Guardian angel?” I arched a brow at his statement, trying to remember the moment we’d even met. But as I thought about it more and more, nothing was popping up. I was only a child actress up to the age of thirteen, and I vaguely remembered the faces of my fans I’d met when I younger than that. “Yeah, but, I guess it’s fitting for her. I mean look at her,” he said, gesturing his hand towards the movie poster I was in when I was nine-years-old. “She was such a cute kid. But, I do wonder what she looks like now. I bet she’s gorgeous!” I let out a breath of air that I didn’t know I was holding when he uttered those last few words. He doesn’t know. I couldn’t help but smile when he used the word ‘gorgeous’ beside ‘hot’ or ‘sexy’—something I never thought Hunter would actually say. “So, I’m guessing you both don’t know what she looks like now?” I asked, praying to God he’ll say yeah. Even though everyone in town knows who I am, I was hoping that Hunter really hasn't been paying attention to the media lately. “I don’t,” he answered truthfully, already knowing there’s a but coming up. “But,—” Call it. “—I’m not sure about my brother. Like I said he’s obsessed.” “Um . . . when you said obsessed,” I started off, nonchalantly, “do you mean in the adorable kind of way, or the really creepy stalkerish kind of way?” “Ah—” He paused, taking a second to think about it, “—probably the first one. I wouldn’t say he’s a stalker. He’s not that creepy.” He ended his sentence with a loud laugh, as he started making his way to his room, me right behind him. “I sure hope not.” I smiled weakly, knowing that Demitri and Skylar were probably discussing how the clues point straight to Bradlee being the murderer right now. He lowered his head in agreement, stopping right before his door. “So, do you know Lily or something?” he asked out of the blew, totally taking me off guard. Getting over the shock of the question, I took a deep breath before I answered him. “Why do you say that?” “Well,” he began, dipping his head to the side. “It’s not exactly the first thing someone would notice if they didn’t know her, right?” “True,” I mumbled, knowing that I underestimated how smart he really is. “I guess you could say I know her.” “Really?” he inquired even though he didn’t sound surprise at all. “How?” “I’d watched her stuff when I was a kid as well,” I said going with the truth. Whenever a commercial or a movie was finally released that I was in, my family would always make me see it with them. No matter how much I didn’t want to. “Dear God.” He groaned, pitching the bridge of his nose. Shaking his head, he looked at me with pleading eyes. “Please don’t tell Bradlee that. He’ll go on and on about her if he finds out you’re a fan too.” I laughed, but nodded my head. “I’ll make sure to keep that to myself then.” But not for those reasons, I added as an afterthought. There’s no way I’m going to risk myself if he hasn’t put the pieces together yet. For now, I just gotta be careful around him, and make sure to not say or do anything to link myself to Lily—or me rather. “Thank you—” “Hunter!” A scream echoed down the hall, cutting him off. Cranking my neck around, I heard tiny footsteps clicking on the hard-tiled floor. It sounded like she was near the top of the spiral staircase. “Where are you?” Hearing a loud groan behind me, I could tell he was getting frustrated. “Where do you think I am? “I don’t know,” she remarked with an attitude. “That’s why I’m asking.” By the sound of her tone, she was probably rolling her eyes at her brother right about now. “Well, walk down the damn hallway and find out!” Hunter shouted, cupping his hand around his mouth to make his voice louder. “Why are you so mean to me!?” she whimpered, her lips quivering. Squinting my eyes, I saw her holding a china plate in one hand, piled with chips and a burger of some-sort. “I’m your little sister!” “And I’m your brother,” he stated the obvious, already immune to her behavior. “But you’re not nice either.” “That’s because you’re not nice to me!” she stated her point, her footsteps getting louder and louder, as she got more angrier with Hunter. Soon she appeared right in front of us, her deadly glare staring straight at her brother. “That’s because you’re not nice to me!” he mocked. “Would someone that’s mean, make you a sandwich?” she asked, waving the plate in front of his face. He eyed the thing curiously. “What kind of sandwich is that?” “It’s soy.” “Seriously?” Hunter’s dark eyes widened into saucers. He was practically drooling just looking at it. It couldn’t be that good, could it? “You made my favorite?” The corners of her lips lifted up, smiling sweetly. “Of course dear brother of mine.” “Wait a minute,” I cut in between them, astonished, “you’re a vegetarian?” “Both of my brothers are vegetarians actually,” Ailee answered for me, since Hunter was too busy trying to grab his sandwich from his little sister. Even though she was only five feet, she had speed under her belt. “Really?” “Yup!” Hunter decided to stop for a second to answer me, “I don’t think I could imagine biting into something that was once alive. That’s just wrong on so many levels.” “It’s not wrong!” Ailee defended, her pitch higher than normal. “It’s delicious,” she said licking her lips. He fake-gagged, his face twisting up in disgust. “Yeah, to you.” “And a million others, might I add.” “Whatever.” He rolled his eyes, placing his palm out. “Can I please just have my sandwich already?” She laughed, her round eyes sparkling with mischief. “What do you say?” He rolled his eyes, groaning in displeasure. “Please.” “That’s more like it.” She grinned, as she passed the plate towards him. “Enjoy.” “Don’t mind if I do.” He brought the sandwich made out of soy up to his lips, before taking a huge bite out of it, shutting his eyes in pleasure. Hearing a soft moan coming from his mouth, I looked away, almost blushing from the sounds he was making. “Come on Avery,” he said around a mouth-full of food, his words mumbled together. “Let’s start studying before my sister annoys us half to death.” “Um, oka—” “Actually,” she pipped in, stopping us in mid-step. “Avery do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?” Her eyes suddenly glanced up at Hunter, as she tried to make subtle attempts to get him to leave. But, of course being Hunter, he just stood there eating. “Alone?” she stressed out. “Fine, I’ll be in my room.” Twisting his body around, he twisted his doorknob, before entering his room. I was able to catch a view of a pin-up poster of Taylor Swift before the door was shut closed. I couldn’t help but cover a giggle, knowing that Hunter actually enjoyed country music. Looking back at Ailee, I nodded my head even though I couldn’t exactly said, ‘no, I rather not’. I had a feeling she wouldn’t take no as an answer, anyways. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on,” she started, “but please don’t hurt my brothers.” My eyebrows knitted down in confusion. What on earth is this girl going on about? Hurt them? Why would I do that? Before I could even response she continued on talking. “Especially Bradlee. He’s got enough heartache to last him a lifetime.” “Wait, what?” She let out a breath of air, causing a few strands of hair to fall in her eyes. Leaning forward, she pushed her hair out of the way, her eyes cut. “I know you’re not really Avery.” “I don’t know what you’re—” I started to deny quickly, hoping my voice didn’t mask how petrified I really was feeling inside. Somehow her cute little image was destroyed in a second. “Oh yeah?” she interrupted, taking a step closer towards me than she already was. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Her smile widened, “isn’t that right, Lily?” . . . . . To be continued.

Dis suspense is killing me, killing me softly

Next plz, dis suspence is killing me oh!

Are you serious.. Dis girl nah witch?? Next biko!!

no b only witch na aje how she come knw am........pls update d next quik

D suspense z rilli tiring..... Nxt

next plzzzzzzz dis suspense is toooo much

Chapter Seventeen . . . . . . . . . . “H-how—” “—did I know?” The smile on her face got even wider as she spoke, almost like she was enjoying the power she had over me. I was only able to nod, unable to speak. “Lily’s last name is Ace, isn’t it?” I nodded again, praying to God my cousins would do something—anything and come save me. But in the back of my mind, I knew that that wasn’t going to happen. It would look too suspicious if two guys barged in out of no where. She shrugged, rolling her shoulders upwards. “Everyone knows the Ace’s family in this town. You’ll have to be an idiot not to know them.” She laughed, her voice—soft and angelic. “Plus, I’d seen you with your siblings before. Even though that was a few years ago—” “—then how?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Your bone structure,” she pointed out. “Even though you changed your outer appearance, you didn’t exactly change your face with plastic surgery. It took me awhile, but then it finally hit me,” she said, ecstatically. “No wonder why you looked so familiar when I first saw you.” I was tongue-tied. This girl—she’s deadly smart. I’d thought my disguise was foolproof! How the hell was I suppose to know that my damn bone structure looked the same as it did years back? “—I-I um, I—” I tried to say, but ended up stuttering, beyond petrified to come up with a full coherent sentence. “Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed, blowing out an exasperated breath. Running her fingers through her midnight-colored hair, her baby blue eyes stared up at me. “Please stop staring at me with that frightened look on your face. It makes me feel so uneasy!” She shivered, shaking her body like a ghost had went through her. “I’m not even going to tell anyone anyways, so rest assured.” I blinked, feeling my eyelashes fluttered closed. “Wait—huh?” She giggled, seeing the baffled look probably on my face. “Like I said, I’m not exactly sure why you’re doing this, but as long as you're not doing it for the wrong reasons, who am I to tell you what to do?” My eyes widened further, almost bulging out of my sockets. Feeling my pounding heart-rate slowing down, the moisture started coming back to my tongue, as the wet feeling started evaporating from my sweaty palms. “S-seriously?” I dared asked. “Lily, I’m being a serious here.” She gave me a genuine smile, as she said my name. “But don’t forget—” Her eyes cut, “—don’t hurt my brothers. If you do, I will hurt you ten folds.” Seeing the threatening glare on her face, I knew she wasn’t joking. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing that she really cares about her siblings. Something I could relate to, since I would do anything for my brother John and my sister Isabella. “You seem to really love them.” “I do.” She grinned, as I saw the pure spark of happiness in her light eyes. “Hunter may be a jerk sometimes, but he’s still my older brother, you know? And I know he loves me. He just shows it in an unique kind of way. And Bradlee. He’s my rock,” she confessed, as I saw the love in her eyes mixed with a hint of sorrow. “I just wish more people would stop treating him like some gross plague when they figure out he has a hearing loss.” “What do you mean?” “Remember when I told you, he already has a lifetime of heartache?” “Yeah?” “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” she started out saying, looking conflicted, “but let’s just say someone he used to really cared about treated him like dirt when he finally decided to tell that person about his hearing loss.” “What?” My voice rose up an octave, my fury consuming me with rage. “What the fuck is wrong with them!?” She chuckled, probably at my reaction. “A lot of things. But don’t worry about it,” she said a moment after. “It’s all in the past. Just don’t disappoint him.” “Disap—” “Don’t worry,” she cut me off, laughing quietly. Something tells me she knows something she shouldn’t have. “You’ll find out sooner or later,” she said before she turned her body around, and started walking down the hallway, her high heels, clicking away before they stopped all together. Hearing the creak of a door opening, and then a slam right afterwards, I knew she wasn’t coming back. I stayed there, just staring at the white-coated walls filled with Art Nouveau paintings before I finally decided to move, her words still clearly in my head. But when I’d walked inside Hunter’s room, my jaw literally dropped to the floor at all the Taylor Swift posters in his room. I was only able to catch a glance at the giant one right above his bed-frame, but now that I was actually standing in his room, the whole wall adjacent to his bed, was full of Taylor Swift stuff. And then on the other side of the wall, holds his trophies and awards he had won. Seeing his jersey’s number on the wall, I figured they were all from basketball games. “So what did my sister want to talk to you about?” he asked nonchalantly, laying on his bed. It looked like he was reading a magazine of some sort, but there wasn’t any noticeable pictures, so I wasn’t quite sure. “Oh nothing much.” I shrugged. “Just girl stuff.” “Right,” he drawled out, nodding his head. His eyes then went to the glass window to his left. Motioning his hand towards the black leathered couch underneath that window, the smile on his face widened. “Why don’t you take a seat instead of just standing there? Make yourself comfortable.” “Don’t mind if I do.” I laughed, heading over to his couch, and took a seat right across from him. Getting up from his laying-down position, he sat-crossed legged on his mix-matched sheets. “You know, you’re the first girl to ever see the inside of my room, besides my family of course.” “Really now?” I asked, skeptical. “Didn’t Ailee said something about you banging your female friends and whoring yourself out earlier?” “Oh that.” He waved a hand at me. “She’s joking. I honestly never even had sex before.” “You’re a virgin?” I asked, astonished. He chuckled—loud and throaty. “Is that so hard to imagine?” “Kind of,” I told him truthfully. “I didn’t exactly peg you as the virgin type.” “Yeah, well you’re not the only one. Everyone just thinks I’m some stupid jock—” He paused, clenching his hands in tight fists, “—who’s willing to bang anyone with a pair of legs, and a set of breasts. You’re actually the first person who I’d met who didn’t coward away from me when I’d leashed out on you,” he said, guilt flashing his eyes. “That’s why I like you, you’re different from all the other girls at Woodway.” “Um . . .” I began not knowing what to say to that. In the end, I finally managed to get out a, “thank you.” “No, thank you for being you, Avery.” He smiled wide. “And between you and me, I had this fantasy since I was fourteen that once the right girl comes along, I’ll swept her off her feet with my charismatic charm. We’ll date, fall in love, get married, and during our honeymoon, I’ll surprise her with a gorgeous hotel room, with some rose petals, lit candles, and her favorite chocolate. Then when she’s ready, I’ll do my best and make sure she knows how much I truly love her. I’ll—” Drowning the rest of his sentence out, I couldn’t help but think. He sounded so sincere, so thoughtful, that I knew this was something special to him. Something he would never give up, even if you held a gun to his head. He truly wants to save himself for the one girl he will forever love in this world. And if that was the case, there’s no way he’ll go around raping those innocent girls, and then killing them afterwards. “—Avery?” Seeing a flash of his hand, I came back to reality, trying to recall what he had just said. “Ah, yeah?” “You were making a weird face,” he said, his voice etched with concern. “What were you even thinking about?” “Oh nothing much.” I giggled—a nervous habit of mine. “I was just thinking about—how much we’re gonna have to study in order to prepare you for your test on Monday.” “Hey!” he shouted, his full body leaning forward. “At least I know how to pronounce monohybrids now!” I rolled my eyes, laughing. “Yeah after like a billion tries.” “So?” He tilt his head to the side. “At least I finally got it, right?” “It’s still pretty bad though . . . I mean, if it took you that long to actually know how to pronounce the word monohybrids, just think how long it would take you to get a good grasp of Genetics.” “Then start quizzing me and find out!” “Fine, do you have the review sheet Mr. Meyer gave you?” I asked, hopefully. If he didn’t and forgot it in his locker for the second time, I’ll just have to quiz him from memory and what I’d remembered learning when I took Biology. “Yup!” He nodded, smiling ear-to-ear. I couldn’t help but smile along; his happiness was contagious. “Hold on, it’s in my bookbag,” he said before leaping off his bed, and ran towards his closet, where he had his bookbag thrown in the corner. For someone who’s rich, the boy didn’t have a huge closet. But then again, half of his clothes were in piles, scattered all over his floors. When he came back, he handled me the review sheet. Scanning it quickly, I decided to start off with the easiest questions first. “Okay.” I glanced up at him. “Who was Gregor Mendel?” “He was a scientist!” he shouted instantly. Trying to not slap myself on the forehead, I lowered my head slowly. “Yes, but what did he do?” “Discovered genetics?” he guessed, sounding unsure of himself. “Kind of. He gave us the basis for understanding genetic inheritance in all living things. So, without him we wouldn’t know how genes were passed down from parents to offspring,” I explained, trying to simplified it as much as possible. “Got it.” He gave a thumbs up. “Next question please.” “Alright. This is an easy question. What’s an allele?” I eyed him, as I watched his face twisting up in confusion seconds after I’d asked the question. “I thought you said this was an easy question!?” “This is an easy question.” “To you!” he blared, almost whining. “I don’t know the exact definition for an allele.” “Then just tell me what you know about it.” It took him a while, but after staring out the window for at least five minutes, he said, “they’re found on a chromosome.” “Well, at least you’re correct about that.” I gave him a cheerful smile. “But, an allele is one of two or more alternate forms of a gene.” “Wait!” he shouted, looking like he just made a breakthrough in something. “So pretty much the alleles are the letters. Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place? I would’ve gotten that.” “Right . . .” I drifted off, my tone sarcastic. “Anyways,” I started changing the subject when it looked like he was about to say something back, “let’s just jump right into the next question. What’s a phenotype?” His eyes widened—his hand automatically going up, like it would in a classroom setting. “Oh! I know this one!” “Great! What is it?” “It’s the physical appearance right?” “No actually it’s the—wait a minute.” I halted in mid-sentence. “Did you just say physical appearance?” “Yeah, I thought I had it right until you started—” “—no you’re correct,” I interrupted quickly before he went any further with his sentence. “Sorry, I thought you said the wrong answer for a second there.” “Avery, you've got to believe in me more! I do know some stuff especially since we’d been studying for the past few days.” “I know. I was there.” I thought back to the times where I’d literally wanted to pound my head into my desk at the questions he’d gotten wrong on. “Alright.” I glanced at the paper once more, picking his third question. Once I had the question in my head, I looked up, seeing his eager face. “This question requires you to think a bit.” Hearing a sigh coming from him, I began laughing. Once I stopped, I continued on with the question. “If both parents are homozygous, one yellow, and one green, what are the offspring’s phenotypes if yellow is the dominant trait?” “Um, hold on, let me think about this.” Tapping his fingers on his bed, he started biting his lip, something I’d noticed he did often when he’s thinking about something hard. “Homozygous means they have the same alleles right?” I nodded, urging him forward. “Okay,” he said, clapping his hands together, “so if one parent is yellow and one is green, their offsprings would be yellow, wouldn’t they?” “You’re—” I paused for dramatic effect, “—correct!” “Really?” His eyes bugged out, his face completely and utterly jubilant. “Yes! Take that! I’m not some dumb jock!” “No, no you’re not,” I agreed wholeheartedly. “But in order to actually get an A on this test, we need to study more. So, let’s get to the next question, shall we?” “Can’t we take a break?” he suddenly asked, his earlier emotion gone. “We’d been studying for so long!” I blinked. “Hunter.” “Ah . . . Yeah?” “It’s only been fifteen minutes since we started studying.” “Exactly! That’s a lot longer than I’d studied on all of my other exams. So I deserve a break.” He crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly. “You deserve nothing,” I bit back. “No wonder why you weren’t passing. You can get your break after we study for two hours.” “Two hours!?” he shouted, almost falling off the edge of his bed. “What? B-but that’s too long!” he wailed, complaining like a small child in a toy’s store. I ignored his plead. “Trust me, it’ll pay off in the end.” “Fine,” he concluded afterward, his shoulders still hunched forward. “But then I get my break right?” “Yes Hunter.” “Alright.” He sighed. “Just give me the next question then,” he said suddenly sounding determined. I smiled, getting to work. For the next two hours, Hunter and I studied Genetics diligently, with him every so often complaining about how bored he was, or how much he hated Genetics. I remember when we were near the one hour mark, he basically started whining like a little kid, screaming about how much he hated his life, and then he started cursing the person who ever invented exams. After his little episode was over, we went back to studying for another hour, before he closed his books, and exclaimed, “break time!” But his happy facade was ruin when I told him he only had ten minutes before we had to pick up where we’d left off. “What!? Why?” “Because it’s already five o’clock, and I need to be home by six for dinner, so we have to finish reviewing the notes before my cousins comes back to pick me up.” “Why can’t you just stay for dinner then?” he offered me. “Then we can study right after we finish.” “I don’t know—” “Oh come on!” he cut me off. “This way, I get my break, you get to eat dinner, and we can study longer now. It’s a win-win situation.” “Yeah but—” “—Come on Avery!” he started begging, getting down on his knees. “Stay for dinner. Bradlee’s cooking tonight and he makes delicious dishes,” he said, bribing me. I bit my lips. “I’m not really sure—” “If you’re worried about meeting my parents or something, they won’t be back until way later. So it’ll just be the four of us.” “Alright fine,” I said after going over the pros and cons. In the ned the pros won. Hunter was right. It was a win-win situation. Before he could get too excited over it, I added afterwards, “but only if you’re using dinner as your break. Because we need to start studying by six.” “Deal! I’ll text Bradlee to start making dinner and then we can head downstairs!” I lowered my head in a nod, as I watched him fish out his phone from his back pocket, tapping in his password before he probably went to his message icon to text his brother. Even though I was in front of Hunter, all I could think about was being face to face with Bradlee in a couple of minutes, not having a clue if he knows my true identity or not. . . . . . To be continued

Dis is unbelieveable soo their sis recognised u in jst a day hmmmm I jst hp bradlee hasn't recognised u also but jst pretendin Next plss

I swear.. Dx qirl chop winch... Just in a day of meetinq her she told evrytnq abt u...

Hmmmm.....

Interesting bit by bit

Following

Ure secreat hv been blown up @Avery,hope allie ll keep it as a secreat

can i say hunter is out of d suspect list except his lying abt his V status. Am guessing bradlee is suspecting Avery to be lily... Nice one

Hmmmm............

Wow... Dis story is superb! Allie is really smart.... Could a gal be d killer? Nah she cnt rape na.... But she is really smart 2 av decode Avery's identity just like dat.... Drop d next epic pls...

hmmm allelie is too smart for her to recognise avery so quickly am suspecting bradlee he mayb pretending dat she ddnt recognize avery

It's getting twisted oo, who is now the killer? Hunter doesnt look like one likewise Bradlee but what about Ian. Well next episode pls

Wait o...if Hunter sister allie iz 18 yrs, Hunter should be at least 20yrs...ad hiz stil a virgin??? Somtin u can never find in Nigeria Pls continue...

Wow wow wow...finally m here....Hunter doesnt luk lyk a killer, ha wonda who d killer iz

Nyc one,continue plss

Am here

Nice story...maybe Ian could be the one doing all these things

Too much guess wrk.... @Donwalter save us 4rm guessing nd give us more episodes

Chapter Eighteen . . . . . . . . . . . . It felt like an eternity before Bradlee finally texted back—but in reality it probably took less than five minutes. The corners of Hunter’s lips curved upwards before he lowered his head in a nod, letting me know that Bradlee had said yes. Stuffing his phone back inside his pockets, he lifted his body from his bed, and ran over towards me. “Come on!” he exclaimed, grabbing my wrist. “Let’s go downstairs and watch him work his magic.” I let out a small laugh, letting him lead the way. “Is he really that good of a cook?” Twisting the doorknob opened, he tilted in head in thought before he answered me. “Seeing that he’s the only member of the family that really knows how to cook, yes—” He paused for a nanosecond,—“yes he is.” “What about your sister?” I inquired, confused. “She made you that sandwich earlier today.” He rolled his eyes, letting out a snort. “Please. You don’t need cooking skills to put something in a microwave.” “Ah.” I nodded in understanding, almost laughing at that. “How did your brother learn how to cook if no one in your family does?” He paused in his step, stopping before the stairs. “Our grandmother taught him before she passed away,” he said, whispering the last part under his breath. Hearing him nearing choking on his words, I felt like an ass for even bringing that up. Way to go, Lily. “I-I’m sorry,” I said quickly, “I shouldn’t h—” “Don’t worry about it,” he cut in, the smile back on his face—even though it was forced. “You didn’t know.” “Still. I’m sorry,” I apologized once more, feeling like shit. Glancing at him in the corner of my eyes, I saw the clear anguish in his. Shifting my eyes back down at my fingers, I bit my lips, chewing on them nervously. “So, um . . . what’s for dinner?” Hearing his quiet sigh, I knew he was glad I’d changed the subject. “He’s probably going to make spaghetti since you’re here.” “What do you mean since I’m here?” “It’s a non-vegetarian and a vegetarian dish,” he started to explain to me, talking with his hands. Before I had the chance to reply, he added in afterwards, “Well, unless you add in the meatballs which Bradlee won’t be touching.” I arched my brow. “Why?” “He loves animals so much that he won’t even touch meat,” he said, his eyes proud—probably at his brother. “What about you?” I couldn’t help but ask. “I’m fine with it.” He rolled his shoulders nonchalantly, “but I’ll literally cry if I consume meat.” My eyes widened. “Seriously?” “Yeah.” He laughed, covering his mouth. “One time my mom didn’t realize she gave me the wrong dish, and luckily I noticed it before I ate it, but I started crying immediately afterwards.” “Oh wow,” I whispered quite speechless. “Your mom must’ve felt bad.” “She did.” He nodded, as he leaned back against the railing. “She kept apologizing over and over again, no matter how much I told her to stop. Then she bought me backstage tickets to Taylor Swift.” I barked out a laugh—throwing my head back. “You must really love her, don’t you?” “I love country music in general,” he answered me truthfully, as he gave me a smile. “But she’s the only pop star I really like.” “You know, I never actually pegged you as a country guy.” Looking up at his spike up hair, dark eyes, and his leather jacket—country was the furthest thing on my mind when I thought about him. “Oh yeah?” He chuckled, crossing his arms across his chest causing the muscles underneath his jacket to flex. “What kind of guy did you peg me for?” “To be honest. A dick.” “Hey!” he shouted, his mouth wide open in shock. “I thought we were talking about music choices here, not me!” “We were.” I grinned, as I started heading down the stairs. “But you didn’t let me finish my sentence.” “Well go on then,” he said, as I heard his heavy footsteps pounding on the stairs as he tried running after me. I waited for him to catch up before continuing. “At first, I hated you—” Seeing his eyes dimming, I hurried on with my sentence, —“But then you turned out to be a decent guy that likes country music, not rap—something I thought you'd like.” “Oh please.” He laughed, waving his hand at me. “Rap is so overrated,” he stressed out to me, before the distress was back in his eyes. “I’m really sorry,” he began probably referring to the day we first had met. “I mean I know I can be a jerk at times, but it’s not my fault I tell it like it is.” “I know, I heard—” The end of my sentence was drowned out by Ailee’s voice laughing loudly. When she saw us, her laughter stopped, causing Bradlee to pause. When he looked up, his eyes immediately went to mine. I sucked in a gulp of air, seeing the intense look in his eyes. “Wow Hunter,” she spoke, walking in between Bradlee and us, breaking our eye contact. “You’re actually downstairs.” “What do you mean? I’d been downstairs before.” “Not before dinner,” she asserted, “you’re always upstairs and I’m usually the one that has to drag your ass downstairs.” “It’s not my fault I have things to do whenever dinner’s ready,” he bit back. “Yeah?” She cocked a brow at him. “Like what?” Drowning the rest of their bickering out, my eyes focused back on Bradlee. I couldn’t help but smile seeing the love and care he had as he watched his two siblings. He must really love him. Just as I was about to look away, his eyes locked back on mine, zeroing in on me. Shit, not that look again. Even though I knew I shouldn't, I couldn’t help but stare into them. They were so light—so blue that it almost hurt looking at them. Suddenly feeling Hunter's dark chocolate brown eyes gazing at us, I turned my head to look at him. I blinked, shaking my head. “W-what?” “Nothing.” He shrugged, passing it off like it was no big deal. But I didn’t miss the bleakness in his eyes. “I was just waiting for Bradlee to answer me.” Bradlee drifted his gaze over towards his twin before he started signing with his hands. Instead of speaking, Hunter signed back as well, his fingers moving in rapid speed. Bradlee just nodded in response, before he headed towards the dining area. “What did you say to him?” I asked when Bradlee was out of earshot. “Nothing much.” He ruffled his hair before stuffing his hands inside his pocket. “Just that I’m hungry.” “Boys.” Ailee rolled her eyes, making a tsking sound with her tongue. “I just made you a sandwich two hours ago, and you’re already that hungry?” “Hey!” Hunter cried, turning his body towards her. “I’m a growing teenager! I need my daily intake of protein.” “Yeah yeah.” She waved her hand back and forth at him. “Just don’t get fat.” He bit his lip, laughing. “Like I would. Have you seen my body?” Her face immediately scrunched up in disgust. “Why the hell would I want to do that? “Because it’s sexy.” He smirked, sticking his tongue out at her. “Duh.” “Oh my gosh.” Her eyes bugged out. “You did not just say that! I’m so leaving!” she exclaimed, her long ponytail almost hitting Hunter in the face as she twisted around. “Avery, you can deal with this egoistic brother of mine. Good luck,” she said, before she ran towards the direction Bradlee had gone just moments before. “Hey!” he shouted at her, “I am not egoistic!” “Whatever!” she yelled back, before she disappeared from our sights. I let out a laugh, watching the two. They reminded me of another set of twins I’d known growing up; Jeyleen and Danny. They were my older brother’s best friends during college, and from what I could remember, they faught all the time. “You guys totally fight like an old married couple.” “Ew!” Hunter wailed, covering his ears like I’d just said some dirty secret. “Please don’t say that ever again.” “Don’t worry, I won’t.” I giggled, glancing behind him. Seeing their cozy living area, I pointed behind Hunter. “Want to study there while we wait?” He shook his head quickly. “Let’s watch TV instead.” “But—” “—you promise that dinner is my break, so break time,” Hunter jumped in before I could even finish my sentence. “Fine.” I sighed knowing that he was right. I did promise him that. “What do you want to watch?” I asked, as I followed him, bypassing all the white expensive furniture, including the rug that looked brand new. “Not sure.” He sighed, flopping down onto the couch. Stretching his arms out, he patted the seat next to him. “I don’t really watch TV.” “Then why—” “—To keep me from being bored.” “Ugh, typical.” I rolled my eyes at him, but sat down nonetheless. “Let’s just flip through the channels and see what’s on then.” He grinned before turning his attention towards the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. “Works for me.” Getting comfortable, I saw Hunter picking up the remote, and before I knew it, he was flipping throughthe channels in lightning speed before stopping at some random crime show. It looked like it was almost half way over, but seeing the look on his face, it didn’t look like he cared that he'd missed the beginning half of the show. Another ten minutes passed by, before the show was suddenly cut off. “What the hell!?” Hunter jumped forward in his seat. “It was just getting to the good part!” Before he could complain more, a lady standing before an abandoned building started speaking, “We interrupt this broadcast for an important news update. As you know the bodies of Allie and Alyce Bryant was found dead this past Friday in the city of Woodway, in upstate New York. The DA has reported six other girls killed in the same exact way in the past four months prior to the Bryant girls. The first two was located in Maine, the next two was located in New Hampshire, and then Vermont, followed by New York. We believe the serial killer will be targeting two girls in Pennsylvania area. If you’re girl whose name begins with the letter A, with the birthday June 18, and you were born around the time 11:35 PM, please be careful. All eight victims had these things in common. I repeat if you’re a girl—” “Avery!” Hunter shouted frantically, grabbing my shoulders. I froze seeing the clear panic in his eyes. “Please tell me your birthday isn’t June 18!” “Um—” I blinked, “—my birthday isn’t June 18.” “Oh thank God!” He let out a breath of air, clutching onto his chest which looked like it was beating a mile a minute. “For a second there, I thought you would be in trouble since your name started with the letter A.” “Don’t worry.” I laughed, as I watched his movements closely. “Even if my birthday was, we’re not in Pennsylvania.” “You never know!” he shouted, as I saw the worry in his eyes. “The killer might change his plans and kill two more victims in New York instead.” “I know,” I muttered. “I just hope the authorities catch him soon.” “So do I,” he agreed quickly. “Whoever he or she is killed Allie And Alyce.” My head shot up hearing the sheer anger in his voice. “Did you know them?” “My sister knew them,” he replied back with. “I wasn’t really close with them personally, but I’d seen them around. From what I heard they were super nice. They didn’t deserve to die like that.” He ended his sentence in a whisper, as his shoulder slumped. “Was your sister close with them?” “I’m not sure, but for the past few night I overheard my sister crying in her room.” He clutched his hands in tight fists at the mention of his sister crying. He really does care for her. “I-I just wish I could do something, you know?” “Me too. Whoever—” “Hunter!” Ailee’s voice shouted down the hallway. My head turned towards the direction her voice was coming from, seeing her head peaking out from the dining area. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes, so get your butt in here and help set the table!” “Alright already!” he shouted back at her. When she left, he faced me. “Before we go, please don’t mention any of this to Ailee. I don’t need her breaking down during dinner.” “I won’t,” I promised him as I got up. “Thanks.” He smiled down at me. “Now let’s go before she starts screaming at me again.” I laughed, nodding. Following right behind him, we reached the dining table just as Ailee was walking out of the kitchen. In her hands held a big bowl of salad, with a wooden spoon placed right smack in the middle. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Ailee spoke, motioning her hands at the empty table. “Help me set the table.” Hunter rolled his eyes at her. “Stop being pushy woman.” “I wouldn’t have to be if you’ll start moving,” she retorted, jabbing him in the shoulder. “I will,” he uttered, bypassing her. “Ah . . . ” I began getting his attention. “What do you want me to do?” I asked before Hunter disappeared. He turned around, giving me a wide smile. “You’re my guest Avery. So you just sit, and wait.” I bit my lip. “Are you sure?” His smile brightened. “Of course.” “Are you sure—” “I’m sure.” He chuckled. “Now stay here and I’ll be right back with the dishes.” I lowered my head in a nod, watching him leave. “You know,” Ailee started off, once she knew he wouldn't hear her. “I’m surprised Hunter’s doing all of this.” “What do you mean?” I asked confused. “Doesn’t he do this all the time?” “Him?” Her voice went up an octave, as she started laughing. “Right. I think he’s just trying to impress you.” Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, Hunter came rushing back with four plates in his hand; the top plate holding the silverware. Going around the table, he neatly placed two plates on each side, leaving a decent space in between each set, before grabbing the silverware and placing them accordingly next to each china plate. “Bradlee will be out soon with the main course,” he announced, looking at both of us after he was done setting the table. “Good!” Ailee shouted happily, placing the bowl of salad in the middle of the table. “I’m starving.” He barked a laugh. “Look who’s hungry now.” “Unlike you.” Her eyes glared. “I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning. So shut up.” His eyes cut into slits at her. “Don’t tell me to shut up.” “I’ll say what I want to—” I was just about to break up their little argument before Bradee came forward carrying a bowl of spaghetti. He shook his head at his siblings—probably already used to it—before he came around me, placing the food next to the salad Ailee had set down earlier. I licked my lips hungrily, smelling the delicious aroma of tomato sauce and whatever he’d mixed in with the sauce. Whatever it was, I couldn’t wait to eat it. Grabbing the seat nearest to me, I saw Hunter moving for the seat next to me, before Bradlee took the seat instead. He paused in his steps, biting his lip. It looked like he was about to say something but in the last second he debated against it, and took the seat across from me, leaving Ailee in the chair next to him. “Let’s dig in!” Ailee cheered excitedly. “Let’s—” I started to say, when Crystals started playing loudly. All three of their heads turned to look at me, eyeing me. “Um, I’m sorry,” I said, feeling embarrassed. “I forgot to put it on vibrate.” “It’s fine.” Hunter smiled. “Go ahead and answer it.” I lowered my head gratefully at him before pulling my phone out. Glancing down at my screen, I saw Dennis name flashing against my wallpaper. The corners of my lips immediately widened seeing his name. Finally! “Dennis, hey—” “—oh God!” he shouted, as I heard heavy breathing on the other end. My eyebrows knitted down in confusion. What the hell is going on? “Dennis?” I repeated his name. “Hello?” “—T-that’s it baby. M-mor—” My eyes widened when I realized what was going on—h-he’s cheating. . . . . . To be continued

Oooppsssss!!!!!!

Nxt........ Update alwayz @somhkid.......

@Precy dis is nt somkhid's wrk.... Its Donwalter's.... Cnt u see d name of d person posting d story?

their sis is a suspect

Chapter Nineteen . . . . . . . . . . . Hearing nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat, everything went black before the phone slipped from my hands, and crashed onto the floor with a loud bang. Three sets of eyes looked at me, one with concern, one with curiosity, and one with anger. Feeling someone’s heated gaze darting bullets at me, I glanced down nervously, seeing my phone laying safely next to my feet. Before I realized what was happening, Dennis’ voice filled the air. “A-h-h why-y are you so good at t-th-his?” he moaned softly, his breath uneven. I bit my lips, blinking back the tears. I couldn’t cry—I can’t cry. Not in front of them and not in front of my cousins, either. Even though they weren’t here physically, they could still hear and see everything. “Practice makes perfect,” a raspy voice answered back. My eyes widened when I suddenly recognized the voice. It was the same deep chuckle I’d heard last time—his roommate. I blinked, realizing that Dennis, my boyfriend was gay and he was fucking his damn roommate. My dark orbs cut, as I narrowed my eyes at my phone—forgetting my earlier feelings—as I imagined his slow, and painful death. Ignoring everyone around me, and their confused faces, I bent down and snatched my phone off the ground, hitting the end button. Redialing his number, I placed it back near my ear, ready to give him a piece of my mind. I tapped my fingers on the white-clothed table, waiting impatiently for him to pick up. When he finally did, he had the nerve to pretend everything was okay in the world when it wasn’t. “Hey babe!” he shouted, as I heard rumbling noises in the background. Rolling my eyes at his fake cheery voice, I pushed back my emotions, and placed a smile on my face. “Hi Dennis,” I said through clenched teeth. “What’s up?” “Oh nothing much,” he said totally oblivious to the fact that he just butt-dialed me. “Just doing some homework.” Lies. “Is your roommate around?” I asked, getting straight to the point. “Ah, yeah . . .” He paused—a clear sign he’s thinking—“Why?” “Can I please talk to him?” I probed as nicely as I could. Dennis was smart, and I couldn’t let him figure out my plan before I even get there; I had to play it cool. “Um, alright,” he said, probably confused as hell, but did as I said. I waited a second or so, before another voice came through the speaker. “Hello?” the bastard said as he cleared his throat. “Who’s this?” “I’m your roommate, ex girlfriend. Please tell Dennis he can go fuck himself. Better yet, you guys can continue doing whatever the hell you’re doing, because I am so done,” I said all in one breath. Before the bastard could say anything back, I added, “Oh and by the way tell Dennis not to leave his phone in his back pocket anymore. You never know who it’s going to call.” Hitting the end button, I turned off my phone, slamming the phone on the table, before letting out a loud frustrated sigh. “Um . . . what was that?” Hunter was the first to ask, breaking the silence in the air. Snapping my head up at him, I saw Ailee slapping Hunter upside the head, causing Hunter to cry out in pain. Before Hunter could direct his rage at his sister, I opened my mouth and told them the truth. “My boyfriend cheated,” I said simply. “You have a boyfriend!?” Hunter exclaimed, leaning forward in shock. Feeling the table shake, I held my glass, not wanting it to spill. “Had,” I stressed out to him. “I just broke up with him.” “We heard,” Ailee jumped in, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Are you okay?” I forced a grin on my face. “Just peachy.” “I’m sorry,” she apologized even though she shouldn’t be. It wasn’t her fault Dennis decided to cheat on me, confirming all the rumors I’d been hearing surrounding him. Well, beside the fact that it was with a guy instead of a girl like I thought it would’ve been. “If you want to talk about it—” “I don’t,” I cut in. I chewed on my bottom lip, automatically feeling guilty for snapping at her like that. I gave her an apologetic smile—which she accepted—before I turned to Hunter. “Listen, I feel bad for doing this but could we please cut our study session short today?” “Sure.” He nodded rapidly, probably hearing the desperate tone in my voice. “Whatever you want! We studied a lot anyways.” “Thanks,” I said, giving him a genuine smile, even though I felt nothing but deep sorrow and despair inside. Sliding my chair outwards, I grabbed my phone off the table, before getting up. I was about to push in my seat before Hunter stopped me. “Wait.” He held my wrist from across the table. “You’re leaving now?” I nodded. “Yeah, I need to go home.” “But you didn’t even eat dinner yet!” he said ushering to all the food Bradlee had cooked for us. I shrugged, ignoring the soft grumbling in my stomach. Food could wait. “Not hungry anymore.” “Are you sure?” he tried once more. “Bradlee’s food is really good.” “I’m sure it is,” I said, as I gently took his hand off of mine, “but I just want to go home. I’ll just grab something on my way there. I’ll see you guys.” “Avery—” “Bye Hunter.” I faked a smile, as I felt a sudden rush of emotions just wanting to get out. “It was nice meeting you Ailee,” I told her, before sucking up the courage to face Bradlee. Seeing that Hunter wasn’t screaming out that I was Lily, I’d figured out that Bradlee didn’t know either. That, or he’s just not saying anything. “Thanks for cooking dinner. Sorry for the trouble.” His blue eyes suddenly snapped up at me, still blazing with clear rage. Staring at him dead on, I could tell he wanted to say something. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water for a few seconds before he shook his head silently, and motioned his hand towards the door. Hearing his quiet sigh, I knew he was disappointed, but I didn’t know why. Why was he angry? Why was he like this? Why is he so confusing to read? Letting out a sigh of my own, I gave Hunter and Ailee a final wave goodbye, letting Hunter know I’ll study with him one last time before the exam. Bypassing Bradlee, I picked up my speed, and ran out of the dining room as fast as I possibly could. Feeling the hot liquid spilling down my cheeks, I wiped them away, angrily. Even though I didn’t want to break down and cry, my heart was saying otherwise. When I’d reached the front door, I was a crying mess. Stepping out into the cold winter night, I felt a gush a wind blowing my hair towards my left. Ignoring the fact that my hair was probably in a disarray, I finally let the tears fall freely. Feeling my chest raise up and down from my inhuman cries, I saw the shadow of another figure behind me. Thinking that it must be my cousins coming to get me, I hurried and hid my face, not wanting them to see it. “Sorry, just let me—” Before I could even finish my sentence, a pair of strong arms engulfed me from behind. Feeling the weight of another person’s head on my shoulder, I cranked my head around to see none other than Bradlee. I gasped, suddenly backing away. When we were at least a few feet away, I nervously glanced up to see a mixture of heartache and displeasure in his light blue eyes. His eyes glanced up from the ground, moving slowly up my body before they landed on my cheeks. Lifting his arm, he started heading towards me, causing me to slowly take one step back every time he took one step forward. Before I knew it, my back touched the hard, bumpy surface behind me. Darting my eyes to my left and right, I was about to make a dash for it, before Bradlee trapped me. He was literally nose to nose to me, his arms on either side of my head, while his legs blocked mine from moving anywhere. Looking up under my bangs, I saw his deep penetrating gaze looking straight at me. I stayed dead quiet, as I watched him raise his arm again. Shutting my eyes, I waited, my breathing faster than normal, before I felt his cool thumb, gently making contact with my cheeks. Blinking my eyes opened, I realized he was wiping away the dry tears on my face. Seeing his teeth peaking out of of his mouth, he bit down, as he concentrated on the task on arm. Watching his brow arch down, I held his hand in mine, stopping him. “Y-you don’t have to.” His deep pink lips parted opened, his hot breath exhaling warm air across my face. Smelling his delicious minty breath, I could literally feel my heartbeat rapidly beating in my chest. Bradlee—he was standing so close to me. He only had to move an inch or so and our lips would be touching. And I didn’t know why, or how, but all I wanted to do was move my neck up a bit, and connect our lips together. But before I was even brave enough to do that, Bradlee started moving in. I sucked in a breath of air, thinking he was going to kiss me. My eyes fluttered close, and before I even knew it, a huge weight fell on top of my body. My eyes snapped open to feel Bradlee’s arms around me again, his shoulder length hair brushing the crook of my neck. Twisting slightly, I blinked. W-was he hugging me? Is this his way of comforting me? “What are you doing?” My voice was barely above a whisper. Even though I knew he wasn’t going to answer me, I’d still asked that question. Why? I wasn’t even sure myself. So, imagine my surprised expression when I heard a voice, so deep and raspy, I almost jumped out of my skin. Not because I was scared, but because he said something. Something to me—something that was able to melt my heart, and brought a smile to my face. Cry on my shoulder. I’ll make the pain go away. . . . . . To be continued.

ouch....busted

bradlee is in love with u avery, wat are you gonna do now. If it were me, i would feel disappointed too. Bradlee put an extra effort to make dat meal just for u. Next pls

Awwww... Love in d air.. I need someone's shoulder to cry on too!! Who's available!???

Huh!!! Ar u in luv.... I'm n luv.

Wow bradlee is in luv next pls

Cheating???

Yes o @Wyse-one if i were to be d one too.... She shld av taken little out of d food.... Nw dat Avery's heart is kinda attached to Bradlee nd vice versa... D beat has changed

Love in d air..... . Bradlee in love wit avery

Don't qet it twisted that love is a beautiful somethinq

@PhineBraim Am available *wink*

Bradlee really luv u @Avery

Hmmmm, be careful Avery

I suspected Dennis from the start of the story .... I wouldnt be surprise if he is the mysterious killer.

Chapter Twenty . . . . . . . . . . “Y-you actually spoke to me.” Feeling his arms leaving mine, the sudden warmth I’d felt seconds before disappeared. My smile dropped, as my body involuntarily tried to move closer towards him, missing the feeling I’d felt when he was laying his head in the crook of my shoulder. Even though I’d only knew him for about a week, being in his arms felt safe—like home. Surprisingly, I didn’t have an ounce of fear in me. When his head glanced up, his electric blue eyes met mine, gazing at me with so much fire, I thought I’ll burn up in heat. I stayed frozen, silently just staring at his face, hoping he’ll say something—anything. But, he just continued to look at me with those eyes of his. When he finally opened those pink lips of his, the corners of my lips lifted up into a smile just thinking about hearing his voice again. “I meant what I said,” was his short response, his voice cutting straight through my core. “I’ll make the pain go away, Avery.” Hearing my name coming out of his mouth, I almost wished he’d called me by my first name, Lily. His accent was thicker than his brother’s, probably due to the fact that he had two accents going on, instead of one. Even though Bradlee didn’t have a speech deficiency—he had a little bit of a deaf accent mixed with his British one. And for some reason, his deep voice just made those accents sound hot together. “How?” Seeing my own breath swirling in between us, I leaned back a bit, hoping it didn't stink. How embarrassing would that be if he’d smelt that? He grinned, leaning forward. Tilting his head to his left, he stopped right above my ear. “I’ll show you,” he whispered softly, as I felt his warmth breath fanning my ear. Hearing a tiny chuckle, I could tell he saw the effect he had on me. Damn you body of mine. “Come on.” He leaned back, stretching out his hand. “Let’s go.” I didn’t even have time to think before he grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the back of his house. “Where are we going?” I directed the question at him, as I took quick glances behind me. Seeing my cousins drive up slowly down the street, my eyes enlarged in panic. But when they stopped a second later, I let out a breath of relief, calming down. Feeling the warmth leaving me again, Bradlee stopped in front of his motorcycle. Before I could even say something, he was swinging his legs over his bike. As the engine roared to life, he patted the seat behind him. “I’m taking you to a special place,” he answered me. Giving me a wide smile, he took his spare helmet off his handle bars and threw it at me. He tap his head, probably telling me to put it on. Taking in a deep inhale of breath, I gulped nervously. Approaching the bike slowly, I put the helmet over my head reluctantly, feeling the sudden weight of it. Making sure it was on tight, I grasped onto the back of Bradlee’s shoulder for support. Ignoring the tiny spark I felt touching him, I swung my legs over his bike, before scooting my body to the back of his body. Before I even had the chance to get used to being on a bike, he was already kicking his pedal thing. “Wait!” I yelled, pulling on his jacket. He stopped, twisting his neck around. He glanced at me with worried-filled eyes, probably hearing the slight fear in my tone. “Aren’t you going to put your helmet on?” He blinked, slowly and then rapidly. Hearing his deep, throaty chuckle a second later, he shook his head, but did as I said. As I felt the motorcycle start to move, I let out a yelp, as I clutched my fingers into his shoulder blades. Shutting my eyes closed, I bit my lips counting slowly in my head. Calm down Lily. It’s just a bike. Its just a bike. You’re not going to die. “I’ll protect you,” I heard a soft whisper, before I felt his hand on top of mine. When I opened my eyes, he lifted my hand slowly, as I watched him move it down to his waist. He gave me a side-way glance, before moving my other hand to his waist as well. As he held my hands together in his, I heard him whispering, “hold me like this” before speeding off. My nerves automatically vanished as I laid my head on his shoulder, holding him tightly. I couldn’t help but smile, wanting this moment to last forever. *** “A park?” I asked, glancing at the small park standing before us. Bradlee lowered his head in a nod before taking his helmet off. Giving his hair a quick shake, he ran his fingers through his dark locks, styling it back to the way it was. I did the same, minus the hair shake before hopping of his bike. “A special park.” He smiled, looking at the deserted place. He gave out a small sigh—probably thinking about something—before turning back to me, and taking my helmet in his hand. Placing both of his helmets on his handlebars, he swung his long leg over his bike before standing next to me. “What’s so special about it?” I couldn’t help but ask. It looked like a regular old park to me—well besides all the rusting metal, and broken down slides. “Do you see that swing set?” he asked, as he pointed straight ahead. Glancing in his direction, I saw the red metal bars that held the two rubber seats together, with the long silver chains. In the end it looked just like any other swing sets I’d seen in my life before. “Yeah,” I said, looking back at him. “What about them?” “When I was little I met this girl,” he started saying, his clear blue eyes shining with clear love for this girl. I chewed on my bottom lip, a bit peeved. Though I wasn’t exactly sure why I was feeling angry, I just was. “She was on the swings and she suddenly fell and started crying.” “What happened afterwards?” “I fell for her tears,” he said, as he continued to stare at the empty swing set. Seeing the longing look in his eyes, he was probably picturing her face at this exact moment. I squinted my eyes, not exactly sure I’d heard that correctly. “Huh?” “Love at first sight.” He grinned, stopping to look at me. “Everyday, at the exact same time I would come here just hoping to see her again. But—” He paused, letting out a sorrowful sigh,—“she never showed up.” “Have you seen her at all?” I probed, eyeing him. “I have, but right now,” he started saying before whispering, “the timing isn’t right” under his breath. If it wasn’t for the stillness of the night, and the dead quietness, I probably would’ve missed what he’d said. “Isn’t right for what?” Seeing his eyes enlarged slightly, he quickly covered it up with a cough. “Who knows.” He shrugged, deliberately avoiding the subject matter; he wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. “Anyways, since we’re here, let’s go on the swings.” “The swings?” He grinned, nodding. “It’ll make you feel better.” When I didn’t say anything, or make a move he took my hand in his, and started pulling me towards the swings. I let him, bypassing the sandbox, and the piles and piles of leaves on the ground. “Um, are you sure these are safe?” I asked warily, when I got a good look at the rusty chains, and slightly ripped seats. “If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be letting you near it,” he said, before plopping himself down on one. “It’s old but not broken.” “Okay.” I nodded, trusting him. For some reason, I’d believed him. Maybe it was the way he said it, or the way he looked at me when he said he wouldn’t let anything hurt me. Somehow I was starting to believe Bradlee more and more. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Once I was safely in the seat next to him, he gave me a small smile, before pushing his legs off the ground, and using the momentum in his lower body to push himself back and forth. Shutting his eyes, his face looked content—peaceful even, as he concentrated on the task on hand. I leaned my head against the chain, watching him, mesmerized by his beauty. Bradlee—he has a certain air around him. Something only he has. It wasn’t because he was hot, or because was smart—it was because of his kindness. Even though his appearance screams ‘danger’ with the tattoos, chains, and dark clothing, he was nothing like that. “What are you thinking about?” I heard him ask suddenly, almost causing me to lose my balance on the swing. “A-ah,” I stuttered, a lost for words, “nothing.” He chuckled, as I saw the small flick of a metal ball on his tongue. “Were you thinking about me?” “You wish.” I rolled my eyes, giggling. “So, what’s your deal anyways?” I asked, changing the subject, directing the attention away from me. Anything to get him to stop looking at me like that. “Huh?” “You’re nothing like your image, so why let people think you’re some bad boy when you’re not,” I asked, curiously. “What about you?” he countered, “you’re not exactly miss troublemaker yourself.” I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “Your lip piercings, dark eyeliner, scene hair, and fishnet leggings,” he listed off, pointing out each thing, as he spoke. “You don’t exactly fit your image either.” “I guess you’re right.” Even though he did had a point there, he was totally avoiding the question at hand. But this was Bradlee we were talking about—him talking to me, was alone a miracle in itself. “Of course I am.” He smiled, rubbing his hands together. Twisting the chains together once, he sat directly across from me. “But enough about me, let’s start erasing your pain.” “Erasing my pain?” He nodded. “When I push you close your eyes, and let everything go. Imagine the open sky, the soft breeze, the coldness numbing your pain, and me, the warmth that’ll protect you if you fall.” He let his chain twist back around, before getting up and moving behind me. “I’m going to count to three. Once I do, take a deep breath and just let go. Forget about your cheating ex-boyfriend, your problems, and just think about something that brings you happiness.” I lowered my head, acknowledging him, and did what he’d said when he counted to three; I let go. I erased the negative thoughts out of my mind and concentrated on the good things. And for some reason, all I could do was picture Bradlee’s arms around me, his warm breath fanning my face, his lips brushing my skin, and his piercing blue eyes staring deep into my soul. “Seems like you’re happy,” he muttered softly, snapping me out of my daydream. I yelped, twisting around, and saw Bradlee’s face an inch away from mine. I gasped, turning my neck around, ducking my head down in embarrassment. I bit my lips, playing with the bottom of my shirt, very aware of the fact that he was still right behind me. “I am.” “Good,” he said, his voice going lower. “Looks like my job is done.” Seeing his arm stretching out in the corner of my eye, I looked down to see his cell phone. “Here, call your family.” My eyebrows arched down in confusion. “Why?” “Don’t you have to go home?” he asked with a slight chuckle in his voice. “Shit.” I stood up abruptly. “How late is it?” “Don’t worry.” His hand suddenly touched my shoulder, sending shockwaves throughout my body. “It’s only midnight,” he joked, finally letting go of my skin. “Ha-ha.” I laughed nervously, hoping to God he didn’t hear the crack in my voice. “Very funny.” Taking his phone in my hand, I quickly dialed Skylar’s number. When he picked up after the third ring, he told me they were already on their way here before I even got a word in. Even though they already knew where I was, I told them anyways, not wanting to be suspicious in front of Bradlee. No need to let him know my FBI cousins were spying on us the whole time I was here. “Thanks for letting me use your phone,” I told Bradlee, as I dropped his phone into the palm of his hand, making sure not to touch him. He smiled—dimples and all—dipping his head soon after. “If I’d let you use your own phone, you’ll be reminded of you-know-who.” I paused, finally understanding what he’d done for me today. He even thought that far into the future—just for my sake. If Bradlee didn’t come out tonight, I’ll probably be in my bed, drowning in my tears. “Thanks.” I paused, “for everything.” “No.” He shook his head. “Thank you, Avery.” I didn’t even have time to blink before he started leaning towards me, and kissed me on my cheek. My eyes widened, feeling my cheeks heating up. “For everything,” he whispered, before he kissed my other cheek. As he twisted my body around, I heard his soft chuckle before he pointed at my cousin’s car. “Your ride’s here.” “I-I—” He smirked. “I’ll see you on Monday, Avery,” he said before he left me, gasping for breath. He. Did. Not. Just. Kiss. Me. . . . . . To be continued.

it's a wonderful story.. I'm really enjoying it... next.....

hmmm so bradlee can talk this is getting interesting

am just smiling unconsciously. next pls.

getting interesting........bradlee is now showing his real sef. Love! Love! Love!

He. did. just. kiss. you.

Bradlee in luv...its qud 2 b in luv

These guys are just so sweet.. Cnt imagine who d killer is exactly..

Cnt just get enough!

Xo romantic.......... Wuz gonna ma own pain go away.......? A job well done @somhkid

Nothing to say next

Wow!!!!! Confuse on who the actual killer is???? Feed us more

What happen next?. I enjoy every bit of the story

Chapter Twenty-One . . . . . . . . . . I literally couldn’t breathe. I literally couldn’t move. All I could do was stare after Bradlee. The way he moved, the way he walked, and even the way he swung his legs over his motorcycle was hypnotic to the eye, and I didn’t understand why. Was it the lighting? The mood? Or maybe it was just my emotions running wild? Getting rid of that thought in my head—knowing that I needed to stop thinking about him, I saw my cousin’s van pulling up slowly down the road as they parked next to the curb, stopping a second later. Seeing the window rolled down a crack, Demitri ushered me to hurry up. Obeying, I ran towards their car as quickly as I could wanting nothing but to get out of this freezing weather. Once I was close enough, I could make out the huge smiles on their faces. If I didn’t know any better, they were way too overly joyful about something. And that something most likely meant me hanging out with Bradlee tonight. Pulling the door opened, I climbed into the back seat, shutting the door. Leaning forward, I eyed them suspiciously. “What?” They glanced at each other before looking at me. “We got Bradlee’s number.” My eyebrow arched down in confusion. That’s it? That’s what they’re happy about. “And?” “And, we can track his movements now,” Skylar said waving an old fashion model phone in his hand. Eyeing the phone a bit closer, I noticed it was one of those burner phones. The ones that keep your personal number private. “Now you just need Ian’s number.” Demitri smiled. “Make sure to get it on Monday.” I nodded, not exactly in the mood to argue with him. Demitri’s smile widened even further before he turned around, and told Skylar to floor it. Once we were back on the road, I slowly took out my phone. Running my hand over the screen, I debated if I should turn it on or not. After going through the pros and cons, I decided to turn it on and get it over with. When the screen loaded, I saw the thirty missed calls, the fifty text messages, and the twenty-five voice messages. I rolled my eyes when I saw the name that once made my heart fluttered, and skip a beat. But now all I saw was rage and disappointment. Disappointment that I didn’t see this sooner; that I didn’t listen to Megan. She was right. John was right. Heck, everyone was right. My eyes cut, deleting everything that once had to do with Dennis. The pictures, his number, our anniversary date, and every single one of his messages he’d left me. Once I was done, I locked my phone, shoving it back inside my pocket, pushing him back to the back of my mind. Even though it’s going to take time, I will forget about him. I will stop loving him, and I will move on once and for all, even if it takes me years. *** As soon as I stepped foot into Woodway Prep on Monday morning I was greeted by a loud screech. I barely had time to register what was happening before I was engulfed into a pair of strong arms. Getting a whiff of cinnamon, I awkwardly stood there, lightly patting his back as my arms dangled on his sides. “Avery!” Ian cried, pushing my face further into his chest. “I missed you so much over the weekend!” “I missed you too,” I mumbled back even though it probably sounded like gibberish to anyone in a hearing distance. “How was your weekend?” he asked, putting some distance between us. Before I could even answer his question, he leaned his face closer towards mine, cutting whatever I was going to say off. “Mine was amazing!” he shouted, the smile on his face prominent. “I went on a road trip!” His eyes were wide with cheerfulness. “Really?” I asked, as I saw Megan mouthing the words, “I’ll see you later,” in the corner of my eyes before rushing off towards class. I laughed quietly under my breath, knowing that Megan really liked being extra early to class. Darting my attention back towards Ian, I saw him nodding enthusiastically at my response. “Yeah!” he exclaimed, his voice a lot louder. “My sister and I went down to Pennsylvania to visit some of my cousins.” “Oh nice,” I said vaguely remembering the fact that he even had a sister. I made a mental note to re-read those profiles Skylar and Demitri gave me about him. “I’m guessing you had fun?” “Of course!” He smiled, his eyes lighting up. I couldn’t help but smile at that; he really was happy all the time. “Well,” he continued saying, his tone less excited, “that was until she decided she wanted to go to some club at half past midnight.” “Wait—how old is she?” “Sixteen,” he said with a groan, “and let’s just say she had a lot more than she could handle.” I laughed hearing the clear annoyance in his tone. “Well, hopefully your parents won't find out,” I joked, giggling a little. My smile dropped seeing the smile completely wiped off his face at the clear mention of his parents. My eyes widened a fraction of an inch seeing his usual happy-go-lucky-self disappeared. “Trust me,” he said, his voice strained, “they won’t.” “H-how come?” My voice broke, seeing the clear anguish in those once happy filled eyes of his. Crap. Did I say something I shouldn’t have? “Reasons,” was his short reply, void of emotions. An awkward silence passed between us—the sounds of students’ feet hitting the ground was the only thing keeping me from bolting. “Anyways!” Ian shouted, scaring the living shit out of me. My body jolted forward as I eyed him warily. “I’m glad I saw you! I’d been meaning to ask if we could hang out? Maybe over the weekend or something?” Seeing the joy back in his eyes, I bit my lips not even knowing what to make out of this situation. On one hand, he just totally gave me the perfect excuse to ask for his number like my cousins wanted me to, but on the other hand I’m pretty sure Ian’s bipolar or something. “Ah . . .” I uttered, clearing my throat. “Sure!” I said, making sure my voice sounded just as cheerful as he was, erasing whatever just happened out of my head. “Here.” I snatched my phone out of my back pocket and set it down on his palm, “just add your number and I’ll text you later.” “Okay!” he shouted, grabbing it. Programming his number quickly, he handled it back to me. Seeing Ian Lynch, I quickly sent him a text before I locked it, putting it away. “I’ll see you during lunch! Bye Avery!” He quickly waved goodbye, before skipping down the hall, whistling some happy tone. I stared at the back of his head, shaking my head at him. Yup. He’s definitely bipolar. Turning around, I headed towards Mr. Meyer’s classroom knowing that if I didn’t leave now, I’ll end up late. When I saw the familiar door in the near distance and the familiar figure outside his classroom, I smiled. “Good morning Mr. Meyer,” I greeted, running over. He turned his head in the direction of my voice. When he saw that it was me, his smile widened. “Good morning Avery.” I lowered my head in a nod, smiling back, before bypassing him and walking into the classroom. I didn’t get very far before the smile dropped from my face. The girl with really long hair—Kimberly, was standing next to Bradlee, practicing shoving her boobs in his face. I could tell she was flirting with him as she twirled her golden locks in between his fingers, touching his chest whenever she could. Feeling the pang of jealously in the pit of my stomach, I was about to look away when Bradlee’s eyes snapped up. Seeing the clear discomfort in his eyes, and the utter plead to help him, I headed towards them, passing a couple of students I was still learning the name of. When I was right in front of Kimberly, she pretended not to see me and continued to rub her chest against his arm. Even when Bradlee started to obviously lean away from her, she giggled softly to herself, mumbling something like, “cute” under her breath. I cleared my throat, quietly at first, but then louder when she totally ignored me. “Excuse me,” I decided to voice calmly, even though I was feeling anything but calm. She rolled her eyes at me, clicking her tongue. “What?” she snapped, her dislike for me apparent. “Can’t you see I’m busy with Bradlee?” I pointed at him slowly inching away from her. “It doesn’t look like he likes you very much.” “Yeah?” she bit back, clutching his arm against her body. “And how would you know?” “Because he’s practically running away from you.” “He’s just playing hard to get,” she said smugly, tipping her chin up. “I know he likes me.” “Right.” I nodded, dragging the last syllabus out. “I’m sure he does,” I said sarcastically. “He does!” she shouted, practically yelling it in my face. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?” she asked, lowering her voice in an attempt to be seductive but failed miserably. He decided not to answer, and ended up giving her a look that practically screamed “crazy bitch”. “See!” She squeaked, waving her finger at him. “He didn’t say anything! That means he’s so love with me that he can’t even speak!” she said happily, gushing like a imbecile. “Your stupidity is getting on my nerves!” I groaned in frustration, causing her to snap her neck towards me. “Could you please just leave?” “Excuse me!?” she blared, her anger drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Did you just call me stupid?” Hearing a bunch of ‘oohs’ in the background, I heard an intake a breath, as everyone went silent in anticipation. “Maybe I did—” I paused, shrugging, “—maybe I didn’t.” Seeing her eyes flash red, she rounded the desk, jabbing her finger at me. “Don’t you dare—” “—Kimberly go back to your seat,” Mr. Meyer interrupted in a strict tone. “Avery, don’t tempt her. You know better than that.” “Sorry Mr. Meyer,” we both said simultaneously. Hearing Kimberly curse under her breath for getting in trouble—she walked away but not before glaring at me one last time. Turning back towards Bradlee, I saw that he was halfway from getting up from his seat. A ghost of smile appeared on my face when I realized he was getting up to protect me from Kimberly, even though I didn't need it. She was a stick compared to the other people I'd beaten before in Jiu Jitsu. “Thanks.” He nodded as he started typing something on his phone. Once he was done, he pushed his phone towards me. Thanks for saving me from her. And if I wasn’t clear enough, I DON’T like her. I laughed, seeing that he capitalized don’t in his text message for extra emphasis. Grabbing his phone from the table, I texted: I know :P before sliding the phone back towards him. Bending down a notch, I pulled my chair out from underneath the lab table before taking the seat across from him. Looking up, I saw the crack of a smile before his fingers glided across the screen. Sliding it back towards me a second later, I glanced down seeing his phone number and the words, I don't usually do this but . . . here’s my number. I hope you save it, Av c: underneath it. My eyes widened when I literally heard my heart pumping against my ribcage at the sight of that nickname. Shit. I can't like him, can I? . . . . . To be continued

Awww.. You can jawe.. Dis story is too much..*muah*

It must be love. love is beautiful. But y does bradlee always behave like a dumb prsn in class

I c luv n d air........ Sum1 z n luv

Go girl,u sure can like him

dis story is too much so interesting,am enjoying dis story u cn just follow ur heart bradlee isnt a bad persn nd also isnt a killer nxt plz

cant u c what he wrote... He dont usually qv out hz nomba 2 pple.... Emphasis say he L I K E Y O U.

U already love him @avery jist get dat

Chapter Twenty-Two . . . . . . . , . . RECAP: After Avery's cousin got Bradlee's number (from her calling them on his phone), she gets Ian's number on Monday. Going to first period, she saw Bradlee with Kimberly. Turns out Kimberly has a crush on Bradlee and is practically shoving her assets at him. Avery helps Bradlee get her off his case which resulted in a yelling match between them. Mr. Meyer broke it up and they both apologized. Bradlee thanked her by writing it out on his phone. In the end he gave her his phone number (Avery doesn't have it yet - her cousins does), with the words here’s my number. I hope you save it, Av c: underneath it. *** Bradlee. Why did his name even sound breathtaking to me now? I mean—he’s just a guy. A suspect—no less. There’s no reason to like him. But then why was my heart thumping so loudly? He only gave me his freaking number! His eyes held my gaze, watching me clearly. I gulped, completely lost in those ocean blue eyes of his. Seeing his lips move, I didn’t have to be a lip-reader to know he’d called my name. “Y-yes?” He pointed at the teacher, silently telling me to take a seat before I get in trouble. I obeyed quickly, not wanting another lecture from Mr. Meyer. Taking out my phone, I quickly dialed in his number before saving it under Bradlee. Peeking up from underneath my bangs, I couldn't help but smile when I saw the corners of his lips rising—his cute dimples showing. Pocketing my phone, I took out my notebook. Sitting sideways, I tried my hardest to listen Mr. Meyer as he started talking about a new subject. He went on and on talking about Homeostasis, and how it regulates your body's internal environment to maintain stable conditions in response to changes happening externally. Giving us some examples, he pointed to a new slide, showing us how it maintains dynamic equilibrium and how it effectively carries out certain functions in our body. I made sure to copy all this down, before I felt the heated stare of someone behind me. Knowing that it was Bradlee, a familiar feeling stirred up in the pit of my stomach. Biting on my bottom lip slowly, I tried ignoring those eyes of his. But as Mr. Meyer spoke deliberately slowly about reducing and increasing an organ’s activity level, I looked up, catching his stare. His eyes lit up, as he continued to gaze at me. He barely blinked, just watching me. I blushed, dipping my head down. Hearing a faint chuckle, the burning in my cheeks increased. Gosh. Why is he doing this!? Shouldn’t he be paying attention to the teacher or something? Noticing the fact that he didn’t even have his notebook out, I arched my brow, clearly confused. Was he that smart he didn’t even need to copy anything down?! Sensing a quiet vibration on the side of my leg, I immediately took out my phone making sure to block the phone from Mr. Meyer’s sight. Seeing Bradlee’s name flashing up on my screen, I quickly typed in my password before clicking on his message. Someone isn’t paying attention to the lecture ;) I looked up, seeing his arms underneath his desk. He leaned back casually, a smirk plastered across his face. Shouldn’t you be paying attention as well!? At least I have my notebook out. I sent him quickly. He laughed quietly under his breath, probably seeing my text message. I only wait a few seconds before my phone notified me again about a new message. I am. I get C-print captioning straight to my phone. My eyes squinted down at the text. C-print? The hell is C-print? Before I could even ask, another text message popped up from Bradlee. I get everything he’s saying straight to my phone. So, I don’t need to take notes :P My mouth dropped open, glancing around the room. My eyes stopped moving when I saw a girl with a short pixie haircut. She sat right in front of Mr. Meyer. A small tablet was on her desk as her fingers moved rapidly across the screen. Wait—I thought you didn’t want anyone knowing you’re hard of hearing . . . I sent him before looking at her again. I couldn’t really see her face but her figure was small and petite. My smile dropped when I realized Bradlee trusted someone else with his secret. Trusted another girl. I thought I was special . . . I thought I was the only one who knew. Clearly I wasn’t. Turning my body around, I glared at my notebook, wanting absolutely nothing but to get up and move. The farther way from Bradlee, the better. He freaking lied to me. Knowing that he’d sent another message, I ignored it. I didn’t want to hear his excuse anyways. He’d probably said something like, I forgot. Or, she’s just someone that takes notes for me. Keeping my gaze downwards, I focused completely on my notes, writing down Mr. Meyer's example on how the body releases glucagon when our sugar levels are too low. Before I could even write my next sentence down, my pencil was snatched away from me. “H-hey,” I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him. “Give it back!” “Not until you read your text message.” My eyes widened seeing those electrifying eyes of his swimming in hurt. I bit my lips, as the guilt starting eating me alive. Before I could even say or do anything, he brought his phone up and showed me. She doesn’t know I’m hard of hearing. She only knows someone in the class needs it. It’s kept a secret from everyone beside the teachers and of course you and my brother. Crap. I laughed awkwardly, before I apologized to him over and over again. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that. I shouldn’t have gotten jealous like that. What the hell is happening to me!? I wasn’t nearly this bad when it came to Dennis so why am I feeling like this with Bradlee? I barely know him . . . and yet I’m acting like a thirteen old girl crushing on some guy. “It’s fine,” I heard him whispering before I felt an electrifying spark touching my hand. Casting my eyes downwards I saw his hand closing over mine. He held them with care, touching my hands gently. Brushing his fingers against mine, he turned my hand around before dropping my pencil in the palm of my hand. “Don’t forget to pay attention.” He chuckled, before going back to his phone. Dipping my head down, I spun my chair around. I couldn’t let Bradlee know the effect he has on me. I rather die than let him know I was growing feelings for him. He’ll think I was just like everyone else. And I didn’t want to be like every other girl that falls for him. So what if he's adorable with that cute laugh of his? Or how his eyes twinkle every time he smiles? Or how his cheeks gets tinted with a slight shade of red whenever he blushes? Or when— “Avery?” I felt a kick to my chair, knocking me back to reality. My eyes fluttered closed, seeing everyone staring at me. Oh shit . . . “Um, yes. Mr. Meyer?” My tone held a nervousness as I looked at him. Hearing a sniffle laugh, I shot my head towards Kimberly. My eyes cut into slits, picturing her head in my hands. “Name two pancreatic hormones and describe their effects on the glucose levels,” he instructed, as he waited patiently for my answer. “Somatostatin, and it increases the blood glucose level,” I said, causing a few gasps around the room. I grinned, staring at Kimberly’s shock face. “And Insulin. It decreases the blood glucose level.” “Correct.” He sounded astonished. “How did you know that?” I eyed him curiously when I saw the slide on the board. It had nothing to do about pancreatic hormones. “Ah . . . you didn’t go over that?” I pulled at my sleeve, nervously. “No. I was just testing to see if you were really paying attention,” he admitted. “I was expecting you to say something along the lines of ‘I don’t know Mr. Meyer. You didn’t go over that yet’, and yet you answered it perfectly.” “Sorry, Mr. Meyer,” I apologized profoundly. “I already learned this subject beforehand. Guess I zoned out for a bit.” I laughed, before some of my classmates joined in. “It’s alright.” He laughed as well. “Just try to stay awake for the next few minutes.” “Will do.” I smiled, before he went back to teaching. I was just about to take some notes before I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around I saw a grinning Bradlee. “Way to go, Av.” I shivered, when he actually spoke that nickname. The way it rolled off his tongue sent goosebumps up my spine, causing me to literally melt at the spot. Crap. This. Is. So. Not. Good. *** “Avery!” a loud voice shouted. I turned around seeing Ian waving his hands frantically in the air. I smiled, seeing a familiar face that wasn’t Bradlee's. After first period ended, I literally bolted to my second period class. I knew I shouldn’t be avoiding him like this but until I figure out my feelings for him, the farther I was away from him, the better. It’s a good thing I didn’t have any other classes with him beside gym. “Did you get lunch yet!?” Ian asked, catching my attention once again. “I just got myself a BLT sandwich.” He showed me excitedly. I pointed to my tray. I wasn't sure how he'd missed that. “Yes. I got spaghetti.” He mouth practically started watering when he saw my plate. “That looks delicious! Maybe I should’ve gotten that instead . . .” I laughed. “Let’s not. Remember last time? You don’t want to waste food do you?” He shook his head, his blonde locks going everywhere. “No! Wasting food should be a crime.” “Yes, yes,” I agreed, pulling him from away from everyone’s curious stares. “Let’s go, before Megan starts texting me.” That girl is always on my case about being on time, and what-not. “What about everyone else?” “They’re probably already waiting for us.” His baby blue eyes widened, gazing at me. “You sure?” I nodded, answering his question, before he beamed at me. “Okay! Then what are we waiting for!? Let’s go!” He tugged on my hand, clasping my wrist, before pulling me out the cafeteria and back the exit. Even though it was almost the middle of December, the weather was anything but winter yet. It was pretty decent—a bit windy—but decent. When we got near, Annemarie, Asher and Megan sat around chatting amongst each other. I paused for a bit, surprised to see Hunter absent from the group. You’ll think he’ll be here after the effect he'd put in. “Hey!” Annemarie waved when she saw us approaching. “We were just talking about you.” She glanced at Ian. He lifted his brow. “You were?” “Yeah!” She nodded, pointing to Asher. “Asher here made you something.” Ian let go of my hand quickly, racing towards Asher. “What is it!?” He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat as he awaited for Asher to give him whatever he'd made. Megan and Annemarie giggled quietly when Asher gave Ian a container of some sort. He ducked his head shyly, reaching his arms outwards. I couldn’t help but smile looking at Asher. His hands were trembling quite badly, but he held strong before Ian took it out of his hands. “Is this what I think it is!?” Ian exclaimed, ripping the lid off. He gasped when he looked inside. “It is! How in the world did you know I like oatmeal cookies!?” “I-I d-didn’t. I-I just g-guessed.” Asher blushed, his pale skin appearing lighter than it is. “Thank you!” Ian jumped up in joy, crushing Asher to death. “You’re awesome dude!” He thanked him once again, before tasting one of those cookies. His eyes widened dramatically before screaming, “Oh my God! These are freaking delicious!” “T-thanks.” Asher’s green eyes glowed in happiness. “I can give you the recipe if you want?” he tried, feeling more confident in his speech. “Asher’s so adorable,” I whispered to Megan as we watched them exchange conversation. “Totally,” both Annemarie and Megan agreed. “Too bad he’s totally gay for Ian.” She chuckled, staring at them. “Too bad Ian doesn’t swing that way . . .” My smile dropped. Hopefully Asher doesn’t get crush in the end. From the looks of it, he probably doesn’t do this often. Maybe he really does like Ian after all. “I know—” Megan started saying before Imagine Dragon started playing. We all glanced around, wondering where that noise was coming from when Ian suddenly pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Hello!” He smiled brightly, before his smile dropped completely. “What’s wrong?” he asked urgently. “What!?” he roared, scaring the crap out of everyone. He paused, staring wide-eyed at us. “Um, hold on a minute,” he told whoever it was on the phone before he locked his gaze at us. “Sorry, I gotta take this,” he said before he dropped everything, and ran away. Before I even had time to blink, my phone also started ringing. Seeing Demitri’s name flashing across the screen, I picked it up quickly. I knew it was urgent—he never calls during school. “Yeah?” “Follow him!” he ordered, before the line cut dead. I groaned, getting up. “Um, I’ll go make sure Ian’s okay.” I didn’t wait for their responses before I ran towards the direction he’d went. It wasn’t long before I caught up with him—seeing that he was only standing by the back door. I laid low, hiding behind a corner. Pressing my ear against the wall, I made sure to be as quiet as a mouse. I didn't want to be discovered just yet. “—are you fucking kidding me!?” I jumped up, completely shocked by the amount of anger in his voice. Was that Ian? “He’s fucking dead! Where are you!?” I covered my mouth in shock, as I breathed heavily. Panicking, I raced towards the parking lot—getting away from him. Just who in the world is Ian? And where did that voice even come from? . . . . . To be continued.

next 2 knw who Ian is.

Hmmm am soo luvin dis story,i wonder who d killer is

Seems like Ian is the real killer..nice one cant wait for the next episode

Nice one!

pls don't make us wait till eternity b4 d next update. well done @don walter. I won't believe Ian is d killer yet

Ian

Help us with anoda episode oooo

Chapter Twenty-Three . . . . . . . . . . I heard my own deep breathing as I lay low. Shifting nervously, I kept my eye on the exit that Ian had to go through to get to the parking lot. From the sound of his conversation, he was leaving. But the question was—why was he leaving? Who was he going to see? Before I could even process any of this information in my head, Ian came storming around the corner, marching towards the direction of his car. I ducked my head down behind the vehicle I was hiding, watching him ripping the door of his truck open. I didn’t even have time to blink before he slammed the door so hard, it almost shook the ground. Hearing the sounds of tires screeching against dry payment, he raced out of the parking lot, turning left. When he was a bit down the road, I saw my cousin’s van pulling up. The side door opened before the car came to full stop. I didn’t even have to look down to know they had texted me already. Making sure no one was watching us, I dashed towards their car, before jumping into the backseat. Shutting the car door, they followed after Ian. “Tell me why we’re chasing after him again?” No matter how much I wanted to know why he suddenly turned berserk, I rather much not go near him right now. “Ian just became our number one suspect,” Skylar answered since Demitri was too busy trying to keep up with Ian—but also far enough he wouldn’t see us. “We need to follow him to see where he’s going. We can’t take what he’d said lightly.” “Do you really think he’s the murderer now? He’s too sweet to be him . . .” My sentence drifted off, thinking back to only moments before. He certainly didn’t sound sane then. “Sweet or not,” Skylar spoke, glancing at me. “He’s on our list.” I bit my lips, knowing that Skylar was right. They were all suspects, and could easily be fooling everyone. Even Bradlee . . . My eyes dimmed, as I fumbled with my fingers. Get it together Lily. You can’t like him—no matter how much he makes your heart race. “Okay.” I nodded, pushing that thought to the back of my head. This wasn’t the time to think about this. “What do you need me to do?” “Once we get there,” he instructed, “we need you to sneak out of the van, and follow him. Get close enough but not too close where he’ll see you. We need to record this conversation, so bring this.” He tossed me a device, small enough to be an ear-piece. “Got it.” I stuck the device in my pocket, before I looked out the window, seeing Ian’s truck slowing down. Demitri made sure to turn into the opposite direction once he knew Ian's final destination. Parking the car on the side of the road, Demitri cranked his neck around. “If you do happen to get caught—” I frowned. Only he would think that. “—just act like you’re visiting someone or something. Do not under any circumstances give us away.” I rolled my eyes. Like I didn’t know that already. “Yes, sir.” Before he could comment on my sarcastic tone, I ran out, shutting the door behind me. Checking my phone, I set a timer, making sure I’ll get back in time. If I skip class, there’s no telling what would happen. Texting Megan, I asked her to cover for me. I didn’t need anyone knowing where I’d gone. Looking both ways, I ran down the street in search of Ian’s dark blue truck. When I saw it parked at the end of the block, I slowly walked down the pathway, making sure to take extra caution. When I got close enough, I saw a stone sign saying, Welcome to Monroe High. Glancing upwards, a tall gate enclosed the front entrance of Monroe High. Seeing teenagers driving in and out, I knew they were also having their lunch period. Trying my best to blend in and away from Ian’s sight, I started my search for the bouncing-turned-crazy teenager. When I didn’t see him near his truck, I hid behind the first car I saw, and peeked into the entrance of Monroe High. Seeing that not everyone was crazy enough to sit outside like we were, there were only a handful of people in the front yard. So, when I spotted Ian, I wasn’t all that surprised. Zeroing in on him, I noticed he wasn’t alone. He was standing in front of some girl, while she tugged on his sleeves, looking panicked. Was that his girlfriend or something? Inching my way towards the left, I stood up on my tippy-toes, trying to get a better view of the situation. Another guy appeared in my line of view, as he stared directly at Ian. Well more like up, since Ian was indeed taller than the guy. His body language looked like he didn’t give a flying fuck, glaring daggers at Ian. Knowing that I needed to get closer to them to hear anything, I bolted into the school, hiding behind some garbage can. I glared pointedly at the students who were looking towards my direction, before one of them started heading right towards me. I gulped when she got in front of me. Shit. Demitri is going to kill me for getting discovered. “Um, are you lost or something?” a small girl, with bright red hair asked. “By your uniform alone, we can see you’re from Woodway.” “Ah, no,” I said quickly, gathering my thoughts together. “I’m waiting for a friend of mine. He’s actually over there,” I easily said, pointing towards Ian. She followed my gaze, and her eyes immediately widened. “You better get going. Drama is about to start.” My eyebrow arched up at her in confusion. “What do you mean . . .?” “Ashleigh got into a huge fight with her boyfriend, and it looks like her brother is here . . .” My head shot towards the girl hiding behind Ian. Now that I got a closer look at her, she did clearly resemble him quite a bit. She was practically the female version of Ian—only shorter and smaller in frame. “Do you know what happened?” “Well, from what I saw, Ashleigh’s boyfriend hit her pretty badly. I heard she cheated on him or something. But that’s all I know.” I smiled at her. “Thanks for the information, now if you’ll excuse me,” I said, before dashing away from her. I vaguely heard her yelling, wait before I drowned her voice out. Seeing Ian’s back towards me, I took that as an advantage, and ran towards a bush a bit closer towards him. Once I was in hearing range of their conversation, I looked back and saw the red-headed girl and her friends heading back inside the building. I bit my lips, hoping she’s not reporting me or something. Seeing that I was technically outside the school’s building, I wasn't trespassing. I hope. “—your sister is a fucking who—,” a voice spat, catching my attention. Before he could even finish his sentence though, a loud smack sounded throughout the air, follow by a grunt. “You better watch your mouth,” Ian hissed, his rage more prominent than ever. “Otherwise, I’ll fuck you up even more.” “I-Ian,” a timid voice said, stuttering. “Come on, let’s just go. H-he didn’t—” Her voice was cut off suddenly, before Ian’s voice cut in. “—don’t you dare say he didn’t do anything wrong! He slapped you for crying out loud! And called you a fucking whore, and he accused you of cheating!” he shouted in fury. I could tell he was trying to hold back his emotions, but with every word he spoke he just got louder and louder. I’m surprised they haven’t called anyone yet. When I finally decided to peek my head around the bush I was hiding behind, I saw Ian. “Listen shithead.” His eyes shot ablaze. “Slap my sister one more time, and I won’t think twice about killing you, got it?” The kid nodded rapidly, looking like he had seen a ghost. When Ian let him go, he fell onto the ground in a crumpled mess, groaning in pain. His light eyes looked down at him in disgust. “And if you haven’t gathered by now, she’s not your girlfriend anymore.” “Yeah. Got it,” he sputtered, scrabbling onto his feet before running away. “Why on earth did he ever think you cheated on him?” he asked his sister once her ex was out of earshot. I stared wide-eyed at him, completely baffled. Who on earth was this guy? His personality was completely different from the bubbly and random Ian Lynch I knew. “He heard from a friend of his that I went to a club,” his sister replied quietly. She probably didn’t want to upset him any further. “Seriously?” he asked, the irritation in his tone slightly dying down. “How the hell does he have connections, let alone friends in pennsylvania!?” “I-I don’t know,” she squeaked, ducking her head downwards. “But his friend said he saw me making out with some guy, and you know I didn’t do that!” She clinged onto his shirt. “Ugh.” He rubbed at his face. “This is why you shouldn’t have gone to that club in the first place.” “Well how was I suppose to know that!?” “I don’t know?” He paused, pretending to think about it. “Common sense, perhaps?” She gasps, but I could see the playful undertone. “Did you just call me stupid?” “I did no such thing!” His lips twitched up into a smile, finally looking like the Ian I knew. “Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Shouldn’t you be like getting back to class or something?” “And leave you alone?” He arched his brow at her. “No way.” “I like you so much better when you’re running around yelling random crap I don’t even understand.” “Don’t we all.” He shrugged, pulling her towards her school—most likely signing her out. “Let’s just go home. Grandma isn’t even home—” I heard him say before his voice starting cutting off, the distance getting too far for me to hear. I waited until the door shut close before I ran out of my hiding place, and started jogging towards my cousin’s van. When I was a few feet away, the door opened, before I hopped back in. “I can’t believe we jumped to conclusions like that,” Demitri sighed dejectedly when I shut the door. “But, at least we know Ian’s personality isn’t really a lie. Although he definitely has a temper. ” Skylar nodded, agreeing. “Yeah. Did you hear his voice when he threatened to kill that guy? It sounded awfully serious.” “What about his little sister?” I probed. “Her name does start with the letter A.” “Don’t worry, we’ll run a search on her like we did with your friends.” I tilted my head to right. “My friends?” “Annemarie and Ailee,” Skylar answered me. “We can’t be too careful. Anyone who’s associated with the suspects must be thoroughly checked, especially if their names starts with the letter A and are female.” “And?” “They both had turned out to be negative. Neither of their birthdays matched the other victims.” I sighed, letting out a breath of relief. “Thank gosh.” “Don’t celebrate just yet, Lily,” Demitri warned. “Now we have to be even more careful than ever. Especially around Ian.” “What about the others?” “Hunter still doesn’t spike up any real danger—besides the fact that he has that weird amnesia thing going on, and Bradlee, well he’s confusing. His personality doesn’t match his records, so that doesn’t add up at all, but then again Ian's personality doesn’t match his record either.” “Ugh,” I groaned, pushing my bangs back. “And I’m suppose to figure out who the killer is by next week?” “Unless you can somehow spend time with them during winter break, then I’m afraid so.” Skylar patted my back, trying to comfort me. “Can’t I like, I don’t know get their DNA or something?” I asked. That’s how the detectives in the shows did it right? “We could, but here’s the problem. You can’t just go up to them and be like, “Hey can I have a lock of you hair” or “Hey can you drink this, and then give it to me?”.” I crossed my hands. “Why not?” “One: it would be weird and too suspicious especially with all three of them around you during lunch. And two: if you do happen to get a bottle of water or something from them, there’s a chance your DNA will mix with theirs.” “I’ll wear gloves—” “—Again too suspicious. Plus a DNA test can take up to two weeks to complete, and we don’t have enough time especially if we have to compare more than one sample. And by the time you can gather up the DNA without giving yourself away, it’ll be too late.” “Fine.” I sighed. “I guess you’re right.” He smirked. “Of course I’m right. I’m—” he started saying before my timer went off. My eyes bugged seeing the time. Lunch was officially over and I still wasn’t back yet. “Crap!” I screamed, alerting them both. “You need to drive me back pronto!" When Demitri didn't move, I smacked him on the shoulder. “Hurry!” I yelled as he glared at me. I watch him turn around before cutting the engine back on. “Alright, fine,” he said, probably rolling his eyes at me. “Just hold on.” My hand shot up, grabbing the door handle when he practically slammed his foot on the brakes, speeding down the street. FBI, my ass. Whatever happened to obeying the law? I thought as I held onto dear life. *** When they dropped me off at record speed, I ran inside the empty halls—save for a few students—heading to my locker. Dialing in my combination as fast as possible, I started stuffing my bag with my binders. I was about to reach for my textbooks on the top shelf when a white envelope caught my eye. Lowering my eyes in bewilderment, I reached up seeing the blank envelope. When curiosity got the better of me, I ripped it open to find seven neatly typed words that literally stopped my heart. Ian Lynch isn’t the killer. I am. . . . . . To be continued.

Nxt 1 plzzzzz....... Nice @donwalter

My God...who could have send that??????next ooo

Who can it be? . Next plz

Wow, next pls the suspense is to much.

Hehe.... Next biko.. Dis story is too much....

Or maybe it's Asher..

wu z d *i am* when ian lynch isnt d killer.... Suspense

am suspecting Asher cos he's gay n dey dnt normally like d female folk. Just saying

So it lan but it a pity o

nw am in suspense,who is d killer?next plss

Chapter Twenty-Four . . . . . . . . . . Before I even had time to panic, the ringtone I set for my cousins started ringing, startling me to death. Feeling the rapid pounding in my chest, I took two deep breaths before I took my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands. “H-hello?” I asked, as I clutched onto my phone—my knuckles turning white. I shifted around, eyeing every possible direction in sight. He could still be around—just watching me—studying me. For some reason knowing that made me even more terrified than I was a few seconds ago. “Lily!” Skylar shouted, his voice frantic. “You need to get out of there now!” “B-but what about my classes?” “Forget about your classes! Just leave!” he yelled, causing me to take a step back. I blinked, shocked. I was used to Demitri shouting at me, but Skylar was never like this. Hearing the fear in his voice made me realize how dangerous this really was. I was practically alone in the hallway. “Right.” I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll be there soon.” “Hurry!” he said before he cut the call. Shoving my phone back inside my pocket—along with the letter—I twisted around, throwing my textbooks in my bag as quickly as I could. I was about to slam my locker shut when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I nearly jumped two feet in the air, screaming bloody murder. My eyes automatically shut, as I held my arms out in reflex, trying to protect myself. “Don’t hurt me!” “Avery, it’s me,” I heard Hunter’s familiar voice. When I heard the worry in his tone, I looked up to see him gazing at me with wide-fear filled eyes. “Are you alright?” I chuckled out nervously, as I backed up slowly. My back touched cold metal. “Y-yeah. Fine.” He arched his brow down. “You don’t seem fine. You look a little pale actually.” He was about to lift his hand up when I maneuvered out of his way. His eyes flashed with hurt before he lowered his hand slowly. He should there awkwardly, staring at the floor. “Ah . . .” I started out saying, catching his attention. “I’m just a little bit sick,” I lied easily. “I was actually about to head home.” “Oh.” His voice dimmed even more at my response, as it held a hint of sadness. “I was kind of hoping we could catch up. I haven’t seen you in a while.” “We saw each other like two days ago,” I deadpanned. I saw a little twitch of a smile when he heard the humor in my sentence. “Yeah, but I haven’t had the chance to tell you about my exam yet!” he exclaimed, pouting right afterwards. “I had to miss lunch to take it!” I raised my eyebrows in confusion. “How come?” “My so called siblings forgot to wake me up this morning, so I missed the exam,” he said letting out an annoyed groan. “But I’m pretty sure I aced it!” he shouted happily, grinning from ear-to-ear. “So you were taking the test all throughout lunch . . .?” I asked questionably. “Yup!” He smiled. “Until now actually,” he said as he waved a slip of paper with Mr. Meyer’s signature. Squinting my eyes, I saw the word late pass written above his name. “I was about to head to my next class when I saw you.” I nodded absentmindedly, not really paying attention to Hunter. All I could think about was Bradlee. If Ian was at Monroe High with his sister, and Hunter was taking his exam with Mr. Meyer, the only person left was Bradlee. He wasn’t with us during Lunch, and I definitely didn’t see him at his usual spot during lunch. Maybe I wasn’t avoiding him after all. Maybe he was avoiding me. Maybe he purposely got close to me—to get me to trust him—to get me to not suspect him. But then what about his sister and what she’d said about Bradlee? Was she lying about his past? Could she be in on this too— “—Earth to Avery!” Hunter shouted, scaring me for the second time today. I blinked, snapping back to reality. Seeing the time on my wrist, my eyes widened into saucers. Throwing my bag over my shoulders, I slammed my locker shut before facing a very confused Hunter. “Sorry for spacing out there but I really need to go,” I said in a rush. “I’ll text you!” I waved, dashing down the hallway before he could utter a word. I didn’t miss Hunter calling my name, but I ignored it. I couldn’t stay here any longer. When the fresh winter air whipped my face, I wrapped my blazer closer towards my body, keeping warm. Seeing my cousins’ car parked right outside the parking lot, I ran towards it. When I got closer towards them, I could make out Demitri’s livid expression, and Skylar’s panicked one. I bit my lips, knowing I’ll get an earful from both of them. I should’ve left earlier. I didn’t even have time to fully get inside when Demitri started his rant. “What did you not understand about leaving?” I hung my head low as I shut the door. “Sorry.” “You were alone for God sakes!” he rambled on, completely ignoring me. “What if Hunter was the killer, and freaking abducted you?!” “Well he isn’t,” I mumbled back. He still ignored me as he kept on driving. “You don’t know that,” he said after pausing for a moment. “Yes I do,” I bit back. “You heard what he said.” He snorted. “Yeah, and you believed him?” he asked, making a left turn. “He could’ve been lying to you so you wouldn’t have suspected him.” “But—” “—No. You can’t ever trust them. Killers don’t have a soul. They do this for fun Lily—for entertainment.” I saw Skylar nod in the corner of my eye, agreeing with Demitri. “But he had the note—” “—Easily forgeable.” I closed my mouth knowing he was right. Hunter could’ve forged it. Hell, I didn’t even know what Mr. Meyer’s signature looked like. “Okay, so now what?” I asked, leaning forward. My hands clutched the back seat, scooting my body forward. “Do I forget about this whole thing and quit?” “No,” Demitri said immediately. “We can’t let him keep killing those innocent girls.” “Then what do we do?” I glanced at Skyler before looking at the back of Demitri’s head. “He knows about me.” Demitri sighed, before turning on his blinkers. Pulling up next to a curb, he put the car in park before facing me. “First off of, let me have the letter.” He held his hand out. “We’ll see if it has the killer’s DNA on it or not.” “Um, why?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. “We already know he wrote it . . .” “Right.” He lowered his head slowly. “But he could’ve had someone else put that note in your locker for him. If that’s the case, we’ll know the killer is working with someone else.” My mouth formed an oval shape at that realization. Demitri was right. There could be more than one person behind this whole fiasco. Hearing a tapping sound, my eyes focused on his fingertips rapidly pounding against his knee. I decided to reach behind me, taking my backpack off before he got even more impatience by my lack of movements. When I found the envelope, I gave it to him quickly. “Alright next—” He paused as he toss the envelope in a seal package. He locked it away before giving it to Skylar, in which he kept on his lap. Turning his attention back to me, he continued speaking—“I’m calling for more backup.” “More backup?” “For safety measurements,” he told me with a shrug. “Skylar here, will go undercover as a janitor starting tomorrow.” I glanced at Skylar as he gave me a reassuring smile. “I’ll try to be discreet as possible, but if anything happens I’ll protect you.” “And we’re getting our best guys out here too,” Demitri added. “They’ll set up security and footage in one of the spare offices your school has, and they’ll keep track of anyone who gets near you. We can’t be too careful at this point,” Demitri said, as he pressed some buttons on his phone probably notifying his team of his plan. “Also get Megan to closely follow you wherever you go.” “How come?” I asked in alarm. I certainly didn’t want Megan getting involve in something like this. Who knows what’ll happen. “We can’t have you alone anymore,” was his quick reply. “It’s too risky.” “But why Megan?” “Because she’s the only one who knows,” he said shutting me up. He was right—again. Even though I didn’t want Megan getting involved, she was the only one I could count on. She was my best friend. “Just don’t tell her about the note,” he said afterwards, causing me to snap my head up. “We don’t need her panicking.” I nodded. Megan would definitely panic if she knew about the note. “Then what do I tell her?” “Tell her you need the extra safety net or something,” he advised, “or something sentimental.” “Fine.” I rolled my eyes at his last comment. “What happens when she’s in class though? She can’t exactly stay with me all the time.” “That’s when Skylar will show up. He’ll be right outside your classroom,” he said as he reached for his glove department. Tossing me some pen-shaped device, I caught it, staring at it curiously. “Click that if you feel any danger coming.” “What does this do?” I asked, running my fingers across the smooth surface. “That.” He pointed to the pen-like-thing, “will alert Skylar, the backup team, and me.” “Also starting tomorrow,” Skylar cut in, looking at me, “don’t eat lunch outside. We can’t exactly monitor you if you’re outside the building. Plus I can keep an eye on you if you’re in the cafeteria.” “What if my friends don’t want to eat inside?” I probed. I knew Megan would probably stay with me, but I wasn’t sure about Annemarie or Asher. They didn’t seem sociable with other people. They both shrugged their shoulders at me. “Then you’ll just have to sit with Megan.” “I guess that’s fine,” I said with a sigh. Nothing I could do anyways. “What about the guys though?” I asked suddenly remembering Hunter and Ian. “Should I just pretend nothing happened today?” “It’s best if you do.” Demitri nodded. “We still don’t have our killer. And if Ian really is innocent then that leaves the twins.” “Do you think it’s Bradlee?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I stared down at my hands. Even though there’s a part of me that believes wholeheartedly that he wasn't the killer, rationality hits me. All the facts leads to him—unless Hunter was lying and Ian somehow gotten someone else to put that note in my locker for him. “I don’t even know,” Demitri said, his voice sounding drained. “We can’t even cross Ian off our list until we get the DNA results back next week.” “So, pretty much we’re still stuck at square one.” “Pretty much,” he said bitterly. “Killer, one. FBI, zero.” “Ugh!” I groaned, running my fingers through my hair frustratingly. “This sucks.” “Welcome to our world.” Skylar chuckled, as he tried lightening the mood. “Just please keep this from your mom,” he begged, pleading with me. I threw my head back in laughter. Out of all things they were scared off, they were afraid of my own mother. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on telling her.” “Good.” Skylar let out a sigh of relief. “We so don’t need her wrath.” “You mean I so don’t need her wrath,” I corrected. “If she finds out, you’re shit out of luck, and I’ll be force to drop out.” “Wow, Lily.” Demitri gasped in surprise. By the tone of his voice, I couldn’t tell if he was genuine or not. “And to think we had to force you to help us in the beginning.” “Hey.” I held my hand up. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m still shit scared, but I’m not going to turn my back on you guys just because the killer is on to us. Plus, if I give up now, he’s going to keep killing and killing.” “Don’t be scared,” he said, his voice softening. “We’re going to protect you. Mark my words. Skylar and I will never let him harm you.” “Yeah Lil.” Skylar smiled. “We’ll protect you even if it cost us our lives. You can count on it.” The corners of my lips rose up into a smile. They could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but they’re still family. And I knew they care about me. “Thanks guys.” “No problem,” they both said simultaneity before Demitri faced the front wheel and pulled away from the curb. We weren’t even on the road for a minute before I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket. Knowing that it was probably Megan wondering where I was, I took my phone out. My eyes widened when I didn’t see Megan’s name flashing across my screen. Instead it was Bradlee's. *** A/N: So, who do you think the killer is now!? Ian. Bradlee. Or . . . Hunter? Mmh... o.O Don't forget to comment if you enjoyed the chapter or liked the story so far! . . . , . To be continued

Let the story keep going, we ll know the killer as time goes on. Great job @Donwalter

Ride on i cant wait 2 find out who d killer is

Hmmmm the suspense in this story is much

Lol confused... We dnt even knw d killer

jamb quest.... #suspense

Oya na, next pls...

Hmmmmmmmm,am gona b so surprise if d killer z different from dese names here as d suspect

Hmmmmm interesting. ride on.

Still following

I think the killer is Hunter. More pls.. @donwalter

Chapter Twenty-Five . . . . . . . . . . *** Where are you? It was a simple text, yet terrifying at the same time. I could literally hear my heartbeat racing, as my heart pounded against my chest. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my sweaty palms together, as I held my phone tighter in my other hand. Exhaling, I opened my eyes to see another text message from Bradlee. Av? What happened? Hunter told me you were sick. I bit my lips, tapping my thumbs anxiously on my keyboard. Shit. What the hell should I even say to that? Maybe I should just ignore him and pretend I didn’t get it or— “What’s wrong?” Skylar asked, concern itching his voice. I paused mid-thought, cranking my neck around slowly to see his light eyes filled with worry. “You’d been staring at your phone for a while now . . .” “I—um, I don’t . . .” I started rambling before I gave out a loud sigh in defeat, and showed him the messages. His eyes squinted slightly as he read the messages before understanding dawned on his face. “Are you afraid of him now?” he asked quietly, watching me with calculating eyes. “You know we’re not sure about anything yet . . .” “I know, I just—” I paused, gathering up my thoughts, —“everything points to him, you know?” He lifted his brows in thought. “Do you honestly believe it’s him?” “I don’t even know anymore,” I told him honestly, as I pictured Bradlee’s face—his smile, those kind eyes of his, and his adorable dimples. I could stare at him for hours if I could. Just the thought of him alone made my breath hitched and my pulse excellerate. I knew I couldn’t deny it anymore. No matter how much I wanted to run away, no matter how much I knew I shouldn’t like him, I do. But then reality comes crashing down when I realized who I was thinking about. A suspect. A suspect that may have murdered six different girls in the last three months no less. A freaking serial killer for God sakes! And yet the feelings I get, were the same feelings I had when I was with that bastard. Maybe even more powerful, and that's saying something since I knew Dennis since I was little. “Lily—” he started saying before my phone buzzed, bringing my attention back to the small device. Seeing the words, Please Av. Answer me under his name practically skyrocketed my pulse rate. Feeling my cheeks heating up, I was completely and utterly conflicted. On one hand I was scared shitless but on the other hand I couldn’t help but be drawn to him. He sounded genuinely worried about me, and somehow that made me feel special. Special to know that I was the only one he’d actually cared for outside of his family. To know I was actually causing him these feelings warmed my heart. “Just answer him Lily,” Skylar said, probably seeing the confliction written across my face. I chewed on my bottom lip slowly, a bit unsure of what to do, but when he sent me a sad face a second later, I immediately rushed to answer him. Imagining his droopy eyelids, and his lips pulled down in a frown caused a stir in my heart—shattering any feelings of doubt I had. I knew I needed to answer him. I’m fine. I think it’s just some flu or something. Don’t worry about it. I quickly typed out before hitting send. I didn’t have to wait long before I received his reply: Where are you? I’m coming over. I gulped seeing his message. Shifting my eyes out the window nervously, I saw the street Warren blurred by quickly. Even if I wanted to tell him where I was, I honestly had no idea where I was going. For all I knew Demitri was going around in circles but then again it’s not like I knew my way around my neighborhood anyways. Every time I had to go somewhere, someone was always there to drive me to my desired location. Ah . . . in the car, I decided to text him instead. I knew I was being vague, but a small part of me didn’t want him to know my exact location. That part was probably the rational half of me. The half that was screaming at me to stay away from him—to keep my guard up at all times. I knew I was playing with fire here, and Bradlee was my poison. Hearing another buzz, I glanced down seeing the words: And that’s going where? I blew out a sigh, brushing the fallen piece of hair to the side. “Problem?” Skylar chuckled next to me, seeing my distressed state. I nodded. “He wants to know where I’m going. What do I even say?” I asked, hoping to God Skylar knew what to do, because I certainly didn’t. “Give him our address,” Demitri said instead, interrupting whatever Skylar was going to say. “What?” we both stressed out simultaneously. Seeing Skylar jaw dropped in the corner of my eye, I knew Skylar was just as surprised as I was. “Why should we do that?” Confusion laced his voice as he stared at the back of Demitri’s head eyeing him in the rear-view mirror. “Because,” Demitri said, “this is the perfect opportunity to get his DNA sample without being suspicious about it.” “But what if he sees you?” I asked, glancing at his profile, before he made a swift left. “Wouldn’t you risk blowing your cover?” “Nah.” He shook his head, before the car started slowing down to a stop. Cutting off the engine, I noticed we were right outside an apartment complex. Looping his keys around his fingers, Demitri cranked his neck to look at us. “Don’t worry about it,” he started saying, assuring us. “It’s not like the killer has seen either of our faces before. We could pretend we’re your older brothers coming back from college or something if he ask.” “We could, but the bigger problem here is that I’m not sick.” “You’d acted before,” he said without missing a beat in his sentence. “Make something up, and we’ll do the rest.” Seeing Skylar nodding his head to the idea, encouraging me to go along with it, I had no choice but to agree. “Fine, but don’t blame me if this plan of yours goes downhill.” He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a good opportunity for us.” “If you say so . . .” “It is,” he reassured me. “Once we get the DNA found on the note tested, we can rule out Ian if the DNA matches with the DNA found at the crime scene, and if Bradlee’s DNA comes back negative, we can rule him out too. Which will leave us with—” “—Hunter.” “Correct.” He smiled. “Which I’m sure we’ll find a way for that as well, especially since you’re his tutor.” “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I nodded slowly, hoping to God a miracle happens and the DNA comes back negative for all three of them. They’re honestly good people—and couldn’t possibly be pretending. But then again . . . Hunter does have that weird amnesia thing, while Ian has that weird split personality and Bradlee does have a record. Ugh, why does DNA results have to take so long to process? “—Apartment 13.” I managed to catch Demitri uttering the last bit of his sentence once I realized he was talking. Shaking my head, I came back to reality to realize he had given me their address. My lips formed an oval, as I laughed awkwardly. “Um . . . could you repeat that, but um, slower?” He rolled his eyes at me. By the annoyed glint in his eyes, I knew full well he knew I wasn’t listening to him. “1768, Orchard Road. Apartment 13,” he repeated deathly slow, making sure I had typed out the address correctly before I sent it to Bradlee. Once sent, I saw the speech bubble with the three little dots. I didn’t have to wait long before I saw his response: Got it. “He’s coming.” “Good.” Demitri’s lips pulled up into a smile. “Let’s head inside, and go over the game plan before suspect number one comes over.” I nodded, following both Demitri and Skylar out of their car. Heading up the two flight of stairs, my eyes focused in on the surprisingly clean patterned floorboards. No matter how much I looked I couldn’t find a speck of dirt in sight. Either the landlord keeps his or her complex super unblemished or the residents are neat-freaks. “Alright, here we are!” Demitri announced before apartment number thirteen. The door was painted a pale blue color with the number 13 painted in big blocky text. “Welcome to our temporary home,” he said, as he twisted his keys in the doorknob. Pushing the door open, Skylar strolled inside, before plopping his butt down on his living room couch. He gave out a tired sighed before shutting his eyes. “Temporary is right,” I commented, stepping inside. The apartment barely looked occupied, let alone lived in. It was mostly vacant save for the two couches, a big flat screen, and some random placed clothes here and there. Demitri shrugged, shutting the door before locking it. “It’s not like we’re going to be here for long. We only need the necessities.” “And your definition of necessities is a flat screen?” “Hey!” he yelled, sounding mildly offended. “I’ll have you know, that TV is hooked up to security tapes and equipment in the other room.” I blinked. “So, it’s for spying on people.” “Simply put, yeah.” “You’re such a total spy.” I laughed, taking my shoes off. “So where exactly is my room?” I asked, eyeing the space. The only doors I saw was the front door, and a brown wooden door off to the side that said closet. “You can take Skylar’s room for now. My room isn’t exactly the best place for Bradlee to be in.” I raised my brows to that. “Spy room?” He laughed but lowered his head in a nod. “Spy room.” “Alright. So, what exactly will I be doing?” “It’s simple really,” Demitri spoke, leaning against the cream-colored wallpaper. “You pretend to be sick. Say something that will make him touch the kitchen supplies, and while he’s with you, we’ll collect his fingerprints.” “How would you know he’s done though?” “Skylar will be in the living room. He can notified me.” At the mention of his name, his eyes snapped open, before going to an upright position. “Why can’t you do it?” he asked with a groan. “You’re more welcoming than I am,” Demitri pointed out. “Plus, I need to be in my room, checking in on Lily, while you stay guard.” “Fine,” he said before laying back down saying something about a raise, before shutting his eyes once more. I couldn’t help but laugh at this reaction. “So, Skylar, where exactly is your room?” “Down the hall, it’s the door at the end,” he said in the same position he was in just moments before. If it wasn’t for the slight movements of his chest rising, and falling I would probably think he’d stopped breathing. He was that still and unresponsive. Now I saw why he’s a FBI agent. “You better hurry before Bradlee gets here,” Demitri alerted me, rushing me forward. “I have no doubt in my mind he’s breaking the speed limit at the moment.” “How long does it usually take?” “Ten minutes, or so. He could probably get in oh—” He paused, glancing at his watch —“seven minutes.” My eyes widened. “Crap! I better—” The rest of my sentence was drowned out when the doorbell ring, signalling us that he was here. Hearing the pounding in my chest, I took deep even breaths, trying to stay calm. It’s just Bradlee, Lily. He’s not going to hurt you, and if he does, Skylar and Demitri will be watching. After settling down, I gave Demitri a slight nod before I ran towards the direction Skylar described earlier. Hearing Skylar’s name being called, I knew Demitri was also going to his respected room. Finding the door, I twisted the knob, and shut the door quickly. I didn’t even have time to look around before I dived for the bed, and threw the covers over me. I laid still, smelling the faint cologne of Skylar’s scent on his sheets. Thanking heavens that he didn’t drowned his body with the smell, I peeked my head out, trying to listen to any sound that would indicate Bradlee being near. But when I didn’t hear anything, I ducked my head fully out from the covers in confusion. Did Skylar not let him in? I gave it another minute before I pushed the covers back. My body was half way out of the bed when the door whipped opened. My eyes widened when I saw Bradlee, clearly standing there in all his glory. I gulped, seeing those electrifying eyes of his staring dead at me with concern, tenderness, and relief. “You shouldn’t be getting out of bed,” he whispered softly, before he rushed over towards me, and gently touched his hand with mine. I ducked my head down, gazing at his hand that shot sparks of electricity up my arm. “I, um . . . ah I wanted food,” I stuttered embarrassingly, making sure to make my voice sound a bit hoarse. “What do you want?” he asked, jumping at the opportunity to help me. His voice was practically coated with worry. I bit my lips, feeling ashamed. Here he was at my beck and call, and yet, I was lying my ass off. But, I knew it had to be done. I needed to know if he was the killer or not. “Ah, soup.” Peeking up slowly, I almost jumped back slightly seeing how close he'd gotten to me. If I wanted to, all I had to do was move my head up a bit, and our forehead would be touching. “Wait here, I’ll make you something,” he mumbled quietly, as I got a whiff of his minty breath. He smiled warmly at me before he ran his fingers through my hair, tugging it behind my ear. “I’ll be right back.” He retracted his fingers before he stood up, shoving his hands in his pocket. He gave me one last look, before he turned his back towards me and headed out the door. Once he was gone, I touched the spot his fingers had last been, before I felt the familiar heat rushing up my neck. He’d been so caring, so gentle. Almost like he was afraid to hurt me even though he barely touched me. There’s no way he was acting—he looked so genuine, so loving. Not even the best actors in the world could be that good at acting. His eyes would’ve given him away. And trust me, his eyes held so much warmth, it was almost breathtaking—to the point that I couldn’t even look at him. Sighing, I laid my head down on Skylar’s pillow, imagining those piercing blue eyes of his. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard the noises coming from the kitchen. I knew he was trying, I knew he was doing this for me. Even though he practically had no idea where anything was in the kitchen, he was still willing to listen to my request and make me food just because I was ‘sick’. I couldn't help but smile at that. The last thing I remembered hearing before I eventually blacked out was the faint sound of the door shutting and closing, and the soft voice of someone calling my name. My real name. . . . . . To be continued

Can't wait to know d killer o

Ur real name?????? Have been suspecting that Bradlee know who u re nd even ur mission bt was acting along as well..continue pls

I hav ds strong feeling dt d killer is Asher. I'm beginning to like ds Bradlee of a guy. He's so romantically unpredictable. D story is so interesting and I'm so in love wt it. Thumbs up @Donwalter, u're doing wonderfully well wt all ur stories. And I must say dt there's no piece of work 4rm u dt's not breathtakingly beautiful. U're one of my best writers and in case u never knew, I'm one of ur gr8st fans!

Who could that be???. Avery and Bradlee, i know something is fishy, continue your game and lets see who win. Next @donwalter

Who could that be??? Avery and Bradlee, i know something is fishy, continue with ur game and lets see who win. Next @donwalter

Yeepa....wu iz dis person nw???...dis suspense is much

Welldone @Donwalter u r one of d best,am nt gud in guessing so proceed on so we can kw who d killer is.....

Dis is mysterious I can't even understand again

9iz story keep it up

I guest Bradlee knows ur identity

oh my God who could dat b,i knw bradlee cnt b d killer nxt plz dis supense is killing me,welldone@Donwalter u ar d best

D suspect are d 3 guys now

Next ooooo please

Thumbs up.

@donwalter, u killing me softly with suspence. if truly one in the 3 is the killer, Ian is working with maybe asher. hes still my suspect. or if am to suspect bradlee, hes working wit lily's best friend, wats her name again? bradlee maybe a gud actor. must av plantd sometin on lily to knw her evry move as skyler n demitiri does. mi is waiting.

Who could the killer be?

waitinq 2 knw y she blacked out b4 hearinq her real name.

i dnt trust Asher. I will kip saying it until am proved wrong. So now who called her....??

It could be one of her cousins that called her name.

Wat has happen nw?

Oh nah.. Next,next,next U cnt evn guess where dis story is heading..

Chapter Twenty-Six . . . . . . . . . . Avery. I groaned once I heard my name, the inevitable dread of waking up filled my thoughts. I could literally feel the sunlight drifting in, causing the sudden glare in my vision. Rolling over, I blinked my lids rapidly, making out the shape of a blob sitting directly in front of me. The blob suddenly move, coming closer towards me. That’s when I smelt it. The fresh body odor that I was beginning to recognize as Bradlee’s. My eyes widened, gasping in shock as the situation dawned on me. Halting upright, I pulled the blankets closer towards my body, feeling the intense heat rising up to my cheeks. Ducking my head down in embarrassment, I started mumbling incoherent sentences under my breath, hoping to dear God I didn’t do anything humiliating while I was sleeping. How the hell did I even managed to fall asleep while waiting for him? “Um . . . I’m sorry,” I mumbled quietly, staring at the clear satin sheets, wishing it could just swallow me whole. Anything would be better than this. “Sorry, what?” he asked, as the bed dipped. Seeing his hand reaching out for mine, I let him, feeling the warmth of his body heat. “I couldn’t read your lips.” I shook my head, before I looked up, meeting those intense eyes of his surrounded by specks of green. “Nothing.” “You sure?” “Ah, yeah.” I nodded shyly, retracting my hand. “How long have I been asleep for?” He shrugged. “A few hours.” “A few hours!” I managed to choke out. “What time is it?!” My mom is going to kill me if she knew I skipped school! Pulling out his cellphone, he showed me the time, before I calmed down slightly. It was only two o’clock. Thank gosh. “Do you still want your soup?” Bradlee asked, as I gazed up at him. “I just finished reheating it up.” I bit my lips guilty, pulling at the metal rings. “Sorry you had to do that.” “I—ah.” He paused briefly, before shielding his face away from me. Coughing awkwardly he stood up abruptly, before he beelined towards Skylar’s desk on the other side of the room. I tilt my head in confusion at his weird behavior, watching him carefully as he brought the bowl of soup over. Sniffing the air, I smelled the sweet aroma of tomatoes combined with the earthy scent of basil mixed with a subtle hint of rosemary. My mouth watered hungrily, as I heard the distinct sound of a grumble. “—Here.” Bradlee placed the hot bowl of soup in my hands. “Hope you like tomato soup since I couldn’t make you Chicken soup . . .” I smiled gratefully at him. “It’s fine. I love tomato soup.” The corners of his lips tugged up into a smile, causing my breath to hitched in my throat. I swallowed hard, gulping at sudden change of mood in the atmosphere. All I could do was stare at Bradlee, and his breathtaking smile filled with exultation. “You know . . .” he whispered suddenly, flopping down next to me. “You’re really cute.” His hot breath tickled my ears, sending shots of shivers down my spine. My jaw dropped open at his confession, losing all coherent thoughts. Before I knew what was happening, the bowl of soup in my hand came crashing down, spilling its hot content all over my legs, burning me in the process. Letting out a high pitched scream, I shoved the blankets away from me trying to dab the scalding hot liquid soaking into my skin. “Shit.” I heard him curse before I was lifted into the air. Feeling his gentle hands underneath my legs and mid-back, I had to suck in a breath, trying not to blush at the way he was holding me. Like I was some porcelain doll that could break at any given moment if he wasn’t careful. Knowing that, it made the pain bearable. “Where’s your bathroom?” “Ah . . .” I thought for a moment, eliminating all the possibilities that couldn’t have been the bathroom. “There.” I pointed to the only other spare room that I didn’t see Demitri go into before, hoping I was right. When Bradlee kicked the room opened, I let out a breath of air, when I saw the bathtub. Thank God. Rushing in, he sat me down on the close-lid toilet seat, before turning the water on in the bath. Shutting the door, he looked through the cabinets, shoving every little object in his way. I frowned, seeing his face twisted up in worry. “I need you to take your leggings off,” he said, before producing a first aid-kit. I paused, as my mind tried to wrap around what he’d just said. “Excuse me?” He stood there stiffly, scratching the back of his head. “Ah, yeah . . . you have to run your legs under cold water, and um—” He paused, as I saw the red creeping up his neck, —“you need to ah, to—take that off,” he said, fumbling over his words. His eyes gazed down to my legs, before I saw the bead of sweat rolling down his neck, disappearing down his shirt. I chuckled at his shyness. It was honestly adorable. “Here.” He quickly took his leather jacket off, wrapping it around my shoulders. “Wear that. It’ll cover you.” I stared down at his jacket, pulling at the sleeves. Knowing that it’ll get wet—since it was so big on me—I shook my head giving it back to him. Reaching down, I pulled at my leggings, removing them completely. Discarding them to the side, I gave him a coy smile. “Don’t worry.” I laughed at his blushing face. “I still have my skirt on.” Bypassing him, I stepped inside the tub and sat on the edge running my legs under the cool water. The burning sensation started disappearing after a few seconds. Taking a closer look at the burn, it was only mildly red. When I didn’t see any white blisters, I smiled contently knowing that I didn’t have to go to the hospital. “Let it run for five minutes,” he instructed, as I felt my body stiffen at the sound of his voice. From the closeness of it, I knew he was right behind me. I nodded, unable to speak. Knowing that he was only an inch away from me—watching me, suddenly made it harder to breathe. And knowing the reason why we were here in the first place, made my already pounding heart skyrocket through the roof. He said I was cute. Me. Does that mean what I think it means? Could he perhaps like me as well? Is that why he was so caring? “Okay, you can come out now.” I blinked, coming back to reality. Twisting around, I saw him taking out some random cream from the box, before dabbing a small amount on the wound. His eyebrows arched down in concentration, making sure he’d covered the whole area with the cream. Cranking his neck, he reached down and picked up another tube from the first aid kit. Seeing the words antibiotic quickly, he applied a general amount over my legs, making sure to be gentle. Hearing his soft breathing, I tried my hardest not to squirm when I felt his breath blowing across my bare legs. But with his face so close, I couldn’t help but do exactly that. I’m surprised he hasn’t said anything about keeping still yet—I would’ve. “I couldn’t find any gauze lying around so this bandage will have to do,” he mumbled quietly—the only sound present was the bandage ripping apart, and the water still running in the background. “There.” He smiled, touching the bandage on my legs. Looking up, his light eyes met my gaze directly as his adam's apple bobbed up and down. Sucking in a gulp of air, I suddenly noticed how close Bradlee’s body was getting towards mine. I even started noticing the small birthmark right at the base where his collarbone meets his neck. For a fleeting moment, I wondered why I haven’t noticed that before. It was so prominent to not notice. “Avery,” he whispered, his voice low and raspy. Threading his fingers through my hair, he ran his fingers down my cheek, enlightening a weird bubbling feeling deep within me. Seeing his eyes clouded with want, he started leaning his head down. As our nose brushed, his warm breath blowing across my lips sent a current running through my body, heightening my beating heart. Just when our lips were about to touch, the door ripped opened, causing Bradlee to jump back in alarm, scrambling away from me like he was caught red-handed. “What are you guys doing?” Skylar asked, ruining whatever connection Bradlee and I just had moments before. “Nothing!” I laughed nervously, seeing Bradlee looking anywhere but at me. “Bradlee was just helping me since I burned myself.” His eyes widened, rushing towards me in consternation. “You burned yourself?!” “Unfortunately.” I blushed at my clumsiness. “But it’s okay. It wasn’t burnt that badly.” “Avery!” He looked up at me, his hands still lingering on my legs. “Why didn’t you wake me up?! Maybe we should—” The rest of his sentence got cut off when Bradlee stormed past us, lightly shoving Skylar on the way out. When we heard the front door slam seconds later, Skylar looked at me in confusion. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked, before we heard the muffled voice of none other than Demitri. Great. He probably saw everything. But when I looked up a moment later, I saw Demitri in the living room looking completely horrified—the complete opposite of what I thought he was going to look like. “Lily!” he barked my name, sounding panicked. “You have got to look at this.” “What?” “Just come on.” He waved his hand, motioning me forward in a rush. “Now!” “Fine.” I groaned getting up from my spot. Hearing loud footsteps behind me, I knew Skylar was following us. By the time I reached Demitri’s room, I gasped at the sight before me. And no, it wasn’t because of the high-tech equipment in the room, decorating literally every corner in the small room. No, it was the giant image displayed on his flat screen. Bradlee’s lips was practically near my lips. “The fucking suspect fell for you!” Demitri roared. “If I could’ve, I would’ve punched him for taking advantage of you!” “I-I—what?” was my intelligent response, glancing at the screen. “H-how?” “When he came in, he noticed you were sleeping. And after whispering something in your ear, he kissed you! I don't even care if it was just a kiss on the cheek! He still fucking—” My eyebrows scrunched down in confusion, drowning out Demitri's excessive yelling, as I tried to remember what Bradlee had said. My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. He had whispered my name. My real name. Shit. He actually knows. Before I even had the chance to panic and go into a frenzy mess, I felt the vibrating sensation in my pocket, pausing my train of thought. Taking it out swiftly, I saw an unknown number flashing across my screen. Clicking on it, my eyes widened in further fear as I saw the words: I didn’t know my note would scared you that much, Avery. Or should I say, Lily. It was fun watching you squirm. ;) Bye, bye for now. . . . . . To be continued

He knows d real u... Wu d hell z dx caller.

yea he knows who u're

D person really knows u just have to be extra careful now am confused who could the caller be

And also bradlee dis is d second time he will cook for u nd u wont eat it am suspeting dat too

I thought as much, he knows much about u. he is d killer

#uhmmm

You have to be careful with this guy called Bradlee oooooo.

He knwz ua real name babe....... B real careful

Wow..well Bradlee might nt be d killer just cos he knws ur real name.. remember he has a picture of u in his room,he sure might knw everything abt u including ur middle name..

Bradlee, pls don' t be the freaking killer oo. Avery watch ur back, you haven' t know who the killer is, so don' t trust anybody

This is getting tough. Who d hell is the killer

am still suspecting Hunter is the killer

ok, he know the real you. But who could be scaring u

seriously ehn, avery {lily} ur friend is also a suspect. i tink she must av put d note there

bradlee cn knw ur real name bt it cnt b d killer just b careful because u av nt knw d killer nd also i suspect megan also becos she knw abt ur plan also just b careful wit her also

I'm nt even suspectn any of d 3 suspects... Cos I dnt think any of dem is d killer.. Patience is wah matters ryt nw.. @Donwalter ride on

Remember the identity of the person that sent the text was not disclosed. for me Bradlee couldn't be the killer

Hmmm dis is realy hard 2 predict,i wonder who d damn killer is cant jst wait 2 find out,avery should jst b careful cos d killer kws her pretty wel 9ice 1 @donwalter next plss

Can't predict, Next pls,

Chapter Twenty Seven . . . . . . . . . . I didn't know my note would scared you that much, Avery. Or should I say, Lily. It was fun watching you squirm. ;) Bye, bye for now. Letting out an ear-piercing scream, Demitri and Skylar both covered their ears as they tried to escape the thunderous sound. As their eyes met mine, I could clearly see the emotions flashing through their light colored eyes—confusion, worry, and discomfort. Creasing my screams, I bit my lips, ducking my head in guilt. Chewing on the fake metal piercings, my eyes flickered to my phone seeing the text message clearly displayed on my screen. The name ‘Unknown’ still flashed at me like a big neon sign, sending every hair on my body standing upwards in attention. I sucked in a breath, hearing my own heartbeat booming in my ears, pounding a million miles a minute. “What in the world happened?” Demitri was the first to ask. “I—phone—him,” I managed to squeaked out, as my body trembled with fear. He knows. The freaking killer knows who I am! Gulping loudly, I felt the cold sweat dripping down my forehead, as the temperature in the room started rising higher and higher—to the point that I was gasping for air. Wheezing uncontrollably, I breathed heavily as my cousins patted my back, instructing me to take deep even breaths. Once I was able to get my breathing under control, Demitri lead me away from his room, and sat me down on the living room couch. “Are you alright now?” Skylar asked softly, as he knelt down in front of me. I nodded my head, as I managed to flash him a weak smile. “Yeah,” I said quietly, “Thanks.” He returned my smile with ease. “No problem,” he said before his eyebrows dipped down in confusion. “Why were you screaming earlier though?” “The killer.” Skylar’s eyes flickered with beliwerement, as he tilted his head to the right. “What about the killer?” Skylar asked, as I saw Demitri taking the seat next to me in the corner of my eye. Leaning his body closer towards me, he placed his hands on his lap. “He knows . . .” I mumbled softly, as my eyes wandered back to my phone in my hand. Gripping the device tight, I saw them eyeing my phone for a split second before they directed their attention back towards me. “Knows what?” Demitri asked, equally as confused as Skylar—maybe even more so by the tone of his voice. “He knows who I am!” I shouted out loud, throwing my hands up in emphasis. “What?!” they both shouted in unison, eyes-widening in fright. “How?” Demitri whispered right afterwards. His eyebrows scrunched down, looking completely lost in thought, probably contemplating every possibilities he could come up with. “I don’t know!” I blared, hearing the sound of my own heartbeat quickening. “He just texted me, calling me Lily a few minutes ago.” Demitri snapped his head up at me in alarm. “How the hell did he even get your number?!” “I don’t know!” I repeated, hearing the blood rushing through my head. My pulse began to pound in my throat, as my breath stalled. Skylar immediately started whispering words of comfort, calming me down slightly as he began rubbing soothing circles on my back. I whispered a soft thank you, watching his grey eyes lit up in warmth. His kind, honest eyes made me pause for a second and really think. Why am I reacting like this? I shouldn’tbe scared. I shouldn’t be worried. Not with the FBI backing me up in this. Not when they’re my family. And not when they’d promised me to protect me with their lives. If they trust me with this mission, I should trust them to keep me safe. “Lily,” Demitri spoke, catching me off guard. I took a deep breath—pushing the killer’s words to the back of my mind, before looking at Demitri. “What is it?” I asked, my voice steady. I smiled faintly at that, pleased I wasn’t stuttering anymore. “Let me see the text.” I lowered my head in a nod, as Skylar took the phone from me. Passing it along to Demitri, he glanced at the phone, letting out a string of curses. “Damn it! He’s fucking smart,” Demitri uttered under his breath in spite. “He used a burner phone too.” “And from the looks of it,” Skylar said, as he glanced over at Demitri’s hand, “whoever sent you that text saw you take that note out of your locker.” My eyes bugged out when realization dawned on me. “—H-hunter?” Skylar nodded. “That or Bradlee was hiding around the corner.” “But—” “Shit!” Demitri shouted out of nowhere, drowning the rest of my sentence off. We both glanced at him in confusion, seeing his gaze on my phone. “We need to leave now!” he said urgently, before getting up on his feet. Tossing my phone back my way, my eyebrows scrunched down at his actions, before I jolted up from my seat in literally one second flat. “Crap! It’s half past two!” I yelled in horror. “My mom is going to kill us for skipping school!” “Not if we leave now!” Demitri said, as he started running towards front entrance. Cranking his neck around, he motioned his hands at us. “Well, come on!” he shouted, “don’t just stand there!” Nodding our heads quickly, we followed his lead, heading outside. Hearing a quick twist of a lock, followed by heavy footsteps, I saw Skylar’s body outline in the corner of my eye. “Do you think we’ll even make it?” I asked, directing the question at Demitri, as we ran down the two flights of stairs. Demitri quickly glanced at me before looking down at the weirdly cleaned floorboards. “If we hurry, yes.” I lowered my head in a nod, hoping to dear God he was right. Because if he wasn’t . . . my mom will most likely have their heads. Ever since Isabella and John left the house, she’d gotten a lot more stricter towards the whole school thing. Why? I have no freaking clue. A part of me thinks that Megan’s philosophy in life rubbed off on her when she moved in with us after my sister Isabella, married her brother but then again, it could be just my mom being my mom. Whatever it is, the timing was really shitty. Once we were all buckled in our respective seats, Demitri made a swift U-turn before he really stepped on the gas and cranked up the speed. My hand automatically shot forward, grabbing onto the seat’s handle in front of me, as I held on for dear life. Shutting my eyes in agitation, I counted down the minutes, trying to breath in and out. Demitri was literally going 80mph in a 35 zone. If he wasn’t a FBI agent on a mission, there’s no doubt in my mind he would’ve been pulled over. But then again . . . we were at a dead zone. There were literally no cars on the streets. By the time we arrived at the entrance of the school, we had five minutes before school let out. Knowing my mom, she was already waiting in the parking lot patiently, probably reading a book or something. “Go through the backway,” Skylar advised probably thinking the same thing as me. “Find Megan, and then head outside. We’ll be down the street.” I smiled gratefully at him, before sliding the door open. “Wait—” Demitri muttered, halting my steps. I paused my feet on the ground, turning around. “Yeah?” “Have Skylar take you there. It’s highly unlikely the killer is outside, but I’m not taking any chances.” Skylar’s eyes lowered down in guilt, rolling his bottom lip in his mouth. “Sorry, Lily,” he said in remorse. “I shouldn’t have—” “—It’s not a problem, Skylar.” When his expression didn’t change, I gave him smile. “Really,” I assured him, causing him to smile softly in return. “Thanks.” “Hurry,” Demitri said crucially. “I’ll be in my usual spot, Skylar.” Demitri waited until Skylar was out of the car, before driving down the street, most likely parking at the empty parking lot around the corner. “Alright, let’s hurry before the bell rings,” Skylar said, taking my hand in his, and pulling me forward. I let him lead me, as we rounded around the building, towards the back entrance. Skylar made sure no one was around before twisting the handle. As he opened the door a crack, he looked inside before he held the door wider for me. “The coast is clear. Text Megan to meet you by your locker or something.” I nodded, texting her. Heading inside, the hallway started piling up with students as the final bell rang loudly throughout the building. Glancing behind, Skylar was still there, with the door slightly ajar. I shook my head, smiling. He really did care. By the time I got to my locker, Megan had texted back: On my way. Pocketing my phone, I made sure to lay low, avoiding everyone in sight. Once I saw the familiar long blonde locks coming around the corner, I smiled, coming out of my hiding spot. Her smile widened when she noticed me, pulling me into a hug. I sighed contently, needing her comfort more than ever now. Being around her just made me immediately relaxed—washing away any ill thoughts about the killer. I knew she would keep me safe. “How did it go?” she asked, probably referring to the whole Ian situation. Glancing around, I saw some faces I’d recognized from my early morning classes. Biting my lip, I motioned my hand to follow me. She raised her eyebrows in question, but she trailed behind me nevertheless. When we reached the girl’s bathroom, I checked the stalls, making sure we were completely alone before glancing at Megan. “It was a total misunderstanding.” I sighed, leaning against the door, blocking anyone out. “His sister got into a fight with her boyfriend or something, and Ian was defending her.” Her face twisted up in further confusion at my response. “If that was the case why didn’t you come back to school?” she asked, questionably. “Hunter couldn’t stop bugging me about it.” Her eyes rolled in annoyance—but I knew deep down she was screaming in joy that Hunter had talked to her. If I knew my best friend, and I did, her feelings went a little bit past friendship. “Ah . . . that’s the thing,” I started out nervously, not entirely sure how much information I should give out. I knew Demitri and Skylar said not to tell her about the note, but it’s not like I can lie to her about it. She’ll catch me red-handed. “I did come back, but then I—ah found something.” “What?” she pressed on. “A little gift from the killer,” I decided to say instead. She didn’t need to know the context of the note nor the fact that he had my number—whoever he is. She gasped in horror, her big blue eyes widening. “What!? He knows?!” “I—um, I think so.” “Lily!” She pulled me forward, shaking my shoulder. “We need to tell someone!” she said in a panic. “Maybe your mom!” she rushed out, “maybe she can convince your cousins to—” “—Megan I can’t give up now,” I cut her off. “But you could get hurt!” she shouted, as I saw the water pooling around her eyes. “I-I can’t want to lose you too.” I bit my lips in guilt. Knowing that Megan and her brother grew up without their parents, still brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t even imagine losing your own parents at such a tender age. “Megan,” I said softly, lowering my voice. “You’re not going to lose me.” She shook her head in denial. “Lily! This is dangerous! I know it’s school, but what if he really does try to do something!? What if you got h-hurt?” She choked on her last word. “That’s why I need your help.” “Huh?” She paused at the new information. “My help? What good will I do?” “Skylar and Demitri are sending in backup tomorrow,” I explained erasing some of the confusion expressed on her face, “and Skylar is also going undercover with me.” “He is?” she asked, as her tense body started relaxing slightly at the revelation. I nodded. “Yeah. He’s going to pose as a janitor but I need someone to walk with me to and from classes. They don’t want me alone anymore.” “Got it,” she said quickly. “Say no more. I’ll do anything to keep you safe.” “Thanks Megan.” I smiled, giving her another hug. “I owe you big time.” She chuckled, feeling her chest vibrating with laugher. “You so do.” Pulling out of the hug, she looked at me, the tears completely gone. “So, anything else happened today?” Keeping my face as normal as possible, I shook my head. There’s no way I was going to explain the Bradlee situation to her. That’s way too embarrassing! “Ah, no,” I said trying to keep my voice as even and monotony as possible. “Not really. You?” “Eh.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing compared to you, but I did get an A on my musical theory exam.” “That’s great Megan!” I cheered, as my lips pulled up into a proud smile. She was worrying about that exam for weeks. “Did you tell your brother the news?” “Texted him right away.” I smiled. I should’ve known she would. Even though her brother was eight years older than her, they still had one of the tightest bonds a pair of siblings could have. “How exactly is he doing by the way?” I asked. “He’s doing awesome!” She smiled widely just thinking about her brother, Thomas. “I think he got your sister pregnant again though . . .” she said whispering the last part under her breath, like a secret of some sort. My eyes widened at the news. “Seriously?!” She nodded excitedly. “It’s not for sure yet. He told me to keep it on the down low until they double check next week.” “Are they going to visit the doctor?” “Yup!” she exclaimed. “If it’s positive they’re planning on telling everyone during Christmas when they visit.” “My mom will totally be ecstatic to hear they're going to have another grandchild!” I squealed happily. Finally, some news that doesn’t give me a heart attack or drives me into a panic attack. “I know!” Megan blared, throwing her arms up. “Especially if the baby is anything like Viktoria or Clover.” “Viktoria is definitely turning out like her mom, Amanda though.” “I think John secretly wishes Viktoria was a boy,” Megan pointed out, chuckling. “Please.” I rolled my eyes, laughing. “Everyone knows my brother wanted a boy.” “And yet, he showers her like crazy.” “You mean in the same way your brother spoils Clover?” I raised a brow at her. “Okay . . . I guess both of our brothers are weird like that,” she confessed, chucking. “Agreed.” I laughed. “Anyways,” I said, pulling out my phone. “Let’s hurry before my mom starts tearing down the whole school looking for us.” “Aw.” She pouted. “I actually wanted to see that.” We both threw our heads back in laughter at that crazy thought. Throwing my arm around her shoulder, we walked side by side to the parking lot. I smiled happily, knowing that even though everything is going to shit with the whole-killer-finding-about-me thing, I knew everything would eventually run it's course. I had my family, my best friend and my cousins to protect me. Whoever he was, I wasn’t going to let him kill two more innocent girls next month. *** A/N: For those who didn't read the prequels to this story, Megan and Lily are best friends. Megan's older brother Thomas married Lily's older sister Isabella. So they're in-laws. Lily's older brother John (who is the oldest in the family) married Amanda (Isabella's best friend). They have a girl named Viktoria. Thomas and Isabella has a daughter named Clover. Hopefully that clears things up if you lost track of that in the chapter! :) Don't forget to comment! And I'll try update asap! . . . . . To be continued.

Woooowwww.... this story is too much... I love everything about it... well done @Donwalter next pls

I 2 much gbadun dis story.....

Ride on

i love every bit of d story.

@Softie is also avin a nice time reading the story, as @Donwalter is having a great time posting the story. Kwuaaa! Anyway, thanks @Donwalter. Next episode pls

Following.. Next!!

Wow am falling in love wit the story cnt wait to find out the killer. Next episode plssssssss.

still Loving it,continue

It either ian or hunter.... I dnt tink bradlee z d killer, but who knws

You ar doin a niz job

Nyc story,tnx 4 d explanation @Donwalter

am loving dis story. I wish u could be updating everyday @donwalter

No more quessinq aqain... Whoever z d killer we wil know letta... Just kip updatinq.

The suspense in this story is much. Ride on pls!

i dy gbadun ur story ride on bros

Another episode loading

Chapter Twenty-Eight . . . . . . .. . . . It’d been four days since the whole killer-finding-about-my-real-identity-mess, and so far, nothing. With my cousins tightening up security and Megan sticking to me like glue, the killer hasn’t left me any messages. No note, letters, or texts. In fact, Bradlee hasn’t even been in school for the past few days. The last time I saw him was when he took care of me, and that was on Monday. And surprisingly Hunter hasn’t been showing up either. It’s like they both disappeared altogether. The only person that even showed up to school was Ian. He was back to his cheerful, upbeat self, skipping around in hallways, and singing to his hearts content. When he saw me on Tuesday, he practically tackled me in the hallway, screaming about how much he’d missed me. After letting go, he started apologizing like a crazy person for leaving us in the middle of lunch. And since then he hasn’t left my side either. At first, I was a little bit apprehensive about it, but with my cousins and their fellow agents watching his every move, I knew nothing bad would happen. And so far . . . nothing did. Both Demitri and Skylar were ninety percent positive that the killer wasn’t Ian anymore. Their money was on Hunter, but if they knew that Bradlee whispered my actual name . . . they’ll jump to conclusions and arrest him on the spot. I knew I was crazy for keeping this information from them, but for some reason I couldn’t say anything. Every time I opened my mouth, my heart would scream at me to stop. Like, it wanted to protect Bradlee in a way. Even though I knew it was wrong, I still couldn’t do it. But it wasn’t like I was going to keep this secret forever. Once the DNA results gets back to the agency next week, they’ll have their conclusion. And if Bradlee’s DNA matches with the DNA found at the crime scene, then I’ll confront him about it. But into then, I’ll keep on hoping—hoping for his sake that he wasn’t the killer. “Alright, Avery,” Megan said, her voice snapping me back to reality. My lids blinked rapidly when realization hit me—class was starting. “I’ll see you after class.” She gave me a wide smile, pulling me into a quick hug before she rushed off to her first class of the day. When I saw Skylar in the corner of my eye, mopping some invisible dirt away, I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly before heading inside the classroom. My eyes widened immediately in surprise when I saw Bradlee sitting in his regular seat all the way in the back lab tables. Sucking in a big gulp of air, my smile vanished when I took in his physical state. His arms were covered in white elastic bandages, and from what I could tell, his face took a nasty beating from something or someone. As I got closer towards him, his wounds became more visible and more prominent. My heart spiraled into a deep abyss when I saw the skin under his right eye in a sickly dark blue color—my heart raged with burning desire to find the person responsible for this. Feeling a sharp pain shooting up my arms, I looked down to see my knuckles turning white as my nails digged slowly into the palm of my hand—enough to draw blood. Cursing slightly under my breath, I looked up to see Bradlee glancing at me. His eyes quickly drew towards my hands before looking directly at me. I didn’t have to look twice to know the warmth they once held was gone. Instead they held a deep hatred—as they burned with anger, seething with disappointment, and revenge? “B-bradlee?” His eyes flashed suddenly, looking like he was about to say something before he decided against it. Shaking his head, he ducked his head down, ignoring me completely. My jaw dropped, completely shocked. H-h-he ignored me. Did something happened while he was away? Was he taking his anger out of me? Or was that anger in his eyes directed at me? Is that way he’s ignoring me? Because he’s mad? But what did I do . . . ? “Seems to me he hates you.” Kimberly snickered loudly. Shutting my eyes, I pushed her annoying voice to the back of my mind. Don’t listen to her, Lily—“But then again, I don’t even see how someone like him could even like someone like you.” She chuckled, flipping her long ponytail behind her, her wild hair hitting me square in the face. Whipping around, my eyes narrowed down in vexation staring down at her stupid face covered in a boat load of makeup. Her lips drew up into a smirk, as she lifted her perfectly shaped eyebrows at me, awaiting my next move. “Listen here barbie—” “No,” she snapped, her eyes cutting into slits. “Why don’t you—” “—How about you both cut it out before I send you both to the office?” Mr. Meyer suggested suddenly, his voice booming with authority. “But—” Kimberly pouted, glancing at him in horror. “Enough Kimberly,” Mr. Meyer said before he glanced at me. “Now take your seat Avery. Class is about to start, and I don’t know about you, but I have a lesson to teach.” “Yes, Mr. Meyer,” we both said simultaneously, before I slowly headed towards my seat. Taking the chair in front of Bradlee, I saw the small flicker of acknowledgement when I took out my notebook from my bag before he went back to staring at his phone. Groaning in annoyance, I turned my back towards Bradlee, bringing my notebook with me. If he’s giving me the silent treatment, so can I. Let’s see how he likes it. “Now, since that’s taken care of,” Mr. Meyer announced, eyeing Kimberly and I. “Shall we get started with Protistas?” “Mr. Meyer,” a student I recognized as Emma called out, raised her hand. Mr. Meyer directed his attention towards her, motioning his hand for her to go on. “Um, when exactly is the midterm for this class?” she asked quietly—softly enough that I almost didn’t hear her. “Two weeks after you get back from winter break,” he answered her, earning some groans throughout the class. “We’ll do some review before the exam though, but first we have to get through this chapter,” he said before turning on the smartboard. “Can anyone tell me the three subgroups as we wait for this to load?” “Ah, I know Protozoans is one of them from regular biology class,” Emma answered shyly. He smiled, praising her on her incredible memory. “Alright, anyone else know the other two?” “Algaes?” a guy named Brandon guessed. “Great!” Mr. Meyer smiled widely. “And the last one?” When no one answered, I raised my hand, hearing a snort from Kimberly. I rolled my eyes at her, calling out, “Slime Molds.” “That’s correct Avery.” He nodded in satisfaction. “I’m glad some of you are actually retraining the information you learned in middle school.” Once the smartboard loaded up completely, he snatched his clicker off his desk, opening up PowerPoint. “Now, let’s start diving into the lineages of the first subgroup, algae, a plant like protists. The first lineage is known as Alveolata. Can anyone tell me anything about them?” Even though I already knew its phylum was Dinoflagellata, I didn’t want to seem like a know-it-all so I decided to stay quiet like the rest of the class. I already had Kimberly hating on me, I didn’t need the rest of the class to join in on her torture. When no one answered, he flipped towards the slide with the answer. Seeing the word Dinoflagellata underneath Alveolata, I smiled, glad I was correct. As I copied down the slide, he flipped to the next page, going through the different types of photosynthetic pigments, and how algaes are being distinguished by their pigment color. Once he started talking about the different colored chlorophyll each algae could have, I started zoning out, listening to the rapid scribbling my classmates were making, as they took notes. It wasn’t until half past eight when someone decided to text me, as I felt the vibration in my blazer’s pocket. Making sure to hide my phone under my notebook, I quickly typed in my password to see a text message from Ian saying he’ll meet me after class in five minutes. Grinning happily, I texted him back quickly, before stuffing my phone back inside my pocket. “Alright guys, since there’s only a few minutes of class—” the teacher started saying before we heard a loud crash, drowning the rest of Mr. Meyer’s sentence out. Cranking my neck around I saw Bradlee with his backpack swung over his shoulder, and his chair knocked over on the floor. His face was blanked with emotions, as he looked at no one in particular. Glancing closely at his face, his eyes were fuel with hatred—his once light blue eyes flashing black. “Bradlee, class isn’t over yet, could you please take a seat—” Mr. Meyer started out saying before Bradlee completely ignored his orders and headed straight for the door, brushing past me, as he hit me square in the shoulders. Chewing on my bottom lip, I stared blankly at the space he was just in moments before. Holding back my tears, I held my emotions in check. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t cry. So what if he practically ignored me? So what if he practically started being cold to me for no apparent reason? It’s not like he meant anything to me! He’s just a suspect! Nothing more, nothing less! B-but then why do I want to cry so badly? Why is he effecting me this much?! “Bradlee?!” our teacher continued talking, trying to get his attention. “Are you even listening to me? Bradlee—” he yelled before I heard a loud slam, cutting off Mr. Meyer’s efforts in getting him to stay. “What in the world happened to that boy?” I heard him ask. Turning around, I saw Mr. Meyer shaking his head in disappointment, looking directly at the now closed door. “I heard he got arrested again,” someone whispered, piquing my interest. My eyes flashed towards the direction of that voice. Seeing Kasey, I sneered, already hating him. “Yeah,” someone piped in. “I also heard he got into a fight with some gang member downtown, and that’s how he ended up in the hospital looking like that.” “Yeah, right.” Kimberly laughed. “My Bradlee isn’t the type of person to fight like that!” “Your Bradlee?” Kasey chuckled throwing his head back in laughter. “That guy is a fucking joke! He’s lucky he’s Hunter’s twin, otherwise he wouldn’t have lasted this long. The guy’s practically a mute and a freaking freak at that!” “Shut up!” I barked, drawing the attention of everyone in the classroom, cutting off whatever Mr. Meyer was going to say next. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that!” My voice echoed off the walls, as I stomped my way towards him. “You know nothing about him!” He raised a brow. “And you do?” “More than you!” I yelled back, jabbing his chest. He eyed me angrily, looking like he wanted to slap me. “So, do yourself a favor and stop making up lies about Bradlee!” He laughed. “You do realize that guy once got arrested for beating up an innocent kid for no apparent reason right? That guy is the bad guy. I don’t need to make up lies when they’re true.” “No, they’re not!” “Why don’t you tell that to the kid he'd beat up last year then?” I shook my head, not believing his lies. “There has to be a reason why—” “—There isn’t. The kid just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And Bradlee decided to take his anger out on him.” Kasey’s green eyes darkened with fury. “If I were you, I’ll stay away from him. Sooner or later, he’ll turn on you.” “No!” I screeched out, pushing past him.I had enough of him and his lies. “You’re wrong!” Grabbing my bag, I ran after Bradlee, racing down the hallway. There’s no way he’s right! No. Fucking. Way. Bradlee would never do that. There must be a reason why. Something must’ve happened this past week to make him this enraged. He’s not the type to act irrationally like that. Whatever happened must’ve been really bad to make him so distant, so cold like that. Hearing rapid footsteps behind me, I looked back to see Skylar keeping up with me as he dragged his mop behind him. He paused, making sure to keep a safe distance from me. Keeping his head down, he busied himself, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Seeing no signs of Bradlee, I was about to give up when I saw Hunter walking down the staircase, looking completely drained. He looked just as bad as Bradlee—well minus the black eye and bandages. My smile widened, seeing him. Maybe he’ll know. “Hunter!” His head snapped up seeing me. “Avery, why are—” “—What happened to Bradlee?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. He looked bewildered. “What?” “What happened to Bradlee?” I repeated. “Why is he so cold? And what the hell happened to his face and arms?!” His face paled. “I, ah, I don’t think I can—” “—Cut the excuses,” I interrupted his blabbing. “Just tell me, Hunter.” When it didn’t look like he going to say anything, I pressed on. “Please, Hunter,” I begged, grabbing onto his arm. He looked down, scratching the back of his head, looking conflicted. “I need to know why he’s being so distant suddenly, please,” I whispered softly. He sighed after a few moments of hesitation. “Alright, fine.” Taking a few steps towards me, he eyed me carefully before he started talking again. “All I know is that my siblings decided to take a little trip down to Pennsylvania—something about finding some people, and well . . . they ran into some problems, and Bradlee was badly injured and was thrown in jail as a result. Since my parents were away, we couldn’t bail him out until they came back from their business trip, so he was stuck in Pennsylvania for a few days.” “So, that’s the reason why you guys were gone all week?” He nodded. “Pretty much.” “And you have no idea why he’s like that?” He shook his head dejectedly. “No, but I don’t think it was the trip that cause his anger. He was already like this before he left.” My eyes widened. Could it be? Could his anger really be directed at me then? “W-what?” “He was like that on Monday, before he left,” Hunter repeated, confirming my fears. “M-monday?” “Yeah, Monday. It wasn’t nearly as bad, but he was still pretty livid,” he explained before grasping my shoulder. I automatically shut my eyes, awaiting an impact, but when nothing came, I opened my eyes to see Hunter smiling softly at me with those chocolate brown eyes of his. “Anyways for now, it would be best to just stay clear of him. I’ll see if I can talk some sense into him.” I returned his smile with one of my own. “Thanks Hunter, for everything.” “No problem.” He laughed. “I’ll see you at lunch.” He patted my shoulder before stuffing his hands inside his pockets. Once he left, the smile dropped from my face. Could Bradlee really be incensed at me? Maybe he’s mad at the fact that I lied to him? Or maybe he’s mad because I— I let out a yelp, jumping nearly two feet in the air when the vibrations from my blazer’s pocket scared the living daylights out of me. Breathing calmly, I took my phone out knowing it was probably Ian or Megan asking where I was. But when I saw the name ‘Unknown’ flashing across the screen, my heart kicked into overdrive, and when I clicked on the message, I almost fainted in fear. You’re a fucking liar Lily and I will expose you. *** A/N: Please don't forget to leave a comment if you enjoyed the chapter/story so far! I really appreciate it if you do! What exactly do you think happened to Bradlee?! And who's sending these text messages to Lily? Any guesses? . . . . . To be continued

Gang gang nw d story don dey over swt

Most of d episodes re jst pointin 2 bradlee being d killer i jst hope its nt bradlee i realy hp so next pls

I think those messages were sent by Hunters sister,my guess though

no idea who is behind all these msgs. Pls dnt make it too long b4 u drop d next episode @Donwalter

Can't guess

am enjoy dis i cnt guess who d killer is becos in d story everytin is just pointing at bradlee

I think we dont need to guess again, since everything will be disclose as long as u keep posting the story. Great job u really did @Donwalter.

I also fink itz Bradlee 2

So complicated!

It's Bradlee, next pls

Thumb up @Donwalter. I guess Bradlee is d killer

No other person dan bradlee

No idea... So no 4 quessin

Just continue @Donwalter am nt gud in guess...nyc story so far thuo d suspence is too much

Pls @Donwalter, d story is taking too long. You hav stopped updating everyday, why? If u keep on updating twice a wk, u'll end up killing some of ur fans who expect to see ur update everyday and who ar already dying in d suspense u're creating wt ds ur story. Pls more updates.

I think Bradlee and his sister went to Pennsylvania to investigate something abt the killer is. I don't think Bradlee's a bad person, no matter wht ppl think of him. It's either Ian or none of d trio.

Itz from KASEY

it's getting hotter and hotter... next pls

Who is the killer now?

Wao! This story is kinda hot, though I missed it long tym. I think the killer should be Kasey nd if not bradlee

@Donwalter, pls try to update everyday. This suspense is killing.

#speechless dis story is 2 full of suspense o

@Donwalter pls post anoda episode

Chapter Twenty-Nine . . . . . . . . . . You're a fucking liar Lily, and I will expose you. My breath quickened, feeling the sudden bloom of heat across my face. Hearing the pounding of my heart, I felt my chest tightening up making it harder and harder to breath. Taking deep shallow breaths, my vision started to blur, as the world around me started to spin. Feeling the cold metal on my bare hands, my back touched the cool surface, leaning against it for support. Seeing the movement of a shadow in the corner of my eye, my breath hitched before I saw Skylar's face. Visibly relaxing at the sight of him, his eyes shone with worry, glancing at me with concern. "Are you okay?" he spoke softly. "H-he-message-again," I spluttered, while pointing at my phone. It didn't take long for understanding to cross his face, before he took my phone from my grasp. His eyes soon mirrored mine, as they flashed with fear before they suddenly turned into anger. "It's definitely Hunter," Skylar said looking dead at me. "I saw him taking his phone out just a second ago before he left." "But I have Hunter's number," I said confidently this time. I wasn't sure why I was defending Hunter, but I was positive it wasn't him. No one can fake that amount of sincerity. "It's a burner phone. Even if you have his number, it'll show up as unknown." "Even so, that's totally unlike him—" "—Remember how he acted when you first met him?" Skylar pointed out, shutting me up. "Maybe he's been acting all along?" "I-I-I don't know what to say to that. . ." I was completely torn. Skylar was right. The way he acted when we first met was completely different from the way he's acting now. But then again . . . he did say he was having a bad day. Was he lying about that too? "You don't have to say anything. We'll find out for sure on Monday," he reassured me, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "Until then, let's just hope he doesn't go through with his plan." "What if he does?" I asked nervously. "What if he expose me? I'll have to leave if he does . . ." "At this point, it's okay if you leave. We already have DNA and fingerprint samples from both Bradlee and Ian. We just need the results," Skylar said, patting my back. "We just have to keep you safe until then." "But what if the results comes back negative for Bradlee and Ian? We still need evidence that it's Hunter." "Don't worry, Avery." He smiled. "When the time comes we'll figure that out. But until then you need to get back to class before Megan starts freaking out." The corners of my mouth lifted up into a smile, as I pictured Megan screaming bloody murder in the hallway. "Yeah, you're right." I nodded. "And you better go back to mopping floors before someone see you talking to me," I said jokingly. "Oh don't worry about me." He chuckled. "I'm just glad you're okay." "I'm fine now." I gave him a closed-mouth smile. "Thanks cousin of mine." His lips stretched out into a full-blown smile. "You finally admitted we're related." "I admitted it a long time ago, just never out loud." I laughed. "Anyways, we should go before the bell rings." He agreed, tagging along. Keeping a safe distance behind me, he kept his head down, while watching me carefully. As I headed back to Mr. Meyer's classroom, students started piling out one by one before I saw Kasey eyeing me. I gulped, seeing his green eyes livid staring directly at me. "You know, I don't understand why you defended him like that." "You know," I copied his tone. "I don't understand why you had to be a jerk about it," I shot back, crossing my arms across my chest. "Me?" He pointed to himself. "I was just stating the truth." "Rumors," I corrected. "Rumors?" He laughed. "Avery." I shook violently hearing my name coming out of his mouth. The way he said my name wasn't right; it almost sent a chill up my spine. "You'd been here for what? Two weeks? You know nothing about him," he spat his last sentence out. "And like I said before, I know more about him than you do." I sneered at him. "I doubt you even had a decent conversation with him, let alone speak to him." "Yeah, that's because he's mute!" His voice bounced off the walls, drawing the attention to the surrounding students around us. "He doesn't talk to anyone!" "Maybe if you try to—" "Try?" He laughed darkly. "Why would I do that?" "Because, you'll see he's not the bad guy here!" "Then tell me why my little brother was in the hospital because of him!" he shouted suddenly stopping me dead in my tracks. His chest heaved up and down as his eyes clouded up with vexation. Staring at me with dark, cold eyes, I couldn't help notice the way the students were looking at him. Pity. "W-what?" "My brother," he said through gritted teeth. "The person he beat up was my brother." My eyes widened, as the world around me stopped. It couldn't be. There's no way. Why would Bradlee beat up anyone? Let alone some poor kid? "I-It can't be," I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "H-he's not like that—" "—He is," he snapped, walking towards me. I sucked in a breath, biting my tongue. "And if you don't believe me," he said, bumping shoulders with me. "Ask him yourself. Maybe then you'll see the monster he truly is." *** "Hey," I heard Megan's voice said, as the chair in front of me squeaked loudly. I looked up slowly, seeing her tray stacked with piles and piles of chips. I eyed her weirdly before she shrugged her shoulders at me, like it was nothing. "What? I was craving some chips." "Megan, you practically brought the entire place out." "No. Just half." I rolled my eyes. Like that was any better. "So, you feeling any better?" she asked, popping open a bag of Doritos-her most favorite snack. "Do I look like I'm feeling any better?" Since that whole Kasey incident this morning, the whole freaking school was gossiping about it. The rumor went as far as Bradlee showing up and punching the living daylights out of Kasey. How it went that far? I have no freaking clue. "No," she said immediately. "You looked beyond pissed." "I am pissed." Because of that stupid rumor, Bradlee was no where to be seen. Even Hunter couldn't find him. It was like he disappeared into thin air. "Maybe snacking on some chips will help you?" She smiled, waving a piece of Doritos in front of me. "Megan." I sighed, breathing through my nose. "I don't think snacking on chips will fix this." Her smile dropped. "Why not? Chips always—" "What's up, ladies," Ian exclaimed cheerfully, jumping in front of us. Megan and I glanced at him, as he leaned his body forward against the edge of the table. "How are my two lovely ladies doing today?" "Well, I'm great," Megan replied equally as cheerful. "But Avery over here, isn't feeling so hot." Ian's smile dimmed a bit, focusing his attention on me. "Aw," he cooed, skipping his way over towards me. "How come?" he asked, scooting into the chair next to me. "Do you need me to cheer you up?" I laughed. "No, it's okay Ian." He pouted. "You sure? You know you can always come to me if you need help cheering up!" He ended his sentence with a tap to his chest. "I know." "Yay!" Ian threw his arms in the air, pulling me into his chest. "I'm so glad you think that way," he said excitedly, jumping up from his seat. "Now, let's have some delicious lunch before we starve to death!" "That's okay Ian," I said backing out of his hold. "I'm not that hungry." His eyes widened dramatically. "What? Not hungry?! H-how is that even possible?" "Um . . . because I ate earlier today, and-" "So?" he interrupted, slamming his hands on the table. I jumped up in surprised before looking up at Ian. "You need to eat every meal. Otherwise you'll never be as happy as I am!" I bit my lip, knowing he wasn't as happy as he let others to believe. Quite the opposite actually. Seems to me being happy at school was his only escape. I just wish I knew what was happening inside that house of his. "Alright." I laughed, coming out of my thoughts. "I'll get food." "Yay!" Ian pumped his fist into the air, before grasping my hand in his. "Come on Avery, let's—" "—Avery!" I whipped my head towards the direction of the voice, before seeing Hunter, rushing towards me with the biggest smile on his face. "Avery! I finally found you!" My eyebrows dipped down in bewilderment. "You were looking for me?" "Yes, to show you this!" He pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket, shoving it at me. Glancing down at it, I stared at the folded up little square in my hand in confusion. "Ah, what is this?" "It's my Biology quiz," Hunter explained, before he unfolded it for me. "Mr. Meyer decided to give out a surprise pop quiz today, and I got a B!" he shouted, before I was suddenly lifted up into the air. My eyes widened in shock as Hunter's arms tightened against my waist, bringing me closer towards his body. I was literally pressed up against his chest, my arms spread out like a helicopter in flight. Feeling the heat spreading up to my cheeks, I could feel the million pairs of eyes on me as Hunter spun me around. "You're literally the best tutor ever!" he praised me, even though I haven't exactly tutored him that much lately. Either he was an extremely lucky guesser or he's actually paying attention in class now. "Hunter," I whispered, grasping his shoulders. "As much as I love being the center of attention, please put me down." He blinked his eyes, pausing. Turning his head a bit, his mouth formed an oval shape when realization dawned on him. Seeing his cheeks turning a few shades of red, I couldn't help but giggle softly, before he lowered me down to eye level, carrying me in one hand. "Sorry," he apologized, dipping his head in embarrassment. "Dang, Hunter!" Ian gushed in amazement, glancing up at him. "You're super strong!" "Ah, not really," he said scratching the back of his head, acting all shy. "Avery here is just really light." "Then she must be super light!" "Ah, guys." I tapped Hunter's forearm, catching his attention. "Before you continue your little chit-chat, can you let me down first?" His eyes enlarged before he let out a string of curses, letting me down. "Sorry Avery." I shook my head, straightening up my clothes. "It's fine." I laughed, waving my hand at him. "You just got excited, that's all." "Sorry," I heard him repeat once more, dismissing my words. "Hunter," I said, stressing his name out. He lifted his head slowly, eyeing me cautiously. "Seriously, it's no big deal." When the reassuring smile didn't disappear from my face, he smiled back. Seeing the smile back on his face, I couldn't help but smile wider in delight. Even though I knew Skylar was near by watching, I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe the killer isn't who we think it is. . . . . . To be continued. Ian pumped his fist into the air, before grasping my hand in his.

One of the best stories I've read here... kudos @Donwalter next......

Maybe that was their plan to know if ur mask wil lose or something just be careful.. Bt Don walter u no dey try..the way u update this story makes it less interesting

Hunter is the killer,he ws the only one that saw u when u pick the note,,,(i dont kn that my note note will maka u sqirm) beware pls

I dont even kw who d killer could b anymore next pls

Nice one, pls keep it rolling.

Dont know who d killer may be

U come late oo @Donwalter. So, what next??

@Donwalter where is d nx epi now

Ride on

Dis is serious ooo... I'm still nt suspecting any of diz 3.... Time will tell.... @Donwalter next ooooo

Chapter thirty . . . . . . . . . "So tell me why I'm doing this again?" I asked facing Demitri and Skylar. They looked at me, as they assembled some weird gadgets together. I watched them as pulled wires after wires before they attached a weird looking pin thing on my bag. "Because you made a commitment to Ian earlier this week, remember?" Demitri said, pausing in his movements as Skylar continued to work, whipping out his laptop. "Yes, but why do I have to have all this crap with me?" I asked motioning to the high-tech camera in my bag, the microphone on my phone case, a listening device in my ear, and a bunch of other unmentionables attached throughout my body. "So we can monitor and record everything you see," Demitri said matter of factly. I rolled my eyes at them. "Of course I know that! I meant, is everything necessary? I mean wouldn't the microphone and listening device be enough? Do we really need all of this?" I asked gesturing to all the stupid little devices they put on me in the last half an hour. "Yes." Demitri grounded his teeth together. "We need to be prepared for anything Lily. Especially since the killer is openly threatening you now." "Please don't remind me." Ever since the killer sent me that last message, Demitri thought it would be best if he kept my phone. Luckily for me, they got me a new phone from the agency. Apparently Skylar programed some chip and installed it into the back of my phone so whenever someone sends me a text message, it would automatically forward the message to my new phone. The brilliant thing is, it will only forward messages with numbers, so I wouldn't have to deal with the killer sending me messages anymore. "I rather not think about that anymore." "Trust me, we don't either." Demitri gave me a grimace look. "Now please take this, and keep it with you and out of sight at all times." I glanced at the rectangular device disguised as a keychain. "What is it?" "It's a taser." "A taser?" My eyes rounded. "Seriously?" Demitri shrugged at my shock tone. "Just in case Ian gets dangerous." "Um, didn't you say Hunter was most likely the suspect after the whole hallway incident?" "No." He shook his head jabbing his finger at Skylar. "That was Skylar." At the mention of his name he looked up slightly before going back to his laptop-which probably contains the key element to spying on me today. "Right." I nodded briefly. "I'll definitely make sure to keep it safe." I dropped the device in my coat pocket, padding it with tips of my fingertips. "Good." Demitri smiled. "Now, on you go." He motioned his hands at the door. I rolled my eyes at his impatience before unbuckling my seatbelt. Sliding out of the front seat, I shut the door before Demitri yelled my name. Turning around, I leaned against the open-window. "Yeah?" "Don't knock on his door until we're completely out of sight," he instructed as he leaned his body forward towards me. "But his house is on the other side of the road down the freaking street!" My voice raised a bit. "I'm pretty sure you're already out of sight." He pulled his lips into a thin line, fighting back the irritation itching to surface. "Just wait five minutes when you get to his house, Lily." "Fine," I grumbled under my breath. "Bossy much," I bit under my tongue. "I heard that." He rolled his eyes at my childish behavior. "You were suppose to!" I lashed back, whipping around before he could say anything more. I smiled in triumph when he didn't say anything back, before I headed down the street to Ian's house. Hearing the sounds of a car's engine roaring to life, I cranked my neck to see Demitri doing an illegal U-turn, before zooming down the street. "The things you get away with when you're a FBI agent . . ." I mumbled under my breath, before I heard a loud ear-pitching sound causing me to shriek in horror, shutting my eyes in pain. Reaching up, I ripped the earpiece out of my ear before it could cause anymore damage to my eardrum. "Fucking hell!" "Careful Lily." I heard Demitri's light chuckle in the background. "Ugh!" I whispered some incoherent curse words, before shoving the stupid device back in my ear. Knowing him, he'll probably give me a long lecture about tempering and safety and crap if he finds out I took the device out of my ear. Stomping my way up the curved driveway to Ian's house, I took a calming breath, relaxing my anger directed towards Demitri before knocking on his door. Glancing around his house, I couldn't help but admire the brick-styled home. Each individual brick was painted a new color, ranging from white to orange to black. Looking closely at each brick, I could see the different painted strokes, almost matching the brushstrokes of vincent Willem's. "Ah, Avery?" a nervous voice sounded, causing me to snap back to the now-open door. Ian held the door an inch from his body, blocking the view from the inside of his house. "Hey Ian." I waved. "Ready to hang out?" His sapphire colored eyes widened, pulling at his grey sweatshirt. "Ah . . . was that today?" The smile dropped from my face. "Didn't you say you wanted to hang out this weekend?" "Um . . . yeah-" His voice drifted off towards the end, before he nodded enthusiastically. "-Yeah I did!" He laughed nervously, as he shifted his eyes back to his house. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him, before he glanced back at me. I faked a smile, earning a smile back from him. "My place isn't really the best place to hang out at, at the moment," he explained, shifting his foot. "My grandparents aren't too welcoming to strangers." "Oh." "Yeah, plus my sister, she-" "-She's right here!" She giggled, pushing the door out of the way, letting me catch a glimpse of their living room before she closed the door fully. From the looks of it nothing was out of the ordinary. "Hi!" She smiled, glancing at me. "You must be Avery! I'm Ashleigh," she said pronouncing her name extremely slowly. "It's not spelled with a Y. It's like Ash, and Leigh together, but not the L-e-e, Leigh but the other Leigh, Leigh, if you get what I'm saying." "Um . . . yes, I think I do." I smiled kindly at her even though I already knew name. The last time I saw her she was clutching onto her brother's back when her boyfriend-well ex-boyfriend-supposedly punched her. "It's nice to meet you Ashleigh." "You too!" she exclaimed, her blonde locks bouncing up and down. "And, hey." Her hand closed over my shoulder. "Since you're here anyways, why don't you come to the mall with us? It'll be lots of fun!" I looked over at Ian, looking a lot less nervous than he did two minutes ago. "Sure, sounds fun." I rolled my shoulders. "Are you guys going shopping or something?" "Well I am, Ian's just tagging along." She pointed at her brother. "He promised he'll hold my bags for me, and pay for whatever outfit I wanted." I raised my brow at him. "That's awfully nice of you, Ian." He blushed, rubbing at his neck. "I kind of owe her." "Yeah, like huge!" she yelled, motioning her hands to show how huge it really is. "He practically stormed into my high school and be-" Her sentence was cut short when Ian covered her mouth with his hands, pulling her face to his chest. He laughed uncomfortably, patting his sister's hair. "So, about that mall!" He switched the topic. "Let's hurry before they close down!" He wrapped his arms around his sister's waist, before pulling her along with him. His hands were still covering her mouth as she clawed and chewed on his hand, demanding to be let free. I couldn't help but laugh at the sibling's bickering, tagging along with them. I made sure to keep some distance between us, watching Ashleigh kick and scream and yell at her brother, demanding to be let go. "Alright, in you go!" he exclaimed, before he picked her up like she weighed nothing, and strapped her in the backseat. Slamming the door shut, he opened the passenger's side seat for me, before giving me a charming a smile. "Thanks Ian." I smiled back at him, before hopping inside. "No problem!" he said, closing the car door. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I cranked my near around to see Ashleigh's face right next to mine. "I'm not exactly sure what it is, but he's a lot more happier when you're around," Ashleigh mumbled quietly next to my ear, before her eyes shifted to her brother when she heard the door opening. "Thanks for that." Hearing a flop, I saw her back contact with the leather seat in the rearview mirror. "Okay! On to the mall!" Ian smiled cheerfully, before pushing the keys into the ignition. "To the mall!" Ashleigh shouted from the backseat, equally as excited-maybe even more so. I smiled, chuckling under my breath seeing these two together. If you ask me, they were exactly alike, in looks and personality. *** After going from store to store, pulling and shoving Ian around, Ashleigh brought a light blue cardigan with a crochet top and jeans to match. She happily swung the bag around in her hands, whistling some cheery tone. "Alright brother of mine, let's get something to eat," Ashleigh announced all of a sudden. "I'm extremely hungry." "Um, what exactly do you want?" he asked, walking on the other side of me. "Sushi!" she declared without a second thought. He nodded. "We can go to-" "-Oh my gosh!" a voice squeaked out from behind. We paused in our steps before seeing Annemarie and Asher behind us, holding a bag of popcorn. Seeing the size of it, I knew they'd just made their way from the movie theater downstairs. "I didn't expect to see you guys at the mall together!" She looked between the three of us, stopping at Ian's sister. "Um, who are you?" "I'm Ashleigh, not with the 'Y' but with the L-e-i-g-h after Ash," she explained, before pointing at Ian. "I'm his little sister." Annemarie looked at her questionably. "Really? I'd never seen you around, and you don't look that much younger from us . . ." She laughed. "I'm not. I'm only a grade below my brother. I go to Woodway's Prep sister's school." Her mouth formed an oval shape, nodding when understanding dawned on her. "That makes sense! Nice to meet you then. I'm Annemarie and this is Asher." She pointed to him, standing closely behind her. I giggled quietly when I noticed him checking out Ian in the corner of his eyes. "Nice to meet more of my brother's friends," she said smiling politely at them. "We were just going to get some sushi, want to join us?" Annemarie glanced at Asher, silently asking him if it's okay before he shrugged his shoulders. "Sure." She nodded, looking back at us. "Sushi would be awesome." Ashleigh's smile immediately widened. "Great. It's Ian's treat!" His eyes widened suddenly, raising his hand to protest before I cut in. "I'll pay for it, if that's okay with you Ian?" He let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, that's fin-" "-Ian!" Ashleigh shouted slapping him on the shoulder. Asher gasped at this, seeing Ian's face twisting up in agony. "How could you let Avery pay for your meal?!" He rubbed at his shoulder, mouthing 'ouch.' "But she offered!" "That doesn't mean shit! She's a girl!" "And I'm a guy! Big deal!" She gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "You did not just say that." "What?" He blinked, looking puzzled. "Did I say something wrong?" "Did you say something wrong?" she asked, raising her voice. "What did you say right?! I can't-" "-Guys," I cut in, pulling them apart. Stepping in between them, I wrapped my arms around them. "I don't mind paying for everyone. I have enough money with me to do so." "But-" Ashleigh started, but I interrupted her again. "Do you want sushi?" "Of course I want sushi." "Then it shouldn't matter who pays for what, right?" I asked, glancing at her. "Just that you get your food?" She sighed, but nodded her head in defeat. "I guess you're right." "So sushi?" Annemarie laughed awkwardly standing next to Asher who was again staring at Ian. That boy was completely infatuated with Ian. But then again, who wouldn't be? Ian was a cutie. "Sushi," Ashleigh agreed tugging at Ian's arm, pulling him along, while the three of us followed behind the pair of siblings. As we headed downstairs to the food courts we grabbed a booth at the open tables, before Ashleigh decided she'll order for us. After telling her what we wanted, I gave her my debit card before she rushed up towards the Asian Jump place, greeting the girl behind the counter happily. As Asher and Annemarie sat across from us, Ian sat next to me, leaving an open space to his left for his sister. We sat there quietly, talking amongst ourselves before Annemarie made a face. "What?" I asked, tilting my head to the right in confusion. "It's that again." She pointed behind me. I turned around to see the news on, before seeing the wanted sign for the serial killer. My eyes widened seeing it on the news again. "I've been seeing it everywhere. You'd think with all the clues the police would've solved it by now." My eyebrows scrunched down in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" "Avery. Just think about it." She leaned forward, lowering her voice a bit. "All the victims have something in common." I nodded. "Yeah their names all started with the letter A, and they were born on the same date, at the same time they were killed." "No, not just that," she dismissed. "Didn't you notice from the way their parents described their kids, that all of the victims played a sport? Had blonde hair and blue eyes? Plus the fact that they weren't the girly-ish type of girls?" "Um . . . no." I shook my head. "How did you know that?" "My dad's a forensic scientist." She shrugged. "You learn a few things over the years." "Wait! Does that mean the killer has the hots for these types of girls?" Ian pipped in. "What kind of sick monster is this crazy wacko?!" "Who knows." Annemarie shrugged, leaning back against her seat. "But I do know that the police is looking in the wrong place." "Wrong place?" I piped in, curiously. She nodded. "Remember when they announced that the next killing would be in Pennsylvania? Well they're totally wrong." "What? Aren't they going strictly downwards in a pattern?" She scoffed. "No. All the victims went to a public high school, just fifteen minutes away from a big Prep school. And from what I know, Pennsylvania doesn't have a Prep school. " My eyes widened at this news. "Shit, you're right." "Of course I'm right!" Annemarie shouted. "I even freaking went to the station and told the police that! But they did they listen to me? No!" she shrieked in anger. "They told me to leave it to the professionals." "Wow!" Ian said, his blue eyes wide with amazement. "You should totally join the FBI or something! You'll seriously be amazing at it." "Y-yeah Anne. Y-you'll do great," Asher said nervously, glancing down at his fingers, as he avoided Ian's gaze at all cost. She smiled at the compliments. "Thanks guys. Sadly I don't have the upper body strength needed to even past their ridiculous fitness test." "I'm sure if you train enough-" Blocking Ian's voice out, I stared at the TV behind Asher and Annemarie, watching the news. Perhaps we'd been looking at this case completely wrong then. If what Annemarie said was true, there's definitely something more to this. Something very sinister. . . . . . To be continued.

Hmmm, when will the killer be known? Is he going to be known after killing every girl? Quickly take a good step skylar, Demitri and Avery. First to comment

woow... things are sort of turning around... very interesting story. next.....

I just think something sinister about dis anamerie or how dose she know everything to details like this i didnt say see is d one but i guess she know something about the killer

am confused

if d killer wants 2 kill in Pennsylvania b4 he would change it since everybody now know of his mission.

annamarie, hope u are not among d killers

D killer will b known wen avery has bin kidnaped nd bout 2 b raped

Mayb dat gay dude

annamarie, am beginning to suspect u. Hw comes u have dat much info dat even d FBI cudnt get..... Sometin is fishy here

This one Asher is being nervous, ar u sure he's not d one? I think he knws smtn.

I don't think Annemaria is an accomplice to the killer, jst bcos she made some helpful discoveries. If her father is a forensic scientist, then, she knws wht she's saying, bcos forensic scientists help d FBI to unravel mystries behind crimes. So if she has learnt some things 4rm her father, I won't doubt her.

Still waiting patiently for d author to unravel d misery of d killer

Chapter Thirty-One . . . . . . . . . . "Avery—earth to Avery!" a voice shouted, mildly familiar before I looked up to see Ashleigh standing in front of me waving a plate of sushi in her hand. My lids blinked rapidly in surprise seeing everyone already digging into their plate of California Rolls. Since when did the sushi get here? Her eyebrows dipped down in confusion, while I continued to stare at her blankly. "What's wrong?" she asked a second later. I smiled nervously. "Nothing's wrong." Her eyes made their way towards the direction of the TV before looking at me. "You'd been staring at that TV since I got here," she pointed out. "Is it about the killings?" "Kind of," I admitted, fidgeting with my hands. "I'm just worried, that's all." She smiled in understanding. Taking the empty seat next to her brother, she gave me my plate. "Don't worry about it. You're nothing like the past victims!" "Yeah," Ian jumped in. "If anything you're like the total opposite!" Ashleigh nodded in agreement. "If anyone has anything to worry about it's me." My eyes rounded, before everyone at the table dropped their chopsticks simultaneously as they turned their heads at her. "Excuse me?" I exclaimed, causing some curious looks from the nearby tables. She paused mid-bite, before mumbling some incoherent words. Blushing slightly, she gulped down some of her water, chewing her food quickly, before looking at us. "Um, yeah?" "What did you mean when you said, "if anyone has anything to worry about it's me."?" "I have the same birthday as the past victims," she announced suddenly, causing Ian to drop what he was eating. He pulled her into his arms before shaking her body wildly; that crazed look back on his face. "What the hell Ash?!" he roared shocking everyone at the table by his complete attitude change. Even though I already saw this side of Ian before, witnessing it up close was different. He seemed so unlike himself. Even his once blue eyes were a dark misty black. "Why didn't you tell me you had the same birthday as them?!" She shrugged, completely unfazed by his reaction. "I thought you knew." "Like I fucking keep up with current events," he shouted, earning a gasp from Annemarie. She looked completely stunned. "You could be killed Ash!" "No, I won't." "Why the hell are you so confident?! Shouldn't you be scared or something? Any normal girl would!" "Because the killer's next victims lives in Pennsylvania. He already made his mark in New York. Plus tons of girls have the same birthday—" "—You idiot!" Ian cut her off. "Annemarie just said that wasn't true!" Her eyes widened dramatically, before her body fell limp. "W-what?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "Annemarie said all the victims went to a public high school, just fifteen minutes away from a big Prep school. Pennsylvania doesn't have any big Prep school!" "B-but—" "—I can't believe you didn't tell me about this! What if he does get you? You can't fucking leave me alone like Mom and Dad did!" he cried, his eyes pooling with tears. He looked completely broken as he clenched his teeth to stifle the amount of tears, threatening to spill. "Ian." Her eyes seemed determined. "I'm not going to leave you." "How would you know that?" he shouted frantically. "They promise they would always protect me! But did they? No!" His voice screeched, before he stood up abruptly. "They didn't have a fucking choice, and you won't either!" he yelled, before shoving his seat aside. The chair landed on the ground with a loud bang, before Ian ran off, shoving people out of his way. "Ian!" Ashleigh shouted, chasing after him. "Wait!" I sat still, shell-shocked at the events that just took place. What the hell just happened? Was Ashleigh really a target? She couldn't be, right? And what did Ian mean when he said they had no choice? Did his parents die or something? Was that the reason why he's like this? Annemarie suddenly started laughing awkwardly, trying to fill up the silence. "Well that was—um something." "Yeah," Asher agreed, his nervousness now gone. Did Ian really affect him that much? "I didn't think Ian was capable of cursing." "Me either!" Annemarie shouted. "It surprised the crap out of me. And did you see his eyes?!" Annemarie let out a shiver, as her body shook with fear. Asher nodded. "His blue eyes pretty much turned pitch black with anger!" "I know!" she agreed. "I still can't believe he's still hung over that!" My ears perked up hearing that. "Hung over what?" "Well . . ." Annemarie started off slowly, glancing at the people around us before she motioned me to lean forward. Cupping her hand above my ear, she whispered, "You didn't hear it from me, but his parents were killed when he was only six years old." "Wh—!?" The end of my sentence got cut off when she covered my mouth with her hand, shushing me. "Quiet," she whispered in alarm, "it's suppose to be a secret!" I nodded, as she lowered her hand, dropping it to her sides. "If it's suppose to be a secret, how did you find out about it?" "I found out through my dad," she told me. "They were working on their case for a really long time, before the case went cold." "So, to this day they still don't have any leads?" She shook her head sadly. "No. They didn't even find the bodies. It was like they disappeared into thin air." "No wonder why Ian's like this . . ." I mumbled under my breath. Maybe I can get my cousins to bring the case up again. He really need some closure. "You know," Annemarie started saying, "It always amazed me how happy and cheery he was at school, but now I know he really wasn't. Seeing this side of him today, made me think. How much exactly is he hurting?" "I don't want him hurting, Anne!" Asher cried, tugging at her arm. "What can I do to help him feel better?" "I don't know Asher," she said, before forcing herself to smile when she saw the smile being wiped off. "Maybe you could bake him some of your world famous cookies?" she suggested suddenly. Asher's forest green eyes brightened at mention of his cookies. "That's a great idea! I'll bake a whole bunch and give it to him on Monday!" I laughed. "Does that mean you guys will finally sit with us during lunch now?" Asher turned his face towards me. "Of course! I need to make sure he's alright!" "You must really like him, don't you?" He blushed deep red, his cheeks turning scarlet. He nodded shyly, hiding behind Annemarie. "Trust me." She chuckled. "Asher really likes Ian." I smiled widely. "Believe me I know." "Hey!" Asher's cheeks got even more redder. "I can't help it! He's just so damn cute!" "I know right—" "—Avery, is that you?" a voice called from behind, cutting the rest of my sentence off. My eyes rounded hearing Hunter's voice. Shit. Does that mean Bradlee's near too? I turned around slowly, praying to God Bradlee wasn't standing next to Hunter. I heaved out a sigh of relief when I just saw Hunter standing there was a Starbucks drink in his hand. "Hey Hunter." His smiled widened seeing me. "It was you! I knew I recognized your hair." The corners of my lips lifted upwards, as I returned his friendly gesture with a smile of my own. "Thanks. So, what exactly are you doing here?" "My sister dragged me out here." He looked annoyed. "She wanted to grab lunch and watch a movie." "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Where is she?" He pointed behind him. "Probably with Bradlee and Lilee." My eyes widened dramatically when I heard my name. Why was Bradlee with another girl named Lilee? Was this a friend of his? Or maybe, was this the girl he liked . . . ? It couldn't be, right? He couldn't like anyone, right? "W-who is he with—" "—Lilee," Hunter repeated, not fully grasping the situation here. "I see that you're also out with friends." He smiled behind me. "It's nice to see you guys again." "You too!" Annemarie chirped while Asher nodded silently. "And while we'd love to stay and chat, we need to get going," she said as she shoved her last tiny roll of sushi down her throat. "Asher's mom is picking us up soon, so we can't be late." "Yeah. My mom's nuts about being on time." He chuckled. "We'll see you on Monday." He waved before leaving with Annemarie. "You know," Hunter uttered when they were completely gone. "I don't think I ever heard that kid speak a complete sentence without stuttering before." "That's because Ian's around." His eyebrows knotted in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Never mind." I laughed. "It's nothing." "If you say so." He shrugged quickly, before taking a sip of his ice coffee drink. "So, want to hang out with us until you have to go?" "Um, I'm not—" "—Hunter! Where the fuck have you been?" another familiar voice yelled, before jabbing Hunter in the chest with her finger. "I told you over and over again to not wander off by yourself without—" She paused her yelling, seeing me. "Avery? What are you doing here?" Ailee asked. "I was with Ashleigh, Ian, Annemarie and Asher before they all left." "Ashleigh?" she asked. "You mean Ian's sister, Ashleigh?" "Yeah." I nodded. "You know her?" "I wouldn't say we're the best of friends but we're definitely in the same social circle," she said before turning her attention back on Hunter. "I'll forgive you this time, but seriously Lilee and Bradlee were looking all over for you!" "I'm sorry, okay! I saw Avery, and I wandered off!" She rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever, just don't do it again." "I won't," he groaned loudly. "Geez." "Geez, yourself!" she copied his tone of voice before sticking her tongue out at him. "You're really annoying—" I drowned out the rest of their bickering when I saw Bradlee rounding the corner. I froze, seeing his smiling face, laughing at what Lilee had just said. He looked so carefree—so happy, something I haven't seen in a long time. And when I heard him speaking to her, my heart snapped into two. It hurt. It hurt so badly. Seeing them together felt like someone was punching me in the stomach, as they forcefully rip it in half from the inside out. All I could do was stare at them as they enjoyed each other's company, laughing at whatever Lilee just said. I was about to turn away when Bradlee decided at that moment to glance my way. Our eyes locked for a split second, before his soft blue eyes narrowed down in anger. Breaking our eye contact, he went back to talking to Lilee, ignoring me completely. Grounding my teeth together, I ignored Hunter's calls, marching my way towards Bradlee. I don't even give a fuck anymore. He needs to freaking explain himself. "What the fuck is your problem?!" I demanded, pushing Bradlee with all my might. I was able to knock him off balance for a little bit before he caught himself. The girl was at his side in a matter of seconds, making sure he was okay. Her eyes flashed hatred at me. "What the hell is your problem?! Why did you push him like that?" I ignored her, narrowing my eyes at Bradlee. "Well, aren't you going to answer me?" His dark eyes clouded over, before they flared with fury at me. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her along, whispering something to her before turning his back on me. Holding back my tears, I ran after him. My hand caught his wrist, halting their movements. "Bradlee, why the hell are you so mad at me? What the hell did I do?!" His icy blue eyes turned even more cold, freezing me in my tracks. They were emotionless, as they pierced through me with cruelty. Before I even had time to react, he leaned towards me, muttering the four words I never thought I'll hear from him. "You're a fucking liar." . . . . . To be continued.

Next plss.... nice story

Wow,Bradlee

He knows u Avery,next ooo

Hmmm, So sorry for Ian jst hope dat her sister won't get killed

Gbagaun! Hehehe.. Next!!!!

nice one...but dis story is going cold due to lack of quick update. @donwalter, abeg make we no wait tire

Chapter Thrity-Two . . . . . . . . . . . The text message—you're a fucking liar, Lily. His harsh voice—you're a fucking liar. His whispers at my cousin's' apartment—Lily. Everything. It all added up. Bradlee was the only one who knew my real name. He has to be the killer. He practically said the exact same thing the killer sent me not to long ago! I should've known. I should've known everything he had said was a lie. The smiles, the laughs, the kinds words—everything was a fucking lie. Why didn't I see this before? Why was my stupid brain clouded up with these damn feelings of mine?! Bradlee's cold eyes wavered for a split second seeing the wheels turning in my head. He knew. He slowly reached his hand up, calling my name before I smacked his hand away. He flinched slightly at the light smack, looking like I'd smacked him across the face. He stared at me for what seemed like forever before his eyes filled with sorrow and despair, not knowing what to do. I used that moment to my advantage and ran. Ran like the wind, running past a very confused looking Hunter and an equally confused Ailee. Before I got too far, I heard pounding footsteps behind me. Knowing exactly who that was, my heartbeat quicken in panic, screaming into the device wrapped around my hand. "This would be an awesome time to fucking get me!" Knowing that they heard me, but couldn't do anything since I was in a public mall, I grumbled under my breath, looking for the quickest escape route. Seeing the girl's bathroom up ahead, I made a run for it. I was quick enough to lock the door, before Bradlee's body smashed into it, knocking me off balance. Landing on my butt, I groaned, rubbing the sore spot on my back. I glared at the door separating us. That jerk. "I know you're in there, so open the door." I scoffed. Like hell I would. "Leave me alone, you freaking liar!" "Avery." His rapid pounding on the door increased. "Open the door right now!" "No!" "Avery." My heart twisted up, hearing his broken sob. "Please open up so I can see you. I need to see you Avery. Please," he begged, his voice crumbling. "I c-can't hear you otherwise." "Shut up!" I shouted, covering my ears. I didn't give a damn if he had no idea what I was saying. "Stop pretending to care now that I know your sick, twisted secret!" "Avery," he cried in pain, sounding like he was choking from his tears. I paused, hearing that. W-was he crying?I shook my head, ignoring his shouts. No, Lily, no. Don't fall for his act! He's just lying to you. "Please Avery, just let me explain." "I don't want to hear your excuses you murderer!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, begging someone—anyone to get me out of this place. I couldn't listen to his sobs anymore. I couldn't listen to his excuses anymore. Otherwise I'll start falling for his lies again. And knowing me, I'll start believing him. "I thought you were using me," he suddenly confessed. My breath hitched, as I turned my head at the door in confusion. What did he say? "I saw it, you know. The other day when I was over at your place, that guy, he had a badge." I sucked in a breath at the memory; where we'd almost kissed. "I knew the minute I saw it, you were only playing a character. An undercover spy, I had thought." My eyes went wide, my body rooted to the dirty bathroom floor. He freaking knew! Was that why he ran away and wasn't in school for days? "Y-you knew?" My voice was barely above a whisper. "At first I didn't want to believe it," he continued his explanation, probably not hearing me. "But after piecing all the facts together, I knew you were here for one reason, and one reason only. It was too much of a coincidence. You were only here to carry out your assignment. You pretended to be my friend. You pretended to care about me. You pretended to like me. And being the fool I was, I fell for it." He paused, before I heard a quiet slam against the door, followed by a defeated sigh. "And what's worst, you pegged me as the killer." An audible gasp escaped my lips. I shook my head desperately, as I felt the hot tears rolling down my cheeks. "I d-d-didn't pretend." I blinked my tears away. "I never pretended, Bradlee." "I was hurt," he confessed a second later. "Do you know how I felt when I found out the girl I love—" The rest of his sentence was cut off when I heard those four words. My cheeks flamed scarlet. The girl I love. H-he loved me? B-but, how? We barely knew each other. I thought liking him after such a short time was going beyond crazy level, but love? How could Bradlee love me when he knew me for only two weeks? "—I'm sorry for the way I was acting. I-I—" He swallowed loudly. "I guess I just wanted you to feel the pain, I was feeling. But when I saw those blue orbs of yours, frightened and scared, I-I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't have the heart to." His voice faded quietly, before laughter filled the empty space. But it was anywhere but happy. It was forced—and I could tell he was a second away from breaking apart. "I guess I'm just in too deep." When I didn't answer, a rapid pounding made me jump up from my spot in fright. "Please, Avery. Open this door. I-I need to see you." Hearing the desperate pleading in his tone, my feet slowly made its way towards the door, having a mind of its own. My forehead leaned against the doorframe, imagining Bradlee on the other side. I could almost feel his body heat, picturing him leaning against the door too. "I-I can't," I whispered. What if he was lying? What if everything he said was his ploy to mess with my mind? To trick me again? "Lily, please open this door," he begged, as I sucked in a big gulp of air hearing him call my name. Lily. That was first time he'd ever said my name out loud knowing that both of us were still conscious. "We really need to talk." I knew perfectly well we needed to talk but I couldn't get my damn body to move. I was rooted to the ground, frozen in place as I heard his heavy, ragged breathing. He had called my name. It sounded so nice coming from his mouth. I couldn't help but shiver violently, as I imagined his voice calling my name over and over again. I knew I was stupid for thinking that even though he was still a potential suspect, but I couldn't help it. Bradlee was like a fucking drug you couldn't get enough of and I haven't even have a taste of him yet. "Lily," he breathed my name, as I turned into a pile of mush. Fuck. What the hell is happening with me? Why does he have this much effect on me? My eyes moved down, urging my body to twist the knob open. Hearing a faint click, I slowly opened the door, before a surprise Bradlee came crashing forward. I didn't have time to react, before he was sending us both towards the floor. I shut my eyes, awaiting for impact that will surely come. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, as they pulled me closer to that familiar musky scent. Snapping my eyes opened, I watched in horror as Bradlee lay on the floor, clutching the back of his head in pain. His lips shut tight, as he let out a groan of curses. "Bradlee?" I gazed at him worriedly, climbing off of him, careful not to hurt him. "A-are you alright?" "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, masking the hurt clearly displayed on his face. "I just need a minute." When he finally opened his eyes, his once icy eyes gazed at me filled with tender care and warmth. "Lily." "H-how—" "—I knew since the first day of school," he cut me off, silencing me. "When I first saw you, I knew you looked familiar, but I didn't know why. And when it finally clicked, I was ecstatic to finally talk to you," he told me with gently. "I apologized if I was a little bit distant on that day, I was still trying to figure it out." "I—" "—Lily." He smiled down at me, caressing my face. His eyes screamed love and I was beyond terrified. The only person I ever loved cheated on me with his freaking guy roommate. "I've adore you ever since we met. Please don't think I will ever hurt you in any way possible." I gulped nervously. "Y-you can't." His smiled dropped, looking like a kicked puppy. "Why not?" "We just met not even two weeks ago," I reasoned, removing his hand from me. My gaze lowered towards the dirty bathroom floor, getting away from his intense stare. "You can't love me, there's no way—" "Lily, I think you'd mistaken." My head looked up at him in puzzlement. "Huh?" "Remember the story I told you about the girl at the park?" He waited for me to nod, before continuing, "It was you." I sucked in a breath, hearing that. That was me? Hunter wasn't kidding when he said his brother was in love with Lily Ace. "You were so cute back then." He laughed, reaching his arm out. My eyes fluttered closed when his warm finger touch my bottom lip. "But I kind of wish you would take this off." He touched my fake lip piercings. "I like the real you better." "Why are you saying this now Bradlee?" I met his eyes, ignoring the tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach. His fingers were still absentmindedly touching my lip, making it really hard to think. "W-why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you tell me you knew who I was?" His hand dropped from my lips suddenly, causing me to whimper from the lost. He smirked, not missing that. I blushed deeply. "At first I thought you wanted to be a normal teenager. And since everyone in town knew you, you had to fake your identity. So, I kept quiet since I didn't want to ruin a chance for you to be normal." I hung my head in shame, knowing what's coming next. "But then you found out." "Yes." He nodded slowly. "I didn't want to believe the person I was in love with only talked to me, because she had to." "I wasn't pretending Bradlee!" I shouted desperately. He raised a brow at me. It looked like he wanted to believe me, but I could tell he still had doubts. "Were you?" "I-I—I don't know." I sighed, running my fingers through my locks. "At first I admit I was. But somehow along the way, it stopped being fake." The tiniest of smiles ghosted across his lips. "So, you're saying you liked me even though you thought I was a potential suspect?" I sucked in a breath, seeing that smile of his. I wouldn't be surprise if he could hear my rapid heartbeat. "A-are you a potential—" He chuckled, sending goosebumps down my spine. "What do you think?" "I-I don't know," I squeaked out. I wanted to believe him, but my cousins told me not to trust anyone until they're proven not guilty. He could be lying just to cover his ass because I found out he was the killer. You never know anymore. He sighed. "Lily, if I really was the killer, don't you think I would've killed you by now since I already knew it was you from the very beginning?" "I—" "—Plus, if I already knew those guys were FBI agents don't think you I would've ran away the moment I found out, and not exactly come back?" I let out a breath I was holding. "You're right—" The rest of my sentence got cut off when the ringtone I'd set for my cousins started blaring in the now quiet room. Holding up a finger to Bradlee, silencing him, I reached inside my back pocket, before accepting the call. "Hello?" "Lily, we have a little bit of situation—" Skylar started speaking before I interrupted him. "I know, I'm handling it—" "No, it's not about Bradlee finding out." I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Then what is it?" "We just received another text from the killer." My eyes drifted to Bradlee, as they widened in fear. His face soon twisted up in worry, taking a hold of my hand. I smiled down at him, before turning back to my cousins. "What did it say?" "I-I don't think you should know, Lily. It's not—" "Skylar," I barked, shutting him up. "Tell me. What did the text say?" A long silence passed, before I heard Skylar uttered the sentence that almost stopped my heart. "Tell Lily, her little boy toy is going to die." . . . . . Tbc

More update pls!

Oh my gosh it can be bradlee

So d killer is not bradlee so happy for you o @lily

Lily might av been bugged by d killer

wu z d killer since bradlee z out

Hu is d killer? ... ... Datz a billion dollar question!

Even the three u suspected might not be the killer. Lily, u need to be extra careful

Hmmm,does d killer means Bradlee or who,dis story is getting too serious ooo

Wow! @Donwalter, ds is good coming 4rm u. At least we won't hav to complain of late updates anymore if u continue like ds, keep it up. I hope Bradlee is not going to die and I hope Hunter's not d one behind ds.

I fink hunter is the killer.

Tank God its nt bradlee next plss

D start is cool can't wait to read it to d end

next please

@Donwalter, shey the story don finish ni abi wetin. Won't u post again or is that where u gonna stop?

Next episode has been available for long just that I couldn't post due to coolval working on its upgrading. Please bear with us

@DonWalter but ur the one that posted Stalker?please now

Nice one

Mehn!!! Dis story got me on my toes

@coolval. What happen I have been unable to update my post a sometime now it is giving ERROR: Duplicate reply detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that! Please try and do something ooo

The story is keeping long.. next please

Chapter Thrity-Two . . . . . . . . . . . The text message—you're a fucking liar, Lily. His harsh voice—you're a fucking liar. His whispers at my cousin's' apartment—Lily. Everything. It all added up. Bradlee was the only one who knew my real name. He has to be the killer. He practically said the exact same thing the killer sent me not to long ago! I should've known. I should've known everything he had said was a lie. The smiles, the laughs, the kinds words—everything was a fucking lie. Why didn't I see this before? Why was my stupid brain clouded up with these damn feelings of mine?! Bradlee's cold eyes wavered for a split second seeing the wheels turning in my head. He knew. He slowly reached his hand up, calling my name before I smacked his hand away. He flinched slightly at the light smack, looking like I'd smacked him across the face. He stared at me for what seemed like forever before his eyes filled with sorrow and despair, not knowing what to do. I used that moment to my advantage and ran. Ran like the wind, running past a very confused looking Hunter and an equally confused Ailee. Before I got too far, I heard pounding footsteps behind me. Knowing exactly who that was, my heartbeat quicken in panic, screaming into the device wrapped around my hand. "This would be an awesome time to fucking get me!" Knowing that they heard me, but couldn't do anything since I was in a public mall, I grumbled under my breath, looking for the quickest escape route. Seeing the girl's bathroom up ahead, I made a run for it. I was quick enough to lock the door, before Bradlee's body smashed into it, knocking me off balance. Landing on my butt, I groaned, rubbing the sore spot on my back. I glared at the door separating us. That jerk. "I know you're in there, so open the door." I scoffed. Like hell I would. "Leave me alone, you freaking liar!" "Avery." His rapid pounding on the door increased. "Open the door right now!" "No!" "Avery." My heart twisted up, hearing his broken sob. "Please open up so I can see you. I need to see you Avery. Please," he begged, his voice crumbling. "I c-can't hear you otherwise." "Shut up!" I shouted, covering my ears. I didn't give a damn if he had no idea what I was saying. "Stop pretending to care now that I know your sick, twisted secret!" "Avery," he cried in pain, sounding like he was choking from his tears. I paused, hearing that. W-was he crying?I shook my head, ignoring his shouts. No, Lily, no. Don't fall for his act! He's just lying to you. "Please Avery, just let me explain." "I don't want to hear your excuses you murderer!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, begging someone—anyone to get me out of this place. I couldn't listen to his sobs anymore. I couldn't listen to his excuses anymore. Otherwise I'll start falling for his lies again. And knowing me, I'll start believing him. "I thought you were using me," he suddenly confessed. My breath hitched, as I turned my head at the door in confusion. What did he say? "I saw it, you know. The other day when I was over at your place, that guy, he had a badge." I sucked in a breath at the memory; where we'd almost kissed. "I knew the minute I saw it, you were only playing a character. An undercover spy, I had thought." My eyes went wide, my body rooted to the dirty bathroom floor. He freaking knew! Was that why he ran away and wasn't in school for days? "Y-you knew?" My voice was barely above a whisper. "At first I didn't want to believe it," he continued his explanation, probably not hearing me. "But after piecing all the facts together, I knew you were here for one reason, and one reason only. It was too much of a coincidence. You were only here to carry out your assignment. You pretended to be my friend. You pretended to care about me. You pretended to like me. And being the fool I was, I fell for it." He paused, before I heard a quiet slam against the door, followed by a defeated sigh. "And what's worst, you pegged me as the killer." An audible gasp escaped my lips. I shook my head desperately, as I felt the hot tears rolling down my cheeks. "I d-d-didn't pretend." I blinked my tears away. "I never pretended, Bradlee." "I was hurt," he confessed a second later. "Do you know how I felt when I found out the girl I love—" The rest of his sentence was cut off when I heard those four words. My cheeks flamed scarlet. The girl I love. H-he loved me? B-but, how? We barely knew each other. I thought liking him after such a short time was going beyond crazy level, but love? How could Bradlee love me when he knew me for only two weeks? "—I'm sorry for the way I was acting. I-I—" He swallowed loudly. "I guess I just wanted you to feel the pain, I was feeling. But when I saw those blue orbs of yours, frightened and scared, I-I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't have the heart to." His voice faded quietly, before laughter filled the empty space. But it was anywhere but happy. It was forced—and I could tell he was a second away from breaking apart. "I guess I'm just in too deep." When I didn't answer, a rapid pounding made me jump up from my spot in fright. "Please, Avery. Open this door. I-I need to see you." Hearing the desperate pleading in his tone, my feet slowly made its way towards the door, having a mind of its own. My forehead leaned against the doorframe, imagining Bradlee on the other side. I could almost feel his body heat, picturing him leaning against the door too. "I-I can't," I whispered. What if he was lying? What if everything he said was his ploy to mess with my mind? To trick me again? "Lily, please open this door," he begged, as I sucked in a big gulp of air hearing him call my name. Lily. That was first time he'd ever said my name out loud knowing that both of us were still conscious. "We really need to talk." I knew perfectly well we needed to talk but I couldn't get my damn body to move. I was rooted to the ground, frozen in place as I heard his heavy, ragged breathing. He had called my name. It sounded so nice coming from his mouth. I couldn't help but shiver violently, as I imagined his voice calling my name over and over again. I knew I was stupid for thinking that even though he was still a potential suspect, but I couldn't help it. Bradlee was like a fucking drug you couldn't get enough of and I haven't even have a taste of him yet. "Lily," he breathed my name, as I turned into a pile of mush. Fuck. What the hell is happening with me? Why does he have this much effect on me? My eyes moved down, urging my body to twist the knob open. Hearing a faint click, I slowly opened the door, before a surprise Bradlee came crashing forward. I didn't have time to react, before he was sending us both towards the floor. I shut my eyes, awaiting for impact that will surely come.t,t,

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, as they pulled me closer to that familiar musky scent. Snapping my eyes opened, I watched in horror as Bradlee lay on the floor, clutching the back of his head in pain. His lips shut tight, as he let out a groan of curses. "Bradlee?" I gazed at him worriedly, climbing off of him, careful not to hurt him. "A-are you alright?" "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, masking the hurt clearly displayed on his face. "I just need a minute." When he finally opened his eyes, his once icy eyes gazed at me filled with tender care and warmth. "Lily." "H-how—" "—I knew since the first day of school," he cut me off, silencing me. "When I first saw you, I knew you looked familiar, but I didn't know why. And when it finally clicked, I was ecstatic to finally talk to you," he told me with gently. "I apologized if I was a little bit distant on that day, I was still trying to figure it out." "I—" "—Lily." He smiled down at me, caressing my face. His eyes screamed love and I was beyond terrified. The only person I ever loved cheated on me with his freaking guy roommate. "I've adore you ever since we met. Please don't think I will ever hurt you in any way possible." I gulped nervously. "Y-you can't." His smiled dropped, looking like a kicked puppy. "Why not?" "We just met not even two weeks ago," I reasoned, removing his hand from me. My gaze lowered towards the dirty bathroom floor, getting away from his intense stare. "You can't love me, there's no way—" "Lily, I think you'd mistaken." My head looked up at him in puzzlement. "Huh?" "Remember the story I told you about the girl at the park?" He waited for me to nod, before continuing, "It was you." I sucked in a breath, hearing that. That was me? Hunter wasn't kidding when he said his brother was in love with Lily Ace. "You were so cute back then." He laughed, reaching his arm out. My eyes fluttered closed when his warm finger touch my bottom lip. "But I kind of wish you would take this off." He touched my fake lip piercings. "I like the real you better." "Why are you saying this now Bradlee?" I met his eyes, ignoring the tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach. His fingers were still absentmindedly touching my lip, making it really hard to think. "W-why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you tell me you knew who I was?" His hand dropped from my lips suddenly, causing me to whimper from the lost. He smirked, not missing that. I blushed deeply. "At first I thought you wanted to be a normal teenager. And since everyone in town knew you, you had to fake your identity. So, I kept quiet since I didn't want to ruin a chance for you to be normal." I hung my head in shame, knowing what's coming next. "But then you found out." "Yes." He nodded slowly. "I didn't want to believe the person I was in love with only talked to me, because she had to." "I wasn't pretending Bradlee!" I shouted desperately. He raised a brow at me. It looked like he wanted to believe me, but I could tell he still had doubts. "Were you?" "I-I—I don't know." I sighed, running my fingers through my locks. "At first I admit I was. But somehow along the way, it stopped being fake." The tiniest of smiles ghosted across his lips. "So, you're saying you liked me even though you thought I was a potential suspect?" I sucked in a breath, seeing that smile of his. I wouldn't be surprise if he could hear my rapid heartbeat. "A-are you a potential—" He chuckled, sending goosebumps down my spine. "What do you think?" "I-I don't know," I squeaked out. I wanted to believe him, but my cousins told me not to trust anyone until they're proven not guilty. He could be lying just to cover his ass because I found out he was the killer. You never know anymore. He sighed. "Lily, if I really was the killer, don't you think I would've killed you by now since I already knew it was you from the very beginning?" "I—" "—Plus, if I already knew those guys were FBI agents don't think you I would've ran away the moment I found out, and not exactly come back?" I let out a breath I was holding. "You're right—" The rest of my sentence got cut off when the ringtone I'd set for my cousins started blaring in the now quiet room. Holding up a finger to Bradlee, silencing him, I reached inside my back pocket, before accepting the call. "Hello?" "Lily, we have a little bit of situation—" Skylar started speaking before I interrupted him. "I know, I'm handling it—" "No, it's not about Bradlee finding out." I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Then what is it?" "We just received another text from the killer." My eyes drifted to Bradlee, as they widened in fear. His face soon twisted up in worry, taking a hold of my hand. I smiled down at him, before turning back to my cousins. "What did it say?" "I-I don't think you should know, Lily. It's not—" "Skylar," I barked, shutting him up. "Tell me. What did the text say?" A long silence passed, before I heard Skylar uttered the sentence that almost stopped my heart. "Tell Lily, her little boy toy is going to die." . . . . . Tbc

next!!!!

Ghenghen

@Donwalter dis is a repeated episode anyway tanks 4 d update

@donwalter u ve posted dz already...mk ammendments pls..@pizzaro we nid tu tlk o

Nxt episode nw,plsss

Wen wil d next epic b available nah

who's her little boy toy?

Chapter Thirty-three . . . . . . . . . . "Lily—Lily!" The voice grew louder and louder, getting more frantic by the second. When I didn't respond, I felt a pair of hands wrapping themselves around me, pleading with me to answer. My eyes met theirs in a daze state, seeing bright blue eyes glancing at me with a distraught look on his face. "B-bradlee?" He let out a sigh of relief hearing my voice, before gently laying my head on his lap. My stomach stirred, feeling my cheeks growing warm at the close contact. "Are you alright?" he asked, his lips inches from mine. I gulped nervously, avoiding his gaze. Staring at the ceiling above his head, I almost gagged seeing the unrecognizable brown and oddly green stains. "F-fine," I stammered. "What happened?" "You fainted." My eyes snapped back to his, not missing the forgotten phone on the floor. Your little boy toy is going to die. I gasped, sitting up abruptly at the memory. Pain shooted up my skull, as I doubled over. Letting out a yell, my eyes closed shut. Breathing heavily, I grasped my forehead, trying to subside the growing headache already making its way up to my head. "Shit, Lily, are you alright?" Bradlee asked, before I was suddenly pulled into his chest. Hearing his abnormal heartbeat, I blushed deeply knowing that a simple touch was affecting him just as much as it did to me. "If I would've known you were going to sit up, I would've moved before your head collided with mine." I laughed, glancing up at him. "It's not your fault I can't even sit up straight without hurting myself." He chuckled, as his deep laughter caused his chest to vibrate against my shoulder. His eyes grew warm as he looked down at me, caressing my forehead. My breath hitched at the distance between us. I could smell his delicious after shave, and his unique cologne. "You'd a rough day today haven't you?" He lowered his voice into a soft whisper, leaning his forehead against mine. His eyes fluttered shut, giving me a nice view of his flawless face. I couldn't help but stare at the slight dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose. God, was he cute—No Lily, stop thinking like that. You have to warn Bradlee about— His eyes snapped open at that moment, causing my face to flame. The corners of his lips tugged up into a smirk, catching me in the act. He laughed quietly to himself, rubbing his thumb down the side of my face, before reaching my lips. My body froze when I saw those crystal blue orbs of his hazing over with lust. I gasped silently when he looped his finger under the metal hoop that was my lip ring. My body shuddered violently at the close contact. "You know," he whispered huskily, breaking out into a small smile. "I always wondered how these things would feel up against a tongue piercing," he finished saying, before running his tongue over his bottom lip. Seeing a flash of blue, my eyes rounded when his sentence clicked. Pushing out of his hold, I stammered away, dashing to the other side of the room. My hand reached up, touching the heated skin that was for sure my burning cheeks. He didn't say that. He didn't suggest he wanted to try a french kiss with me. Bradlee wasn't that bold—was he? "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He sighed deeply, when I didn't respond. I mean, how could I? How could I face him?"I guess I went a bit too far with the teasing . . ." Chewing on my bottom lip, I fidgeted with the sleeves of my shirt. "N-no that wasn't it," I managed to squeak out. I was just thoroughly embarrassed. Even though it wasn't anything near my first kiss, the thought of kissing Bradlee just made my knees buckle with nervousness and my heart hammer a thousand times per second. His presence alone made me tongue-tied. "Lily—" he started to say when a loud screech cut him off. "Pervert!" the unknown voice shouted in a high pitch scream. I whipped around to see a middle-age lady, hitting Bradlee with her big ass purse. He was hunched over, blocking his face and stomach from the overly strong stranger. "Don't worry honey," she shouted, in between her torturing. "I got your back sweetie. He won't hurt you anymore—" "Stop hurting him!" I cut her off, causing her to pause for a split second. I took her hesitant as the sign to move, and grasped Bradlee's hand in mine before dashing out of the bathroom. Hearing her screams that vaguely sounded like horny teenagers, I blushed deeply, just thinking about Bradlee's words. Once we were safely outside the mall and as far away from that crazy lady as possible, I let go of Bradlee's hand. Catching my breath, I wiped my face before looking at an amused looking Bradlee. "Thanks for saving me back there." By that sparkle in his eyes, I could tell he knew exactly what that lady was thinking. I shrugged, trying with all my might not to blush for the billionth time today. "Yeah, well someone has to." He chuckled, causing me to laugh in return. It was times like these that I almost forgot I was an undercover spy working for my FBI cousins to solve a murder mystery about a psycho serial killer. If I could have anything in the world it would be to meet Bradlee all over again, but in a different situation. Maybe then I wouldn't have to worry about killers haunting him down. "What's wrong?" Bradlee asked, sensing the change in atmosphere. I rubbed my face in frustration. Damn it. I wish I didn't have to tell him this. "Bradlee." I swallowed. "I need to tell you something." His face soon mirrored mine; all traces of the lighthearted mood surrounding us seconds ago gone. "What is it?" "You're being targeted by the killer." I sucked in a breath, watching his reaction carefully. When his face didn't scream panic—or anything remotely fearful, I looked at him in confusion. "You're not freaked out by that?" "I had time to let it sink in." I didn't have time to question him further, before he spoke again, "That Skylar guy told me after you passed out." "You took my phone?" Searching for my phone, my eyes bugged out when I remembered that I'd left my phone back in the bathroom floor. "Oh fuck!" I yelled, slapping my forehead. "I'm a freaking idiot!" "What?" Bradlee asked, looking completely lost. Then again, I couldn't blame him. "What's wrong now?" He urged me to answer him. "My phone." I sighed. "I left it back in the bathroom." "I'll go get it—" he started to say before I cut him off. "Do you want to get slap again for going into the girl's bathroom?" I raised my brow at him, seeing the clear fear in his eyes. He was probably imagining that lady again. He gulped. "Ah . . . maybe you should go instead." "I have to wait for my cousins," I told Bradlee, glancing around the parking lot. Their van should be pulling up any minute now. "I can't leave you alone." "Lily, the killer isn't going to attack me with all these witnesses around," he said, motioning his hand around the crowded parking lot—filled with teenagers and their family member. "Plus, I can defend myself. I'm pretty good with hand-to-hand combat." "How do you know they don't have a—" I paused, afraid to even say it, "—a, um, a gun." "Were the past victims shot dead?" he questioned. I shook my head no immediately. But they were beaten to the point that they were hardly recognizable. "Then you have nothing to worry about Lily." He smiled, trying to reassure me. "Plus, I'm more worried about you. Are you sure you're safe?" "My cousins have my body wired like crazy. Any threat in a fifty mile radius from me and they're noted." He nodded. "Do you want me to go with you then—" he started to ask, when a large minivan pulled up into the available parking spot behind him. We both glanced at it, before my cousins hopped out of the van. Skylar gave me a wide grin, while Demitri looked at Bradlee with a glare of dislike. I narrowed my eyes at him, warning him to be nice. He rolled his eyes in response before crossing his arms across his chest—his muscles bulging under the black long-sleeve he was wearing. "You're not going anywhere with my cousin, Bradlee," Demitri snapped. His voice held a strong warning of authority. I groaned. He was still treating Bradlee like a suspect. "Demitri, calm down. We already established the fact that Bradlee isn't the killer." "Don't worry Lily, we know." He smiled at me. "But standard protocol first." "What standard protocol?" "Since, Bradlee," he spat his name, eying Bradlee intensely, "says he's not the killer. We need him to answer everything we throw at him, truthfully." Bradlee shrugged, ignoring his heated stares. "Fine by me." "But—" "—Go get your phone Lily," Demitri barked at me, not removing his eyes from Bradlee. I rolled my eyes at how childish he was being. Could he not be any less obvious. "Demitri," I snapped, before Skylar lay a comforting hand on my shoulder. My eyes met his kind ones, quietly telling me drop it. I sighed, nodding my head at him. He smiled at my response, squeezing my shoulders softly. "I'll be back soon, Bradlee." Bradlee gave me a small nod, smiling at me. "Can you also give Hunter my keys?" he asked, before throwing the object at me. Catching it, I glanced at it, before looking at him in confusion. "I have a feeling your cousins won't be letting me go anytime soon, and knowing my siblings and Ailee's friend, they're going crazy looking for me right now." My body visibly relaxed when I heard Bradlee said, "Ailee's friend". So that's what she is. Thank gosh. I nodded, telling them I'll be back soon before I ran off towards the mall. Seeing the bathroom in sight, I was about to ran towards it when Hunter, Ailee, and that girl came into view. The girl immediately glared at me while Hunter and Ailee gave me wide smile in greeting. "Finally!" Hunter exclaimed, running over to me. "We'd been looking everywhere for you!" "Yeah." Ailee nodded. "Where did you run off to?" "And where's Bradlee?" annoying girl asked, cutting straight to the point. Ailee elbowed her friend, narrowing her eyes slightly at her. "Ow!" she cried, rubbing the side of her ribs. "What did you do that for Ailee? I was just asking her a simple question!" "For being rude, duh." She rolled her eyes at the smaller girl. I couldn't help but laugh at her, earning a nasty scowl from her. "He had to take off suddenly." Hunter gave me a confused look. "What do you mean he had to take off suddenly?" "Yeah," Ailee jumped in. "He has the keys! How the hell are we suppose to get home now?" "With this." I smiled, taking out Bradlee's key from my purse. "Bradlee told me before he left to give this to you guys." Hunter took it without question, before he glanced up at me. "Did he say where he was going?" I shook my head. "Nope, just that he'll be back when he can," I told him, lying through my teeth. "Ugh." Ailee groaned, loudly. "First he runs off to Pennsylvania, dragging me with him to find these so-called-people. Now—" "—Wait, what people?" "I don't know." She shrugged. "He said they could help us with the Bryant case. But whoever he was looking for wasn't there anymore." "You mean Alyce and Al—" Ailee's friend started to say before Ailee nodded, interrupting her. Her face twisted up in a frown, hearing her old friends' names. Seeing her hands forming into tight fists, I could tell she was trying her hardest not to cry. I was about to reach out when Hunter suddenly pulled his sister into his arms, hiding her face in his chest as he whispered comforting words into her ear. "I'm sorry Avery, but we need to go," he apologized, before bending down, and picking his sister up. "Ailee isn't exactly up for company right now." I lowered my head in understanding. "I get it. I'll see you in school on Monday then." "Bye, Avery." He smiled, before he carried her passed me, the copycat name stealer running after them. Ignoring the jealousy burning in those icy eyes of hers, I ran towards the bathroom, looking for my phone. When I didn't see the phone on the floor where I'd last left it, I began panicking. Where the fuck is it? Don't tell me that lady stole it! Glancing around the room, I started kicking open the stalls, hoping to God someone just kicked it when they were rushing to use the bathroom. When I got to the stall closest to the sink, I froze in mid-kick. I let out a flood of relief when I saw my phone laying on top of the bathroom sink. Picking it up, I was about to head back to my cousins when I found a small red piece of paper falling in front of my eyes. It landed face up right near my face. My pulse skyrocketed when I saw the sentence printed neatly on the sticky note. You should never leave things lying around, Lily. You never know who'll find it. Especially, a killer. . . . Tbc

dis story is heating up.... Next pls. Nice write-up @donwalter

Gosh! Dis killer is so fucking watching ur every move

oh boi dz killer dey watch 24/7...really nid tu b careful...@pizzaro @kingson1 @ele @sookum emperor sookum anoda epic don land o

@pheranmmie041 ..haa .,dem don go far .. i dnt think i can catch up phab

lily d killer knows every step u take

@ele jst qv it a try nah

Nice story.. Killer is monitoring your every move.

Dnt faint again @lily

nxt plz

@pheranmmie041 ..ill catch up wid u guys soon ..

@ele nw u r tlkinq

none of the suspects is the killer. Am still suspecting Asher, he's dia frnd and always with dem. Even annemarie is also a suspect, she knows far too much

Ha lily dere is fire on d mountain

Huh..... Dis killer sha he knws ur evry move

Watch your back lily because the killer is very smart.

The killer is everywhere watching every of ur movement, lily u'd better becareful

This is getting more terific... Lily u need to b more careful

Chapter Thirty-four . . . . . . . . . . Thud. That was the sound I heard when my cellphone slipped from my hand, and crashed against the checkered tiled floor. I gulped, backing away slowly from the note, eyeing every corner of the surrounding space before me. H-how? This is the girl's bathroom. There's no way a boy could just walk in here without looking suspicious. Unless— My eyes rounded when I saw the window cracked open a bit.That wasn't open before I got here—oh shit. My breath quickened when I saw the shadow of a body by the window. The air in the room suddenly dropped below freezing, as it pierced through my body like thousands of knives. A chill ran up my spine when I saw long flowing hair. It couldn't be. My heartbeat kicked into overdrive, and before I could even let out an ear-piercing scream, the bathroom door kicked open. My breath hitched, turning my head slowly at the intruder. My breathing slowed down, when I saw that it was just my cousin armed with some kind of device shaped like a pen. When our eyes meet, the rage that clouded his eyes started to disappear before his body relaxed with relief when he saw that I was alone. Walking into the room carefully, he studied the space with sheer accuracy—not missing the tiniest of cracks. When he deemed the room safe enough, he lowered his weapon. "Are you alright?" Skylar asked worriedly. "We got a code red from the boys." "I-I'm fine," I squeaked out. "B-but the window." He sighed. "We know." "W-was it a g-girl?" I swallowed nervously seeing Skylar nodding his head. "We didn't get a clear read on the face since she was wearing a hooded hat, but we did see strands of blonde." "D-d-do you think a girl could be the killer?" Skylar shook his head, pulling me towards his chest. My body visibly relaxed having him close to me. I sighed deeply, clutching onto his back like my life depended on it. Breathing in his familiar scent, I could feel my heartbeat slowing down, before my choppy breaths came out evenly again. I smiled into his chest, thanking him quietly. It was like he could sense I needed a hug. "Now that you're feeling a little less scared." He chuckled, glancing down at me. "I doubt the killer is a girl. But, I wouldn't rule out a second party being involved." "You think the killer is working with a girl?" He nodded. "That or he disguised himself as a girl," he answered me, before pulling out a plastic bag from his back pocket. "Can you hand me some gloves?" I stared at him in puzzlement. "Um . . . I don't have gloves." "It's in your purse," he told me as he gazed at the note. "We stashed some away in there when we were wiring some stuff earlier." I lowered my head in a nod, before I realized he couldn't see me with his back turned towards me. "Right," I told him before opening up my bag. Digging through the pile of shit I had, I finally found a pair of gloves contained in a sealed plastic bag. "Here." He whispered a small thanks before he took the gloves out of the bag. Sliding them over his hands, he picked up the note and dropped the evidence in the other bag he was carrying. Pocketing the baggies in my purse, he bent down and picked up my discarded cell phone. "Luckily this didn't break." He laughed, giving me my phone back. "Thanks," I said before clutching the small object in my hands. "No problem, now let's get out of here before someone starts banging on the door. I don't need some old lady attacking me," he joked, trying to lighten up the mood. I chuckled, thinking back to the lady from before. "For my sake, I hope that lady from earlier doesn't come back. She'll probably think I'm some slut." Skylar frowned. "You're not a slut." "I know." I smiled up at him. "But you may want to sneak out the window or something. If someone sees—" "Don't worry," he said, cutting me off. "I was planning on doing that anyways." "You were?" "I kind of have to." He shrugged. "I need to check the area for clues anyway." "W-will Demitri be outside?" I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, hoping to God, he'll say yes. I rather not be alone with that thing lurking around. He gave me a soft smile as he squeezed my shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, Demitri is right outside the mall. We seriously won't let anyone touch you." "I know." I trusted them. "Just don't get stuck trying to climb out the window." I giggled at the mental image. "I'll try not to." He laughed. "Also don't unlock the bathroom door until I'm gone." "I wasn't planning to." He held his arms up in defense. "Just making sure," he said before he headed over to the window. Lifting the panel up, he took a quick look at his surroundings, before hauling his body upwards. He disappeared for a moment before he reappeared. He grinned widely at me, giving me a thumbs up. I took that as my cue to leave, before unlocking the bathroom door. Coming face to face with a 'Please Keep Out, Cleaning in Process' sign, I laughed slightly to myself. FBI agents really do come prepare. Taking the sign down, I closed the door before I rushed towards the front entrance of the mall. Seeing Demitri standing there with his hands shoved inside his pockets, I let out a sigh of relief when I saw him. "Did Skylar buy you the present?" he softly whispered, once I got close enough to hear. My eyebrows dipped down in confusion as I stared up at him. But as I saw his eyes pointing directly at my purse, realization dawned on me. "Yup! Of course." I chuckled under my breath. Was that really the best code phrase they could come up with? "Do you have the present I gave you?" I asked, referring to Bradlee. He rolled his eyes at me when I decided to play along with his antics. "Of course. The present is in the van." "Great." I smiled before Demitri took the rolled up sign from me. We fell into a comfortable silence as we walked side by side to the van together. Once Demitri unlocked the car's door, he motioned his hand for me to sit in the front, before he slammed the door shut behind me. Looking at the rear-view mirror I saw Bradlee sitting behind me with his headphones in. When his eyes meet mine, his smile widened. "Your cousin—" Bradlee started to say before Demitri ripped open his side door, and jumped in. "Lily, please refrain from talking to the suspect into we get back home," Demitri instructed, turning on the engine. "But—" "No buts," he warned me. When he saw me opening my mouth to comment back, his eyes narrowed down, daring me to disobey. I sighed, shutting my mouth. What crawled up his butt and died? *** "Alright, let's get this show on the road," Demitri said as soon as were all sitting around the living room. Tapping some buttons on what looks like a voice recorder, he took out a small notebook and a pen from his shirt's pocket. Glancing directly across from him, he looked at Bradlee square in the eye. "What's your name?" When those words left my cousin's mouth, I turned my attention back on Bradlee, wondering if he'll actually answer his question. Even though Bradlee hasn't exactly been reluctant to talk to people since he'd spoken to me, he hasn't exactly shown his like either. Maybe he really doesn't like pity after all. "Are you seriously asking me that question right now?" he suddenly asked, giving Demitri a 'what-the-fuck' look. Demitri just merely nodded in response. "Just answer the damn question." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Bradlee Le Feuvre." "Place of origin?" Demitri asked in a monotone voice, scribbling down Bradlee's previous answer. "United Kingdom." "Age?" "Eighteen—what does that have to do—" "—Were you at the party of Allie and Alyce Bryant on the night they died?" Demitri asked suddenly, silencing Bradlee. "Yes." Bradlee nodded without missing a beat. Demitri's eyes flicked to Bradlee for a split second before he went back to his notebook. "And why were you there?" "From what I know, they were hosting a party," he explained, getting himself comfortable on the couch. He probably already knew this interview wasn't going to take three seconds to finish. "My sister was invited since she was their friend. My brother and I tagged along when she needed a driver." Demitri stopped writing when Bradlee mentioned his brother. "And why was your brother there?" "He enjoys parties," he said casually with a shrug. "Why did you stay if you were just the driver?" Demitri questioned, zeroing his eyes on Bradlee. Bradlee met his eyes dead on, his tone smooth and clear. "I was their designated driver." I smiled at his answer. He didn't even waver at all. Looks like Demitri finally found his match. "What time did you go home that night?" "A little before midnight," Bradlee told Demitri as soon as his question left his mouth. "Both of my siblings were beyond wasted so I took them home before they got even more drunk." My cousin nodded at the information Bradlee presented before writing that down on his notebook. "So when you left, the Bryant sisters were still inside the building?" "From what I know of—" Bradlee paused, before nodding, "yes." "Did you see anyone suspicious at all?" Demitri asked, going straight to his next question. "No." He shook his head. "I was too busy looking out for my siblings." My cousin only lowered his head in response, before he eyed Bradlee again. "Who else went to this party?" "I don't know. A lot of people?" he guessed, rolling his shoulders. "The Bryant sisters were pretty popular so I would imagine about four-hundred people showed up?" "And you're sure you weren't involved in their deaths?" "Would I be here if I was?" Bradlee countered back with. His once calm demeanor slowly changed as his features contorted up in anger. His icy blue eyes flashed irritably, closing into slits. "Fair enough." Demitri ignored Bradlee's look of hatred, and concentrated on the task on hand. "So, you wouldn't mind if we take some DNA samples?" "Don't you already have my fingerprints?" Bradlee asked coldly, biting back his laughter. "Fingerprints and DNA samples aren't the same thing. You and I both know, you're smart enough to figure that out." "Whatever. You can take my blood for all I care." "No need," Demitri said, before yelling Mr. Baker's name. Our chef for the past thirty years walked in from the near by kitchen, bowing respectfully at my cousin. "Yes sir?" "Get Bradlee here something to drink." Mr. Baker smiled, turning his attention to Bradlee. "Anything in particular you want?" Bradlee shrugged his shoulders, causing Demitri to step in, asking Mr. Baker to bring him a bottle of water. Mr. Baker nodded, before he ran off towards the direction of the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a bottle of water, giving it to Bradlee himself. "Hurry up and take a sip," Demitri demanded, as his patience started to deteriorate. Bradlee only grunted, before he took a quick drink from the water. Twisting the bottle cap back on, he tossed the bottle at Demitri, the later catching it with his hands. "Alright," Demitri announced standing up. Hitting the pause button, he stashed the listening device back inside his pockets before putting the water bottle in a sealed bag. "Until I get the results back for the voice analysis test, you're staying here." "Wait, what?" My eyes bugged out, as I shot up from my seat next to Bradlee. He did not just say what I thought he said. "As much as I don't want to leave Bradlee under the same roof as you, I can't exactly take him to the police station without evidence." "Why can't he just stay in his own home?" I asked. There's no reason for him to even stay here. It's not like Bradlee will run away. Plus, at this point, it's safe to say he isn't the killer. "And let him run away if he's guilty?" Demitri barked. "Hell no." "Fine." I groaned, knowing not to argue with him when he's in one of his moods. It never ends well. "Then what about your apartment?" "There's no security there and I can't risk him escaping when we're not home." "We don't exactly have security here . . ." "And what do you call the guard, the alarm system, and the high-tech fence you have surrounding the property?" he shot back, motioning his hands around us. "I meant FBI agents security—" "Lily." He sighed, pulling me closer towards him. "There's always FBI agents hidden at least one hundred feet away from you," he said, calming down. "And, I'm having Al look out for you and Bradlee while I'm not here." "Who's Al?" "A fellow FBI agent and friend," he told me with a smile, before looking at his watch. "He should be here any minute now actually. I'll go and check—" he started to say before we heard loud pounding coming from the doorway. Demitri muttered something under his breath that sounded like, that better be him, and took a step towards the front entrance. But before Demitri could take another step further, the door opened slowly by itself. My body ran cold when I saw those familiar green eyes staring at me. It was Dennis. . . .Tbc

finally caught up with u guys with my powerbike .. @pheranmmie041 ..its just as u envisaged .,this story is stupendous

who the killer is? thats simple bring chukwudi the stronger to help us see whats on d 3 suspects head...every one is a suspect! ..lily's atittude is the reason spies are warned against falling in love .. but who can stop love

@donwalter .. pls try creating links 4 each episode of ur stories just as johnnysky and coolval does ..so that readerz like me wu start following the story late can easily catch up ...thanks bro

hahaha i tld u @ele...*winks*

Dennis?

I hope Dennis is not d Al Demitri is talkn abt sha?

Is Dennis an FBI agent or what?

@tennie eye meji kii je asha nw...its definately him

Ok o, it seems dis killer has a watch dog.

Am sure Dennis is not fbi

@donwalter cm update nw if u dnt wnt us to perfom kungfu practical..lolz..@ele u r ryt d links to each epic will help alot

What is dennis doing in ur cousins house

ah oqa oo

where is d story na. am aching to read till d end. author pls continueeeeeeee

Donwalter...watz up?

Next ooo, @Donwalter

Episode Nine . . . . . . . . . . I bit my nails as I waited for my supervisor to call me into his office. He was angry with me, that much I knew. I was weeks behind on my project. I had lied to him, I had avoided him and of course I blamed Creep for all of these. It was four days since I was supposed to meet with Creep and I was yet to hear anything from him. I should be happy but I wasn’t. Was he preoccupied with something else? Was he leaving me alone? Was he planning something terrible for me? It was better when he spoke to me, at least then I knew what he was doing. Maybe he moved on; unlikely but possible. My research on Mr Tunji only proved he loved sleeping with students, it proved no blackmail or setting up any other student. Dave had been asked to report at the security office every day and he did. Nothing was happening on that end too. Everything was quiet. “Come in.” Dr Korede’s voice cut off my thoughts. I whispered a silent prayer and entered his office. “Look who finally decided to show up. What’s going on with you? I’ve never known you to be this way.” He said as I sat. “I’m sorry sir.” I mumbled. “I have done what you told me to.” I said producing my laptop from my bag. He looked at the laptop and laughed. “You think it will just be business as usual? What’ll stop you from upping and leaving again?” “I promise I won’t sir. I had some issues before but I’m fine now.” I said. “Really, the school has let your boyfriend go?” “Well, no sir.” “This person you say is following you around, has he stopped?” I shook my head. “So, what are you saying?” I sighed and looked at him. “Sir, I promise I’ve put it all that behind me.” He shrugged and nodded. “Okay, bring out the flash drive I gave you, I need to show you something.” I immediately dug into my bag. I couldn’t find the flash drive. Of course I couldn’t, it was back in my room. I told my supervisor, he was not pleased. “You’re not doing yourself any favours here. How am I sure you will be back?” He asked. “I will be back in thirty minutes.” I hurried out of the office and almost as soon as I got out my phone rang. My heart skipped, I hoped it wasn’t Creep. It was Dupe. I wondered why she was calling. “Dupe, what’s up?” “That guy, Jones, I know how he outdid the lecturer.” She said. “You know how he told you get someone more connected to help against Mr Tunji? That’s what he did.” She said. “Okay, who helped him? Someone in the school?” I asked. “No, but guess what his surname is: Ogunsakin!” “Okay…” The name did not mean anything to me. “You don’t know the name? That’s the speaker of the state house of assembly.” It made sense then that he was able to circumvent Mr Tunji’s plan but why wasn’t Mr Tunji sacked? It was the expected outcome. “You know this Jones guy, right? Maybe you could talk to him about helping Dave.” I said. “I don’t think so.” Dupe replied. “Why?” I was surprised she was refusing to help. “I know the guy because he had a fight with Segun once.” She said. “What was the fight about?” “I don’t know but I don’t think Segun will want me talking with or ask the guy for anything.” “Are you kidding me? Segun broke up with you! Why do care what he thinks?” I could not believe what I was hearing. “I don’t know, I just don’t think it’s right. And the guy might know I’m Segun’s girlfriend and not pay me any attention anyway.” “Dupe! I can’t believe you are saying this. Even Segun won’t refuse this on account of a stupid fight they had a long time ago.” As I talked I heard the sound of a car behind me, I looked back and saw a black Toyota following me. “Dupe, there’s a car following me.” I whispered. “Are you sure? Stop moving and see if it stops too.” It was good advice. I stopped walking and moved to the side of the road. The car kept coming; maybe it wasn’t following me after all. The car moved slowly as it moved past me then suddenly it stopped. Was it Creep? The windows were tinted, I couldn’t see. “Dupe, the car has stopped in front of me. What do I do?” Surely, I wasn’t going to be abducted in the middle of the school. “Is the car still there?” Dupe asked. “Yes! That’s what I just said.” “What are you waiting for? Run!” I wanted to run but I could not move. I just held the phone to my ear and stared at the car. I was worse than a sitting duck. “Are you out of there?” Dupe asked. “No.” I whispered back. And just then the windows of the car rolled down.Segun? “Get in.” He said, waving me in. “Dupe, I’ll call you back.” I said and ended the call. “Segun, what are you doing here?” “Just enter first.” He replied. I took a step to enter then stopped. I’d never seen the car before. “Where did you get this car?” “I stole it.” He said. I looked at him and stepped back. He laughed, leaned over and opened the door. I hissed and entered the car. “Where are you going?” He asked. “To my room, I need to get a flash drive for my project.” “Want to go for a ride first?” He asked. “No, I don’t want to. My supervisor is waiting for me.” I said. “By the way, Dupe mentioned that you know Jones.” “Jones?” He asked and turned away from me. He was suddenly uneasy. “You know him right?” “Why are you asking?” “I need you ask him for a favour on my behalf.” “What do you want to ask?” He asked. He wasn’t looking at me, something was wrong. “Hey Segun, is there something you’re not telling me?” I asked and looked at him. “Just sit, you can ask questions later.” Maybe I shouldn’t relax in the car. Segun was acting weird. Did he steal the car for real? “Segun, where did you get this car?” “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal it. It belongs to a friend.” He said. I was not quite satisfied with that answer. “Which friend?” I asked. “Too many questions.” He said. “Anyway, I can’t help you with Jones. He and I had a fight a while ago. Sorry about that.” “If you won’t do it for me, won’t you do it for your friend Dave?” I said. He didn’t answer. “I want to come down.” I said. “What?” He asked. “Stop the car, I want to come down.” I repeated. “Come on, because I said I can’t help? Don’t be silly.” “Segun, stop the car!” I was so angry now, I was shivering. “Okay, calm down. I’ll stop now.” He said and looked behind me. He pushed a button and the doors locked. I looked at him and for the first time I began to panic. What was he doing? “Segun, what the hell?” “I’m sorry.” He said and turned away from the road to my hostel. I banged the door. “Let me out!” “I’m sorry.” he said again. “What are you doing?” He didn’t answer but looked behind me again. Was somebody there? I started to look behind but I felt a hand grab my neck. I closed my eyes and screamed. I felt a pinch on my neck. “Segun, help!” I screamed. He did not look my way, he just kept driving. My vision began to blur. “Segun, he…eelp.” My words slurred. Was Segun working with Creep? Why would he do that? Oh my God, was he Creep? My head drooped and I dropped into darkness. I opened my eyes and saw nothing. My head thumped and my mouth was dry. Then I remembered being in the car with Segun. I screamed but no sound came out, my throat was too dry. I tried to move my hand but they were tied. I stood to my feet but fell immediately and I began to cry. I felt a hand grab me and set me on the chair. And a voice said. “Welcome.” . . . Tbc

To wea

Dia is a mix-up, dis episode ought to be for stalker and not undercover life. @donwalter, pls chek and correct it. Thanks

Thankz for the info @wyse-one

Chapter Thirty-five . . . . . . . . . . "What are you doing here?" Dennis flinched at my tone. He took a step back, positioning his body near the entrance way. Gulping loudly, he started tugging at the collar of his sweater, avoiding my eyes. "Well, aren't you going to answer me?!" I bellowed, causing him to jump slightly. "Listen-babe—" "—don't you dare call me babe!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Demitri looked at me strangely, before eyeing Dennis. Demitri face twisted up in concentration, before his eyes narrowed down into slits. Recognition crossed his face. "Lily, is this that guy?" Demitri asked, referring to Dennis. "You mean the scumbag that cheated on me? Then yes—" "—I didn't cheat on you!" Dennis cut in, turning my way. His eyes watered, pleading with me silently to believe him. I rolled my eyes. How foolish does he think I am? I knew him better than anyone to know when he's lying or not. "Please. Like I'll believe you!" "It's true!" he cried, before taking a closer step towards me. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Bradlee inching forward on impulse. His face was a blank mask, but I could tell he was trying to hold back the urge to beat Dennis to a pulp if his fists were anything to go by. They were practically turning white from the way he was holding them, the muscles in his arms strangling. Dennis backed up like the coward he was, seeing this. He exhaled deeply, ignoring Bradlee, before glancing at me. "I didn't cheat on you, Lily." "Yeah right—" "—I didn't! You know I didn't! How could I, when I love you?!" Hearing a growl next to me, I didn't even have time to blink before Bradlee launched forward, tackling Dennis towards the ground. Dennis let out a groan, as his head connected with the floor. His eyes flashed red, coming to his senses, before throwing a punch towards Bradlee's face. A blank, emotionless expression swept over his face, before grabbing onto Dennis' neck. Pulling him forward, Bradlee's eyes narrowed down dangerously, getting ready to swing his arm at Dennis' stomach. My pulse quicken, seeing Dennis choking, as he struggled to breathe. Fear made its way towards my body, silencing me as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. Even when I wanted to call out to Bradlee to tell him to stop, I couldn't. It was like I couldn't find my voice; like it disappeared. "Bradlee!" Demitri screamed, causing him to stop. "Let go of the boy!" Bradlee slowly looked up, before he looked back at Dennis. Guilt made its way up to Bradlee's face, as he let go of Dennis. Dennis landed on the floor, breathing heavily. Grasping his neck, he glared up at Bradlee, before his eyes met mine. "Lily, what the fuck is wrong with your friend?" he spluttered. "He almost killed me!" Bradlee's eyes widened at his words. He stared blankly at his hands, in clear shock. "I-I'm s-sorry," he whispered quietly. "Just get away from me, you freak!" Dennis shouted. Bradlee froze hearing those words. He lowered his head in shame, his bangs falling over his eyes. I didn't miss the single tear rolling down his face before he ran past Dennis. "Bradlee!" I yelled, coming to my senses. Running after him, I ignored my ex and Demitri calling my name, before slamming the door behind me. Seeing a FBI agent walking up the curved pathway, I politely waved hello to him. "If you're looking for that young man, he went that way," the FBI agent said, pointing his pale finger towards the direction Bradlee ran off to. I nodded my thanks, managing a small smile. Chasing after Bradlee, I noticed quickly the FBI agent from earlier was following me. If I had to guessed, he was Demitri's friend-the one that was supposed to watch out for Bradlee and I. Ignoring him, I focused on the task at hand: finding Bradlee.Where the hell would he run off to? School? No, that's too far away. His house? I shook my head. That's even farther. Think, Lily, think. If you were Bradlee, where would you go off to? I paused, scanning my surroundings. Seeing the park up ahead, my eyes widened, as they lit up-the park. "Bradlee!" I shouted, picking up my speed. I ran as fast as I could, calling his name, over and over again. By the time I reached the park, I was able to breath normally seeing Bradlee sitting on the swings. My heart soon ached seeing his head buried in his hands, as his body shook violently. "Bradlee," I whispered, slowly walking up to him. Hearing his soft cries, I bent down, softly touching his knees. He paused, peeking up from his hands. When I saw his bloodshot eyes, I couldn't help but jump into his arms. I heard a slight gasp, as I hooked my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay," I whispered into his ears. "It's okay." I rubbed his back, as I tried to comfort him. "I-I'm a f-f-freak," he choked out, his voice breaking. Warm tears prickled the corner of my eyes, hearing his broken voice. I shook my head, pulling him tighter against me. "N-no, you're not a freak." He ignored me, letting out an inhuman cry. Feeling the warm dampness on my shoulder, he hiccuped, as he buried his face deep in the crook of my neck-almost like he wanted to disappear from this world. I could feel the emotions welling up inside of me. I slowly lost my rhythm, as my face got tight. Seeing him in pain, my vision blurred. I clutched at his back, silently telling him that I wasn't going to leave him-that I was there for him. When he slowly pulled away, his glossy eyes stayed glue on my face. He slowly lifted his hand, gently touching my cheek. My eyes blinked close, the last of the salty substance escaping from my tear ducts. "I'm a monster, aren't I?" he asked, his voice low. I shook my head in protest. "No, Bradlee." I grasped his hand on my face, tightening my hold on him. "You're not a monster. You're not a freak. You're a human being. And human beings make mistakes." "B-but he's not the only one." My brows narrowed down in confusion. "Huh?" "He's not the only one to call me that . . . there were others. Many others," he confessed, as his eyes filled with water. "They all blamed me." I smiled sadly when I remembered what Demitri had told me about Bradlee. He'd gotten in trouble with the police before, doing stupid idiotic things.Fighting, stealing, and punching a police officer. "Don't listen to them," I told him. "I trust you." "Y-you trust me?" I nodded at his shocked expression. "Of course." I smiled happily at him. "I know you Bradlee, and I know you wouldn't do something without a reason." His blue eyes stared intensely at me—almost like he was trying to see if I was lying to him. His facial features turned soft, before the edges of his lips curved up to a small smile. "You're the first person to say that to me." He pulled me into his arms, as I laid my head on his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat. "Thank you, Lily." "Of course, Bradlee." A comfortable silence soon filled the space around us. The only sounds in the air was the quiet, rhythmic breathing of our own breaths. I smiled contently, when I felt his arm wrapping themselves around my waist. I did the same, enjoying his presence, and the immediate comfort I felt being around him. "You know, somehow whenever I try playing the hero, I always end up to be the bad guy," he said a moment later. I leaned away a bit, cranking my face up so he could see me. "What do you mean?" "One time, I saw this officer manhandling this girl for no apparent reason. She was screaming for him to stop, but he didn't. So, I did the only thing I could think of to help the girl. But, by the time the police got there, the girl escaped, and the officer was unconscious on the floor. I was charged for beating up the cop shortly after," he said blankly, staring up at the sky. His eyes shone sadly, probably thinking about that day. "Oh Bradlee—" "—It's always the same, you know." He sighed, as he ran his hands through his hair a few times. "Either they treat me like scum for the way I chose to dress, or pity me because of my hearing loss. Freak, is very fitting, don't you think?" He bitterly laughed. "Bradlee, what did I tell you?" I held onto his hands, determined to get him to understand. "You're definitely not either of those things." I frowned when the smile he had on didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, but your ex . . . h-he's right." He pushed my hands away, before gazing away from me. "What I did was inexcusable just because I was jealous. I shouldn't have attacked him." "Bradlee, you didn't mean it—" "—even if I didn't mean to, I still did it. I almost choked him, Lily!" he ended his sentence with broken sob. "I-I know you still care about him. You did love him after all." "You're right." He dropped his head, looking defeated. "Bradlee, I—" "—you don't have to say anymore. I get it." "No, you don't!" I yelled, turning his head to look at me. I leaned forward, not breaking eye contact. His eyes widened when he saw how close we were. I breathed deeply, gathering as much courage as I had. "Listen Bradlee." He gulped, swallowing hard. "You're right in the sense that I did love him. But here's the thing, Bradlee. He's my past, and he always will be my past. Nothing can change that, but, Bradlee, you're my future." I smiled, leaning against his forehead when I saw the love sparkling in those of eyes of his that I love so much."I really like you, you—" I started saying, before he silenced the rest of my sentence by gently touching his lips against mine. . . . Tbc

aww....

Uhmmmmmm aw romantic

Chai see as body dey sweet me... Tanks for d update next pls

Nice update. Pls try nd update at least 2ce in a week, it will b more better. Tnx 4 d update though.

Wow...... Luvly........ Nxt plsssss....... Endavour 2 update daily plsss nd nt 1nce n a while

Oh my gosh!(InNickisvoice)

love is in the air...

[b]See them... @ladies if u want some, come get some[/b]

Dat fit u right @Dennis

Wow next pls

after years of waiting he finally posted it kudos to you @donwalter

Oh oh how romantic love dat

Hmm... She's deeply in love wit bradlee hmmm, kissing a suspect? I could feel how powerful love is

A millon and thousands of youth,have this feeling that Bradlee had,nice

Wow! So so sweet. How romantic! Next pls

hmmmmmm, love nwa ntiti

hmmmmmmmmmnnn

So romantic

she z in love...

So so romantic. U knw at a point of tym wen u're deeply in luv, other voices sounding behind u go es blank in ur ears. I hope nobody break the transmision here. I dont think that attack is out of jelous, i guess Bradle has an uncomfortable feelings for Denis.

na wa oo..no update yet..mr or na mrs writter no let maa chanqe am for u o

Wow! Finally Lily admits her feelings for Bradlee. I knew it! I knew dt guy is not d killer and I won't be suprised if he joins them in digging out who d killer is. Thumbs up @Donwalter.

@Donwalter oya na

Chapter Thirty-Six . . . . . . . . . . His lips were soft as they pressed against mine—a mixture of sweet chocolates and an essence that was uniquely Bradlee's exploded my tastebuds. Blood flowed rapidly to my cheeks, as I felt the adrenaline pumping throughout my body. I couldn't stop the pounding in my chest, as the tip of his tongue teasingly touched the metal rings on my bottom lip. I gasped, feeling the electric current that shot up my spine when I felt the coldness of his tongue peircing. Hearing a soft moan escape his lips, he pressed his body tighter against mine, bringing me closer to his chest. His fingers lightly touched my waist, as he absentmindedly rubbed the fabric that separated his hands from my bare skin. My breath hitched as I felt those fingers of his sliding under the fabric of my shirt. Feeling his smile against my lips, he took that opportunity to penetrate my mouth with his tongue. I whimpered as his tongue touched mine, igniting a fiery desire in the pit of my stomach. The world around us soon disappeared; leaving just the two of us as our kisses became more urgent. The earning for one another grew more desperate as the seconds ticked by—the passion and lust crashed over us—engulfing us in sweet bliss. As our lips begin to pull apart for much needed air, a loud eerie sound filled the air. My body jolted upwards, grasping onto Bradlee's neck for dear life. My body shivered against his, as I felt his arms wrapping themselves around my mid-back, protecting me. My senses heightened, as I listened to the calming wind blowing frosty air against our bodies. I froze, when I heard that voice again—this time it was laughing. My body ran cold, as I truly felt the air slicing in half at the sound of his voice. "Lily, what's wrong—" Bradlee began asking, before I squeezed his shoulder tightly, silently telling him to be quiet. His voice filled the air once more, laughing darkly. "You know, Avery, you're kind of cute when you're flushed red." My breath caught in my throat; my voice not able to articulate a single sound. The hairs on the back of my neck stood upright as I tried to seek out the face that belonged to such a chilling voice. Bradlee's body tensed up against mine, shielding my body closer towards his. "Who's there?" he demanded loudly. Bradlee's eyes narrowed down into slits, as he twisted around, eyeing every corner in sight. "Your worst fucking nightmare." His twisted laugh taunted us, as it reverberated across the empty park. My eyes flickered uncontrollably, trying to find the source of that noise. My ears became sharper as I listened, every snap of the foot not missed. A flash of long blonde hair collided with my eyes, before it disappeared into the darkness. My eyes rounded seeing the same lock of blonde hair from earlier. "Tell your little friends I'll be back for them. And don't worry, Lily, I didn't forget about you. I have something special plan, just for you." I stared blankly at the spot he was just in moments before with wide, horrified eyes. Bradlee gently touched my cheeks, as my shoulders shook in fear. Frightened by my sudden expression, he pushed my face in the crook of his neck, comforting me. I took in a sudden intake of breath, as I struggled to breathe. I couldn't concentrate on anything else, as my heart started beating faster and faster. The fear rose, as sweat started dripping down from my forehead. I watched as it disappeared into Bradlee's shirt, distracting me from what he'd said. He was after my friends. He was going to go after them. Does that mean, Ian's sister was his next target? It couldn't be. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let anyone die anymore. Getting a surge of confidence, I pulled out of Bradlee's hold, determination bubbling up inside me. I couldn't be scared anymore. Letting out a breath of air, I summoned enough courage to meet his gaze. His blue eyes pierced through mine, reminding me of his half-hooded eyes when his body was pressed against mine just moments before. He blinked, looking completely confused. "Lily, what in the world is going on here? I heard bits and pieces, so I know something dangerous is out there." He held his breath. "Is it the k-killer?" "It was." I nodded, surprised I didn't stutter. He chewed on his bottom lip, scratching the side of his neck in thought. I gulped. I was peculiarly conscious of those lips of his. My face heated up just thinking about the events that took place just before he showed up. Even with the fear running through my body, I didn't forget about that kiss. How could I? His lips were delicious. Coughing, I averted my eyes from his. "We need to go. We have to warn everyone." "Lily." I paused, as I felt his strong hand closing over my wrist. "Tell me what he said." I faked a smile. I couldn't let him know. "Don't worry about it, Bradlee. For now, we need to get back home." "Lily—" "—please Bradlee," I begged. My voice cracked, as I shut my eyes. I couldn't repeat those words. If I did, his words might actually ring true, and I couldn't let that happen. "We need to get back." My eyes shot open, as I was suddenly pulled backwards. I let out a humpf as I collided with Bradlee's chest. Gazing down at the arms looped around my waist, my stomach knotted together when he laid his head on top of my shoulder. "You're safe with me," he whispered quietly. I sucked in a breath, when his warm lips came in contact with the crook of my neck, leaving butterfly kisses to the base of my shoulder. "I'll protect you." My eyes rounded at the sincerity of his voice. It was like he knew what to say to calm me down. I smiled, completely memorized by him. His voice, his arms, his warmth, and his comfort. Bradlee. My hand closed over his, affectionately, grateful that he was here. "Thank you." "Any time." He laughed, his chest vibrating against my back. My pulse accelerated when I felt his warm breath, breathing next to my ear. "By the way, you're a great kisser." He winked at me, removing himself away from me. My cheeks flamed red, seeing those piercing blue eyes of his clouded up with a mischievous glint. "I-I—" "—come on, Lily. We need to get back." I closed my mouth, knowing exactly what he did. The corners of my lips tugged up into a small smile, as I gazed at his back. He really was something, alright. Only he would try to distract me by embarrassing me to death, but I also knew he did it for my own sake, and for a split second, it helped. "Finally, you're back! Why didn't you tell me you were working for the FBI, and what's this about—" Dennis started rambling, before he saw Bradlee behind me. His eyes darkened, as his fingers curled tightly into fists. "—what is he doing here?" My face went rigid at his tone, ignoring the FBI part. "He is staying here." His jaw dropped open. "What?! How can you let that freak in your house?" he boomed, sneering at Bradlee. My eyes narrowed down, as I glared at him. Rage consumed me, as my body shook violently. How dare he? "You have no right to call Bradlee a freak, you fucking shithead!" His eyes widened, as he stumbled back in shock. "L-lily. What's wrong with you? You'd never spoken to me like that before . . ." "Well, that was before you decided to cheat on me!" He opened his mouth to defend himself, before I lifted a hand, silencing him. "I seriously don't want to hear your excuses, Dennis. I know what I heard, and I know what you did, so save it." "But—" "—shut up!" I roared, as he clamped his mouth shut. He nodded solemnly, before he shot Bradlee a look of hatred with his cruel, emerald orbs. Anger boiled deep within me, before a soft hand touched my shoulder, letting me know it was okay. I breathed calmly, before I slowly emerged from the anger I possessed. I moved my eyes away from a jealous-filled Dennis to Demitri standing behind him. "Demitri, I need to talk to you." "About?" "When Bradlee and I were at the park, I heard someone." His eyes immediately widened. "This wouldn't happen to be the killer, would it?" "I-I think so. He had the same blonde locks as the shadow I saw at the mall, but he definitely wasn't a girl." He nodded, absorbing in the newly found information. "Did you get a good look at his face?" I shook my head. "He was hiding in the shadows. I couldn't see a thing." "I see," he said, before turning his attention to Bradlee. "What about you? Did you see anything?" Bradlee grunted a soft, "no" at my cousin. Demitri let out a deep sigh, before running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I'll call my team to see if they saw—" "—no need," a new voice announced, cutting off the rest of Demitri's sentence. All four pairs of eyes directed themselves at the new visitor. When I saw that it was the FBI agent from behind, I gasped. "You!" I pointed at him. "Where were you when we needed you?" I barked, turning Demitri's head at me, questionably. I knew he was near, so why didn't he come to our fucking rescue? What kind of agent was he? "I was watching you two like your cousins wanted me to, but I thought you'll like some privacy when you guys started expressing your love for one another."—I blushed at this, while Dennis started yelling profanities in the background.—"So, I decided to take a walk around the premises," he said cooly, without even blinking an eye. "When I heard that voice, I ran back as soon as I could. When I did, I saw the outline of a body in the shadows. He was pretty tall, maybe about a foot shorter than you Bradlee." The FBI agent glanced at Bradlee for a split second before turning his attention back on me. "From what I could tell he had really long blonde hair, and his frame was extremely petite—I almost thought he was a girl, until I heard his laughter." "Did you see his face?" Demtiri asked his friend. "No." A chorus of sighs went around the room when he said that. "But—" He smirked, as a sly smile made its way across his lips. "—I did chase after him for quite some time before I finally saw him taking off his wig." "Well," Demitri urged him on. "What color was his hair?" "It was the same color, just shorter." I sucked in a breath. That could only mean one thing. Ian. . . . Tbc