“So did you bang that cheerleader yet?” asked Maxine, over a slice of pizza.

Torey inhaled the bite he was chewing. He coughed, set down his own slice, then gulped down a mouthful of Dr. Pepper.

Two days after he had Chase over, he and Maxine found themselves in the mall food court. There weren't as many people around as usual, probably frightened into staying at home by the threat of a potential killer on the loose. They were the only ones seated in front of the pizza place.

“Seriously?” he asked, once his airway was clear again. “You really just asked me that?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Come on, I'm your best friend. I have the right to know.”

“No, you don't,” he replied.

This was starting to sound like a yes. “She's a mental toddler, you know. If you sleep with her that makes you a sick fuck.”

He smirked. “She is not,” he said. He took another bite of his pizza, undeterred by his brush with death. “You know she's just having trouble adjusting to American society. She's as smart as you or me, maybe smarter.”

Maxine frowned. “She is NOT smarter than me.” She took an annoyed bite of her own, then asked, “And you don't really believe she's the way she is because she's a foreigner or whatever, do you?”

“You dont?”

“No!” said Maxine. She chewed and swallowed. “There's obviously something weird about her, something beyond just not being from around here. Look at all the crap she can do, look how uncivilized she is. She's some kind of jungle girl like Tarzan or something. The cheerleaders probably captured her and brought her back to America to be their performing freak.”

“Give me a-”

“Tor!”

They looked up to see Chase running toward them, carrying a shopping bag. She had a big smile on her face, clearly very pleasantly surprised to see him there. Alicia was jogging after her, trying to keep up as she carried a couple bags of her own.

Chase gave him a big, enthusiastic hug. “Hi Tor! Hi Max!”

“Hey Chase!” Torey replied.

“Hey, cheer nazi-” began Maxine, before Chase gave her a big hug too. “Ack! Get off me!”

Chase stepped back. “Yay! Meet Tor and Max at mall!” She looked from one to the other. “You two on date?”

“What?!” they both shouted in unison. Maxine turned very red.

“No! No way, Chase. It's not what it looks like,” insisted Torey.

Chase tilted her head to the side. “Why not?” she asked, confused.

Alicia reached them. She put a hand on Chase's shoulder, caught her breath, then said, “They're just hanging out. Since you and Torey are boyfriend and girlfriend, you can't date anybody but each other. That's how boyfriends and girlfriends work.”

“Oh,” said Chase, clearly still confused. She thought about this. “Not sure if Lin know that.”

“Yeah, I'm not sure she knows that either,” laughed Alicia.

“What are you guys doing here?” Maxine asked them.

Chase opened up her shopping bag and pulled out some fabric in Sunnycrest's school colors of green and gold. “Us make dog skirts!”

“Dog skirts?” asked Torey.

“Poodle skirts,” clarified Alicia. “For the cheerleader malt shop. Me and Chase are going to sew everyone some cute little poodle skirts, to replace our usual cheerleading skirts.”

Maxine looked annoyed. “God, that's such an insufferably cute and dumb idea,” she said.

“That's more or less what I was going for,” smiled Alicia. She grabbed her arm. “Come on, let's go to the bookstore.”

Maxine looked up at her, confused. “Huh? You and me?”

Alicia jerked her head at Chase and Torey, signaling that the couple should be given some privacy. “Why not? We can hang out outside of babysitting, can't we?”

Maxine stared at her, then shrugged and stood up. “I guess so.”

They bade Torey and Chase farewell, then started walking over to the bookstore. At first, Maxine wasn't so sure about this, but a surprisingly natural conversation began to flow as they went. It seemed that after a few tandem babysitting gigs, she and Alicia had really gotten to know each other pretty well. Once it got around how they'd saved Charity, it had been difficult to work alone. All the parents in town wanted the package deal. They all said it was worth it to know their kids were protected, and wouldn't hear it when Alicia and Maxine tried to say they'd just gotten lucky.

“All I'm saying is that you have your eras mixed up,” Maxine told her. “Poodle skirts are a fifties thing. The Twist was more early sixties.”

Alicia smiled. “Yeah, well...it's just a malt shop. It's not held down to a specific year. All kinds of malt shop type things can happen there!”

“Ugh. That isn't a good enough answer,” replied Maxine. “People will complain.”

“People like you?”

“Well, I'm not going, so I'm getting my complaining out of the way now.”

“Aw, you should come,” Alicia said, giving her a nudge. “You'd...It's for a good cause.”

“What were you going to say?”

“I was going to say you'd have fun. But I know that isn't true.”

“Pfff.”

“Are you ready for us to babysit this Saturday?”

Maxine looked at her. “The parents didn't call you? They cancelled us.”

Alicia was surprised. “No! They didn't. What happened?”

“They didn't say...” said Maxine. She sighed. “It's probably because of me.”

“Why you?”

“You haven't heard the rumors? Everybody's saying me and the other scary kids are the killers,” she replied.

Alicia gasped. “No!”

“Yeah. We're sacrificing kids to satan now because that's what kids these days do,” she said.

“That's so messed up. No, I didn't realize people were saying that,” said Alicia. She thought about this, then put a hand on her shoulder. “I doubt it's because of you. The parents are probably just scared because of the killer in general, not because they think you're the killer. They just don't want to leave their kid alone with someone other than themselves. I doubt I could get hired right now either. If I was working alone, I mean.”

Maxine looked her in the eyes, then looked away. “Yeah...Maybe you're right.”

They reached the bookstore. Alicia didn't have any particular reason for going there, but it was a nice place to browse. Like the food court, it was very quiet. Maxine decided to check out the Blu-Rays and see if there were any good horror movies in stock.

As they browsed, they were surprised to spot two people they knew in the manga section.

“Oh, sweet, they have the new volume!” said Flor, taking a book off the shelf and flipping through it. She looked at Caitlin. “You'd like this one, Caitlin. It's really interesting.”

Caitlin smiled skeptically. She took down another volume from the same series and flipped through it. “Yeah...doesn't seem like my thing.”

“What, too nerdy for you, miss honor roll?” Flor asked. “Come on, it has a lot of hot guys in it. That makes it perfect for unquestionably straight girls like you.”

Caitlin laughed. “Well...”

“I have the whole series, next time you come over I'll loan you the first couple v-”

“Hey, Caitlin! Hey, Flor!” greeted Alicia.

Both of them jumped as if they'd been caught red handed in something.

“A-A-Alicia!” shouted Caitlin, cramming the manga back on the shelf. “Maxine! H-h-hellloooo there!”

“Hi,” said Alicia, confused. She had never heard Caitlin say 'hellloooo there' before in her life.

Maxine looked at them curiously. “Well, this is a surprise. Since when do you guys hang out?”

“Well, um, uh...” stammered Caitlin.

“We kind of bonded at Bald Ridge,” interrupted Flor.

That was one way of putting it. “Yeah. It turns out we have a lot in common,” agreed Caitlin quickly.

“Aww. That's great,” said Alicia.

“Excuse me!” came a voice from a few feet down the aisle. They looked and saw a little boy straining to reach a manga on the top shelf. “Can you hand me that one there?”

Flor was the closest, so she waked over and took it down. “This one?”

“Yes!”

She handed it to him. The boy held it in his hands and looked at the cover with excitement. “Thank you!”

“No problem, little dude,” she answered.

A worried-looking woman appeared at the end of the aisle, clearly his mom. “There you are!” she said gratefully. “What did I tell you about wanderi-”

She spotted Flor and Maxine, and turned pale. She slowly approached, trembling visibly. As soon as she was in range, she quickly grabbed the boy's hand, causing him to drop the manga.

“I'm sorry if he bothered you,” she said, terrified and trying to appeal to any sense of decency they might possess. “Really.”

“Uh, he wasn't bothering us,” said Flor.

Mother and son backed away slowly. “Sweetie,” the mom said, “We're going to run to the car and lock the doors, alright? Just like we practiced.”

“O-okay,” said the boy, scared and not sure what he was supposed to be scared of.

They continued to back up, eyes glued to the scary kids, until they reached the end of the aisle. Then, presumably figuring they had a decent head start, they turned and ran.

….........

Maxine and Flor didn't feel like hanging out at the mall anymore after that, so the four of them left. The original plan was for Caitlin to go over to Flor's after the mall, but when it came time to pair off and head for home, Alicia just kind of gravitated to Caitlin and Maxine gravitated to Flor and the two groups went their separate ways, since to them, that was the order of things.

At that moment, on the front steps of Sunnycrest High, Victoria stopped to tighten the laces of her tall black boots. Courtney paused and watched her.

“Pain in the ass...who wears these things?” Victoria grumbled, through black-painted lips. A sheaf of black-dyed hair slipped in front of her eyes, and she pushed it aside.

“You, apparently,” said a female voice from behind her. Victoria gave a start, then looked up and over her shoulder. Courtney was standing there, a tennis bag slung over her shoulder.

Victoria returned to her labor. “Hi, Courtney.”

“Sorry. Jumpy, huh?” Courtney asked.

“Can you blame me?”

Courtney shivered. “I really can't.”

Seeing Victoria struggle, Courtney suddenly felt very light in her sneakers. She scratched the back of her bare calf with one of them. “You make a cute scary kid,” she playfully offered.

“I better,” Victoria replied sourly.

They were alone there. The sun was setting, making the western sky a red to rival that of the leaves the wind was shaking from the trees. Most students had paired off and gone home already, except those with clubs running late. The school was always empty at this time of day, but somehow today it felt especially barren, especially lonely. Victoria felt exposed and vulnerable, crouching on the front stairs and working on her boots in full view of anyone who might be watching.

“You're not going home alone, are you?” asked Courtney. “Wanna come to tennis practice with me? Then when we're done we can go home together.”

Victoria looked at her again. She gave her laces one final yank to tighten them, then stood up. “I'm really out of practice.”

“Yeah. Hence why you should come with me and play a couple games,” said Courtney.

The two girls started down the steps. “Sorry. I kinda want to, but I'm really worn out.”

“I thought the cheerleaders didn't have practice today.”

“Well, no, but sometimes I practice by myself. Just to work on things.”

Courtney rolled her eyes and smiled. “You're really into that rah rah stuff now, aren't you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“It's a waste. You were really good at tennis in middle school.”

“I'm good at cheerleading too.”

“Yeah, but you and I both know it doesn't give you the same challenge as tennis.”

Victoria hesitated. They reached the bottom of the school steps, then continued down the sidewalk. “Middle school was a long time ago now. I'm totally dedicated to cheer these days. All joking aside.”

Courtney sighed, and they stopped walking. They had reached a crossroads; walk around the back of the school to the tennis courts, or keep walking away from the school towards the suburbs. From the way the conversation had gone, Courtney saw they would be going separate ways. “You're sure you're okay walking home alone.”

They both looked off toward the darkened suburbs. Courtney had an ill feeling. “I'll be fine. It's not far,” Victoria replied.

“Well, okay.” She turned and started walking toward the courts. “Wanna play a match sometime? Just for fun?”

“Sure,” said Victoria. “But tomorrow, okay? I really am tired.”

It didn't end up happening, however. The following morning, Courtney was found dead.

.......

A local rancher discovered Courtney's body in his horse barn while doing his morning chores. Two of his horses were also slain, however, it was not their blood used to paint the pentagram which encircled Courtney's cold body. That was all Courtney.

The police interviewed the rancher, and were also present at Sunnycrest High that day, querying the shocked and grieving students. The news had beaten them there. Chase and Alicia found out when they saw girls from the tennis club crying by their lockers and asked them what was wrong.

These tennis girls were questioned, as well as Victoria, who Courtney's fellow club members had witnessed talking to Courtney that night.

“So you say you and Courtney went your separate ways, and you didn't see her after that,” said an overweight cop, scratching his second chin as he looked down at his notepad.

Victoria stood by her locker. Her black lips were pursed and her eyes, with their raccoonlike dark makeup, were turned down to the floor. She looked totally numb, ever-teetering on the verge of tears.

“That's right,” said Victoria quietly.

“Any of you funny lookin' kids ever sackerfice somebody to the devil?” he asked.

“What?! No!” she replied, snapping out of it.

“What about Courtney? Did you sackerfice her?”

“The answer to the previous question also answers that one as well!” Victoria replied incredulously. “And it's pronounced 'sacrifice'!”

“Now now, no need to get belliggorant,” he replied. “Tell me darlin', you ever listen to Marilyn Munsen?”

“I think you mean Marilyn Manson, and no, I never cared for his body of work!” Victoria retorted.

The cop chewed his tobacco. He spit some out. “Mmhmm,” he replied, clearly not believing her. “Ma'am, I'm gonna have to place you under arrest.”

As he spun her around and slapped some handcuffs on her, Victoria screamed, “Nooo! I'm not a scary kid! I'm not! I'm a cheerleader! A CHEERLEADERRRRRRRRRR!”

“Hey!” a female voice barked. “What's going on here?!”

Both Victoria and the cop looked up. They saw Lara standing there, hands on her hips.

“Think we got a lead, Lara,” said the cop. “Little gal's actin' mighty suspicious.”

“You're gonna have to do better than that,” Lara replied. She held out her hand, and the cop dutifully put the handcuff keys into it.

As Lara freed her, Victoria said, “Thanks.”

“Don't mention it,” said Lara. “Come down to the station after school though, okay? I'd like to ask you some questions about last night, regardless.”

No one was exactly sure who Courtney went home with. Her fellow tennis club members claimed she had stayed later than everyone else to get some extra practice in. She had her own car, and it was assumed by everyone that she'd drive it safely home, but she had not left the school in it. It was still in the student parking lot.

The students of Sunnycrest were devastated. There was no assembly, this time. Maybe it was too close to home, maybe the school just didn't know what they could possibly say. Maybe they just wanted to let the students grieve in their own way.

Suffice to say, a lot of students wanted to talk to Miss Cha that afternoon. But she had an appointment with Chase, and she kept it.

“Thank you for taking the time to come visit me, Chase,” said Miss Cha kindly, as Chase entered her office. There were two seats there; a comfortable looking chair and a couch large enough to seat three. Miss Cha gestured at the couch. “I'm glad you remembered. Please, have a seat.”

“Thanks!” replied Chase, sitting down. “Am glad to come.”

“Would you care for some tea?” asked Miss Cha. She had a small kettle in the corner, and its spout was steaming.

“Yes!” said Chase. Miss Cha poured her a cup and gave it to her. Chase wasn't sure how she was supposed to care for it. It wasn't a living thing. What kind of care could it possibly need? She decided that what Miss Cha meant to say was 'Would you drink this hot water for me?' This was what she did. It tasted rather good.

Miss Cha sat down in her chair. She picked up a pen and a clipboard. Clipped in was a spiral-bound notebook, turned to a blank page. “I could understand if you didn't want to come. I'm sure what happened must have affected you deeply,” said Miss Cha sympathetically. “I know her friends in the tennis club were given the rest of the day off.”

Chase looked sad and nodded. “Yes. Much sad that Court died. Not know too well but seem like nice girl. Not as bad as if cheer die, but still bad.”

Miss Cha smiled. “You care a lot for the other girls on your squad, don't you?”

“Yes! Care much!”

“Have they been good friends to you since you joined? Are they nice to you, even though you're the new girl?”

“Oh, yes! So much love from cheer friends! Them so good to me!” praised Chase. “Work much hard. Them kind to me, so work much hard to give kind back and love them just as much.”

“Aww,” said Miss Cha. “You seem like a good friend.”

Chase blushed. “Well, just try. Is hard to be as good as them. Not know if all the work and love there is can do it.” She was grinning brightly as she said it.

Miss Cha put pen to paper. She wrote two words in a clean, efficient cursive.

Guilt. Insecure.

Andrea asked Chase a lot of questions to kind of get a rounded view of what her life was like. Where she was living, how her studies were, who her friends were. She asked her a little bit about the battles Chase had been in. The ones that were public knowledge, the ones it would make sense that a perfectly normal school counselor would have heard about, anyway.

It was sort of fascinating. This girl and her...they were so different. And yet at the same time, they were like no one else. Director Abraham wanted her for the same reason he'd wanted Andrea. They were killers. Born killers. Born hunters. But their methods, their values, their personalities, couldn't be further apart. She could see why he was so interested. Chase was closer to his boorish, vulgar...outright male vision of how death should be dealt. How pain should be inflicted.

Her eyes kept drifting to Chase's neck. If only Abraham didn't want her alive. God, Andrea wanted to feel her. It had been so long. Decades.

She could imagine that strong body thrashing under her. She could almost feel those long, powerful legs kicking. She loved that part. She loved when they kicked.

Maybe she could just touch Chase's neck a little bit. If she touched it and it felt weak and unappealing, then her curiosity would be satisfied.

She couldn't think of a way to do it without rousing suspicion. Well, maybe an opportunity would present itself. She put that thought on the back burner, with some difficulty.

When she was done, she bade Chase farewell with a cheerful smile. Andrea thought about heading home for the day. She had what she needed. Well, to an extent. She was feeling more pent-up than ever. Yes, she had told Director Abraham that she'd keep a low profile...but she couldn't take the temptation that surrounded her. She needed a release.

However, a distraught student entered right after Chase left.

“Hi,” said Lacrosse Captain Hugh. Perhaps sensing that she was wanting to leave, he asked, “Is this an okay time to talk?”

“Oh! Of course! Of course! Hugh, right?” Her eyes settled on his neck as he sat down. She sucked in a quick breath. “My door is always open.”

“Good,” he said, sitting down. “Look, I, I'm not real good at talking about stuff like this, I couldn't tell the other guys, but...I'm really shaken up by what happened. Courtney and I, we used to date, and, well...we didn't end things on the best note...I guess I feel...guilty.”

“Oh, no,” said Miss Cha sympathetically.

She knew she wasn't as young as she used to be. But hell, he was a teenage boy. It was worth a try.

“It's natural to feel guilt in a situation like this. Grief affects everyone differently.” she said. Her voice was sympathetic. Loving. She made it slightly sultry as she crossed one leg over the other. “I bet you feel lonely too.”

If he looked, she knew she had him.

The boy seemed confused for a moment. Then...He looked.

And Andrea Cha smiled.