No one moved for several minutes. No one spoke. Everyone aside from Lola had gathered to look at Vicki’s body. For several minutes, everyone just looked in horror at the corpse, praying this was an awful dream. Maybe she had just fallen asleep in the library in an extremely uncomfortable position. That which they had prayed would never happen again had happened once more. Of course, that only meant one thing was missing.

“Ahem! If I may have your attention please!” Brian’s whimsical yet chilling voice brought everyone back to reality. Slowly, everyone turned around to look at Brian. “Hm… Seems like we're missing someone… Oh well! Their loss! I hope you're getting used to this by now,” Brian started. “For those who've forgotten the drill in the few days in between these murders, allow me to reexplain briefly. You'll have a short amount of time to investigate the body. After which, you'll all go in the room at the end of the hallway to tell me what you think happened. One of you, the one who get it the most wrong, will be punished! Fair enough? Alrighty, I'll leave you to it! Buh-bye!” And with that, Brian fizzled out.

“You heard him,” Selena said before anyone had processed what he had said. “No one talk to Lola. We might be able to get an easy out this time…”

“You are a horrible person,” Lavender replied bluntly. Selena just smiled. Lavender, ignoring Selena, rushed over to Vicki’s body. Jason joined her, along with a few others. Most were still in shock, and chose to investigate the library instead. The first thing Lavender did was lift the hair from Vicki’s face. Jason felt his breakfast come back up. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot. She seemed to have been terrified at the very end. Tears had dried on her cheeks, forming a line through the blood. Lavender closed Vicki’s eyes, which made her look as though she were sleeping through a bad hair day.

“Wonder why she was crying?” Lavender thought aloud. Jason looked at her incredulously. Why else would someone be crying other than their imminent death? “Somehow, I don't think it relates to the case that much,” Lavender added. Then, she gently put Vicki’s hair back onto her face. She then looked at the combat knife sticking gruesomely out of Vicki’s chest. Unlike Henry, who had had the knife lodged into his chest almost perfectly straight, the knife here seemed hurried, as if the killer didn't have much time to aim the perfect shot. Lavender did not investigate the knife for very long.

“Jason?” A feminine voice wracked with fear piped up behind him. Jason turned around to see a very scared looking Navini. “Do… Do you want me to do the autopsy..?” Navini had seemed much more at ease with Henry’s murder than she did here with Vicki.

“Are you alright, Navini?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Navini answered shakily. “It's just… I was trying to get to know Vicki better for the best part of three days, and then this happens…” Jason could tell something else was bothering her, but he did not press.

“In any case, an autopsy would be highly appreciated, Navini,” Jason added hastily. Navini nodded and kneeled near Vicki, beginning the autopsy. Jason left her and Lavender to investigating the body. He instead chose to investigate the library.

Something he hadn't noticed before was a small door behind the two reading chairs. Jason found it unlocked. Opening it, he expected it to lead to another room. Instead, it led to a small closet, just large enough to hide two people comfortably. A various array of coats hung neatly in the closet. Cardboard boxes had been thrown in haphazardly, some having been opened. Mittens and scarves lined the floor. Of all the coats hung, one in particular caught Jason’s attention. It was stained, as if coffee had been dropped on it. Taking note of the stained coat, Jason judged that the closet did not hide anything else of interest. However, as he was about to leave, something else caught his attention. The same stain present on the coat was also on the floor, as if something had been dragged through it. It had been wiped away, but traces of it still remained. Curious, Jason examined it further. The stain had dried, and there was no smell that lingered. It was impossible to determine what this substance had been from what lay in front of Jason. Disappointed, Jason left the closet.

Seeing that Navini was still busy conducting her autopsy, Jason decided to address the elephant in the room - Lola. He went up to Lola’s room, knocking at her door several times. The first time, he could have sworn he heard a stifled gasp, but no one answered the door.

“Lola?” Jason asked the door. “It's me, Jason. I wanted to talk to you about something. Think we could talk?” There was no answer. Jason knocked a few more times, determined to talk to Lola. His instinct was telling him that she knew more about this incident. He kept trying. Eventually, it became clear that she wasn't going to answer the door. As Jason was leaving to go elsewhere, the door creaked open.

“What do you want?” Lola asked, the door barely opened enough to see her eye scrutinizing Jason.

“I need to talk to you about Vicki. You must have-”

“I don't know what she's saying, but she's lying! I didn't do anything at all!” Lola screeched before Jason could finish.

“Lola, please! I need to ask you about Vicki’s d-”

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!” Lola screamed, refusing to listen to Jason. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Vicki’s dead!” Jason finally managed to say over the hysterics of screams coming from Lola. Suddenly, Lola was silent, eerily so. The tears started flowing, but Lola didn't emit a sound. “We found her body this morning. In the library.” Lola’s eyes widened exponentially.

“What?” Lola squeaked. She barely spoke at all, her voice barely rising above a murmur. “What did you say?”

“Vicki is dead,” Jason repeated. Lola stared at him in disbelief. Gradually, she opened the door.

“Come in,” she murmured. Jason walked in cautiously. “Um… Don't mind the mess,” she added quietly. Jason noticed right away the mess Lola was referring to. All the posters of attractive male models had been torn to shreds, the floor covered in paper scraps. The light was off, and Jason could not see to the end of the room. Lola collapsed on her bed. “What… Did you want to know?” Lola muttered quietly, her voice much higher-pitched and softer than normal.

“Anything you might know,” Jason asked softly. “Actually, hang on,” Jason remembered, “you were in the library last night right?” Lola sprang up. “Could you tell me what happened?” Lola looked at him blankly for a moment. She stayed silent for a few minutes. Finally, she sat back down on the bed.

“I've been going to the library for several nights in a row now,” Lola confessed. “I've been hoping to meet Vicki - there were some things that needed to be said. For the first few nights, no luck. Then, last night, she was there, reading. Obviously, she didn't want anything to do with me. So…” Lola told Jason her tale. Jason’s eyes widened. It explained why Lola had come out crying of the library last night. Lola’s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. When she had finished her story, she sat back down on her bed. Jason stood up and hugged Lola. Lola was caught off-guard, but eventually she returned it.

“Thank you, Jason,” Lola said. “Somehow, I feel a little better. I guess I should head downstairs and… Investigate…” Lola stumbled at the word investigate. Shakily, she and Jason exited her room. Lola locked the door behind her, and headed downstairs. Jason, however, had another destination - Vicki’s room.

As with Henry’s room, Vicki’s room was unlocked, despite the owner having almost certainly locked it on their way out. However, unlike Henry’s room, Jason already knew what to expect. Sure enough, Vicki’s room looked exactly as it had a few days prior when Jason had been invited in. An unfinished book lay open on the table, now to be forever unfinished. The piles of books had been considerably diminished - perhaps Vicki only took out books she felt necessary for research on her novel. Aside from that, everything was identical, almost as if Vicki were simply out for lunch. On the desk, however, Jason noticed something peculiar. Several pieces of paper lay on the desk. Jason picked one of them up. It read:

Could we meet in the library tonight?

There's something I want to discuss.

-Lola

It seemed that Lola had been trying to reach out to Vicki before the incident. Jason looked at the other pieces of paper on the desk. One of them was different than the others - the one he had first read. All the others said this:

We need to talk.

Meet me in the library tonight.

Had Lola also written these messages? There was no author to any of the notes except the first one - was Lola trying to stay anonymous before eventually breaking down? Jason pondered this for a moment. Then, he glanced around the room, ensuring he hadn't missed anything. Feeling satisfied, he left Vicki’s room, returning to the library.

Lola’s entrance into the library had caused a bit of an uproar. People were bombarding her with questions and suspicions. Lola ignored them all, however, and meekly stared at Vicki’s body. All life had drained from her face. She was clearly in no fit state to be asked questions, and yet Selena, Timothy and Lavender kept pestering her with questions. Jason walked into the library expecting this.

“Stop it,” Jason commanded. He was surprised at the strength of his own voice. Lavender and Timothy turned to look at him, then apologized and returned to their investigations. Selena wasn't going to be that easy. She completely ignored Jason and continued pestering Lola. Jason stepped in between Selena and Lola. “Selena, Lola isn't fit to answer your questions. No amount of trying will help her. Wouldn't you hate it if you woke up one morning and one of your closest friends was dead in front of you?”

“That would never happen,” Selena said, finally acknowledging Jason. “I'd never allow myself to get close to someone who would die so easily,” she added cruelly. Lola stared at Selena, shooting daggers with her eyes. “Oops, did I hurt your feelings? If so, that means that you still have a train of thought and are in a state fit for questioning! Now, tell me-”

“No.” Arthur, having just walked out of the closet, forced herself in between Selena and Lola, blocking Selena off with her shield. Lola looked extremely grateful. “That's enough, Selena. Back off.”

“Sigh… You really do all have a death wish. Very well! I'll sacrifice immunity, if only to prove to you all how much I don't need it. But let me be clear,” Selena warned the group, “when one of you is punished tomorrow, I will have warned them in advance.” With that, she strode away elegantly, heading out of the library and to who knows where. Everyone else in the room collectively sighed.

“She's going to be a royal pain, isn't she?” Timothy asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. Slowly, everyone returned to what they were doing. Jason headed to the body, hoping to talk to Navini.

Seeing Vicki’s body brought a wave of discomfort onto Jason, even if he already knew it was there. It was one thing knowing a corpse was present - being in front of it brought with it new discomfort. Navini stood above her, observing her pensively. Jason tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. Navini was slightly startled before she realized it was Jason who had tapped her. She turned to address him.

“Oh, Jason! Yes, I'm just about done with the autopsy,” Navini announced. “The cause of death is more than likely then knife shot straight through the heart. She also suffered head trauma from a large, blunt object,” Navini added. “There's blood covering the wound, so it was a pretty heavy hit, but I don't think it killed her, at least not instantly. She definitely lost consciousness though. Aside from that, nothing unusual - not compared to Henry, anyways,” Navini concluded. Jason nodded along to her statements. There wasn't anything in her autopsy he hadn't already guessed. The large, blunt object Navini was referring to was probably the bloodied tome in front of the body. The knife having been the final blow was also something Jason had figured out on his own. The real issue with this case was not the how - it was the why. Why had Vicki been the second victim? Why had the killer targeted her? And most importantly of all, did Lola’s story hold up? If Lola was telling the truth, this had become a very confusing mystery. Jason sat on one of the chairs and sorted his thoughts. Lavender came to join him shortly afterwards. They both sat in silence, thinking it over. People came and went, looking at the body and the library in general, asking questions to each other (mostly trying to pry something out of the now mute Lola) and just gathering their thoughts. The atmosphere in the house was tense. Unlike when Henry was murdered, the atmosphere was one of survival - everyone was searching for clues to get immunity, and to avoid meeting Erick’s fate. Jason sat, lost deep in his thoughts, observing everyone passing by without much thought towards any of them. Eventually, though, something did break his train of thought.

Ding-Dong! “Ahem! Mic check! Mic check! Do you- bzzzt!- me? Good, good! Well, I'm getting bored. Let's get started! I'll let my associate do the talking! Buh-bye!” Dong-Ding!

Already? Jason thought. Jason had completely lost track of time while he was thinking. Reluctantly, everyone headed out of the room. Jason observed everyone who had gathered in the entrance hall. Dahinko was exchanging hushed murmurs with Skyler, who was nodding along. Vivian was by herself, doing her thing. Arthur, Dexter, Alexandra, A and Michael all stood in silence. Lelina was on the verge of tears, Lavender trying to comfort her. Everyone had different ways of coping with the stress of answering correctly, and the sadness of losing another friend. Could Vicki have been considered a friend? She was very reclusive, but she was a sweet person, and Jason would have liked to consider them friends.

“Um… Why are there less names on the list this time?” A female voice inquired. Jason recognized the voice as the one who had read the names during the first investigation. There was a pause before she spoke again. “Okay, okay, no need to yell at me… Um… When I call your name, please head into the room directly down the hallway. You all remember how to do this, I hope. Um… Michael Ferrin.” Michael looked up when his name was called. Doing his best to exude confidence, he strutted into the room. Everyone watched him go in. Then, silence. No one dared to say a word. The tension became incredibly heavy. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Michael walked out, his face a little more pale than when he had entered.

“Selena Coveny,” the voice called. Selena walked in with an air of pride. She took half as long as Michael, and stepped out with the same prideful expression she had worn walking in. “Lelina Beauvencourt.” Lelina gasped when her name was called. Shakily, she headed into the room. This went on for a while. Jason was once again one of the last names called. Only A, Rose, Vivian and Lavender were left when the voice finally said: “Jason Harlon.” Jason walked in nervously. He closed the door behind him and paused. Vicki’s body was just to the left of him. Or was it? Henry’s body had disappeared right after the investigation. It couldn't hurt to look. Strangely, though, the door to the library was locked. Disappointed, Jason walked into the centre room. The room was identical to the way it had been previously. Jason walked to the centre and took a deep breath. Then, he began explaining what had unfolded...

“It's been several days,” Vicki sighed, exasperated. “Can't she take a hint?” Lola had been sending her these weird letters for a few days now. Even though none of them bore Lola’s signature, Vicki had formed an educated guess and figured it must have been her. Even today, she had slipped another under Vicki’s door. I'm going to have to find a way to stop that, Vicki thought. For now, she pushed aside the thought. She was in the middle of one of her new novel’s most tense scenes. The two brothers meet, only to realize the massive age gap between them, and they realize… This is going to be another bestseller, I can feel it! Vicki thought. She then sat back down at her desk, tossing the letter onto the pile, and went back to frenetically writing. However, only a few minutes later, another slip of paper slipped under the door. Angry, Vicki stormed to the door and picked up the letter. This one was different to all the others. It was much more polite, and Lola had even bothered to sign her name on this one. Perhaps she ought to meet with Lola. Just to tell her to stop with the letters and that she didn't want any excuses, but she should meet. I'll take advantage of this to return that book, Vicki thought. She had borrowed The Study of Talent by Francis Helmsburg in order to study up on the author. Her story also featured an old eccentric, but this one was far more corrupt. What better way to get into character than to read up on one! To her disappointment, when she had opened the book after returning to her room, the pages had been stabbed through. She had been meaning to return it for several days now. Vicki therefore headed down to the library. Since no one was around, she figured they were all asleep, and that whoever was on guard duty had totally forgotten about it. She crept down to the library. Only a few minutes later, Lola entered the library.

At first, Vicki pretended not to have known that Lola was there. She opened The Study of Talent and pretended to read through the slashed pages. Eventually, though, Lola saw Vicki.

“Vicki! You actually came!” Lola exclaimed.

“I couldn't keep ignoring you forever,” Vicki replied. Much to my dismay, she thought but did not say. “What did you want?” Vicki asked bitterly, knowing full well what Lola wanted.

“Look, I…” Lola hesitated, unsure of where to begin. “I just… Wanted to say sorry. Sorry for everything I've done. When you caught me, I didn't know what to say other than grow up, but… Now I realize that I should have been the one to grow up,” Lola apologized. Vicki stared at her coldly. “I know this isn't much considering everything that happened, but…” Lola started and failed to find the right words to continue.

“I hope you don't think that this makes us friends again,” Vicki announced. Lola looked up, disappointed. “Even after the incident, I tried to keep our friendship, but you remind so much of… him.” Vicki told Lola with disgust. “I can't… I can't be friends with someone like that.”

“Vicki…” Lola’s eyes welled up with tears. “Please, just, give me a chance… I just want someone I can call a friend.”

“I'm sorry…” Vicki said.

“But, please, I-”

“Look, no amount of letters is going to change my mind about this! This isn't just a simple ‘give me another chance’ scenario! I had to visit a therapist for months after that because of all the flashbacks I kept having. And you,” Vicki sounded almost hysterical now. “You honestly think that I can just ignore all of that? So please, stop it with the letters and just leave me alone!”

“Letters? I only sent one-” Lola began.

“I don't care how many you sent!” Vicki interrupted her. “I don't care… I just want you to leave me alone!” Vicki screamed. Lola looked at her with watery eyes. Then, she ran out the door, crying. Vicki sighed and slouched in her chair. Finally, Vicki thought. But why did she feel so… Guilty? Lola had had this coming for years on end! Why did Vicki feel remorseful for sending her away like she should have? Vicki contemplated this for a while. Eventually, she figured no good could come from thinking about it, and sleeping it off would be the best course of action. But as she got up, the closet door behind her opened.

“Oh, it's you,” Vicki told the person coming out of the closet. “Eavesdropping, are we? Look, I don't know what you wanted to gain by doing this, but-” Vicki cut her statement off, as the person took out a knife. A camo combat knife, to be exact. Vicki’s eyes widened. You! You're the killer!? Vicki realized that she should have known. She held the book close to her heart as defense, but Vicki knew that they were much stronger than she was. There was no way she would hold out for long. Instead, Vicki threw the book at them and ran, as fast as she could. They caught the book and threw it back with expert aim. It hit Vicki at the back of her head, hard enough to trip her up. The killer stood over her, having had no problem pinning her down. Vicki squirmed and tried to wrestle herself out of the killer’s grasp, but it was futile, and Vicki knew it. In her head and in her heart, she suddenly felt an immense amount of guilt. She should have given Lola another chance… After all, weren't the years they were friends some of the best years in her life? The killer touched the tip of the knife to check its sharpness. Then, they hovered it over Vicki, as if trying to take aim. Then, they heard the door creak open. Someone else was here! The killer knew they had very little time to act. Hurriedly, they grabbed the book Vicki had been holding and smashed it against her skull as hard as they could. Vicki fell unconscious with one final thought - Lola, I'm sorry. The killer then dragged the unconscious Vicki into the closet. They had just closed the door when Jason walked into an empty library. Jason stayed for a few minutes, observing. During this time, Vicki was bleeding. A lot of blood was pouring out of her head. The killer acted on instinct - that stupid toddler wanted these crimes to be a mystery, after all. They took one of the coats in the closet and wiped away the blood on the floor, then placed it under Vicki’s head to soak up the blood. It was primitive and clumsy, but the killer knew this was their only option. They waited in silence, holding their breath. Finally, Jason walked out of the library. The killed dragged Vicki’s body back out into one of the alleyways. Then, they finished the job.

But why? This question lingered once again in Jason’s mind. Why had the killer chosen to target Vicki? There were several different possibilities. The killer could have learned about the connection between Lola and Vicki, and decided to rupture it. Or the killer had a personal grudge against Vicki that would be revealed in her biography. Maybe it was simply random. Then, a thought struck Jason. He cleared his throat answered.

“The reason Vicki was killed was… Because she was in possession of The Study of Talent, right?” Jason concluded. “The killer must have thought she had the hit list, since she had taken the book for quite a while. According to what Lola said, the killer sent several letters trying to get the book back, but Vicki ignored them. They must have made up their mind to finally get it back.” This explanation felt complete. This time, Jason was sure of it. Whoever this killer was, it was someone with experience, not someone who would kill randomly or out of spite. And while Vicki and Lola’s connection would be a good start, they probably would have targeted the far more vulnerable Lola first, so this seemed like the only logical explanation. Confident in his answer, Jason stepped out of the room.

“A, please.” The female voice asked. A walked in, rifle in hand. Jason was still unsure of his answer, but it was the usual doubt of did I miss anything, rather than the I definitely got that wrong feeling. Jason walked back up to his room and lay down, anxiously awaiting the results.

Knock, knock, knock. Jason got up, wondering who could be knocking. He had only been in his room for a few minutes (it couldn't have been more than ten) when someone came knocking at the door. Opening the door, he was greeted with an intense gaze from lavender-colored eyes. Lavender walked in, not bothering to wait for Jason to invite her in. As soon as Jason closed the door, she turned around.

“What did you answer? For the why, I mean?” Lavender asked. She looked flustered, as if she herself hadn't been able to figure it out. Considering she had beaten him to the punch last time, Jason felt a small bit of pride at knowing that he had outsmarted her.

“That the killer did it to get their hit list back,” Jason answered. Lavender’s eyes lit up. “Vicki had been in possession of The Study of Talent, so I figured it made sense… The killer realized the book altogether was missing, and they targeted Vicki for that reason.”

“I thought about that, but… I guessed that it was because of Lola. Since the two knew each other beforehand, it made them both far less likely to be the killer, so getting rid of one of them would be beneficial,” Lavender said matter-of-factly. “Both of us have equally likely answers, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” Jason nodded. Lavender walked to the door and opened it. Before she left, she turned around and looked at Jason one last time. Her pale eyes were fixated on him. It was slightly unnerving. Then, she slammed the door behind her. Jason watched her leave, perplexed at their encounter. Lavender had been so blunt about the killer’s motive… Had she simply said it so coldly to appear correct? Now, Jason was more anxious then ever to hear the results. Lavender had probably passed after A, so that left Rose and Vivian to answer. Jason waited for several minutes, time seeming to trickle by in slow motion. Finally, the speaker crackled to life.

Ding-Dong! “Ahem! I will now announce the results! So, for our immunity winners this time, there are a total of three! So, drumroll please!” Brian did a drumroll, which sounded as if someone were smashing the microphone on a desk. “And the winners are… Lavender Greenwood, Selena Coveny and Jason Harlon! Congratulations to the three of you! As for everyone else… Well, one of you failed really badly. Guess you'll all have to wait till tomorrow to find out who that is! Buh-bye!” Dong-Ding!

What? Both Lavender and he got immunity? But they had two different reasons! That must have meant that the killer had several different reasons to kill Vicki. And Selena as well? Even though she herself had wanted to prove to them that she didn't need it, she had scraped immunity up. As if on cue, Lavender knocked on Jason’s door, looking as confused as he was.

“We both won?” Lavender inquired. Jason shrugged. “I guess there were multiple reasons then… How does Brian even know the killer’s motive?” Lavender asked. Once again, Jason shrugged. “Well, at least I can sleep soundly now… Good night.” Lavender said and then left. Jason crashed onto his bed, suddenly unbelievably exhausted. He was safe. That, however, meant someone else wasn't. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what atrocity he would wake up to.

The next morning, all seemed calm. Jason awoke to no one screaming or being bloodied up. This didn't reassure him in the slightest. He headed down to the dining room, anxious. Lavender, Lelina, A and Dexter were already sat down. He sat down as well, no one daring to say a word. Silence weighed heavily on all of them. The tension was unbelievably thick, everyone glancing nervously at the door to see who wouldn’t show up this morning. Others filed in, and aside from Selena’s smug grin, everyone looked glum. At first glance, no one appeared to be missing. Eventually, Jason’s curiosity got the best of him. He counted to the people in the room. One, two, three… Twenty-three. Wait, he thought. Someone’s missing. He looked around at the seats, trying to figure out who was missing. His eyes scanned over Vicki’s seat, which now bore her picture (with a large X in red crayon), and Midnight of the Rose sitting on her plate. Then, his eyes found who was missing.

He should have known it would be her.

“Lola!” Jason exclaimed. He shot up from his chair to many confused looks. Lavender and Selena, however, understood what he meant, and they ran off with him to Lola’s room. Jason rammed into the door to try to open it.

It was unlocked.

Please let it be not too late! Jason wished as he ran into the room. On the bed sat an extremely terrified looking Lola. She was alive, at least. At the other end of the bed, Brian was holding a comically oversized camera, aiming shots. He looked like a photographer in a photo shoot. Suddenly, this punishment seemed a little too ironic to not have been planned in advance.

“Perfect!” Brian said. “Now, say cheese!”

“Lola, no!” Jason tried to grab Lola, but it was too late. The camera clicked, and instead of a flash, several pointed arrows shot out of it, impaling Lola. One found its way directly into her heart, the other into her head. For a moment, Lola sat up, staring down at the arrows. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Then, she slumped over, lifeless. Jason retreated his hand, now covered in blood. Lavender and Jason looked at Lola in horror, while Selena stayed silent.

“Whoops, did I forget to turn the flash off? Silly me!” Brian giggled. “Oh, and Jason, you should watch out. Interfering with a punishment is grounds for a punishment, you know. I'll let it slide this time, but I'm warning you. Oh well! Toodles!” Brian laughed maniacally and fizzled out, the camera dropping to the floor in a useless heap of metal. Jason stared at Lola’s corpse in horror. Her tears began combining with her blood, creating shiny blood tears that left trails on her body. The rest of the guests stomped up the stairway and filed into Lola’s room, each giving an appropriate reaction of horror.

“And so the game continues,” Selena muttered. No one paid any attention to her. They were all too focused on Lola’s body. Lelina rushed out of the room, covering her mouth with her hands. Mary and Audrey rushed out to help her. Jason closed his eyes, paying his respects. Then, he left the room, incapable of looking at the body much longer.

Jason decided to try and calm down. He headed to his room. On his way there, he was interrupted by Mary, who looked perplexed.

“Jason? Think you could help me with something?” She asked. Jason nodded and asked what was wrong. “Well, the thing is, we can't find Lelina at all. We tried to follow her, but she seems to have vanished, and when we knocked at her door, there wasn't any response.” Audrey nodded along to Mary’s statements. “Do you have any idea where she could be?” Mary asked. Jason agreed to help, and tried knocking on Lelina’s door. There was no answer. Where could she have gone? Jason stood in front of Lelina’s door, trying to figure out where she could be. Then, the door swung open. Jason barely had time to dodge the door before Lelina stepped out, her face a very pale hue. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she had been doing in her room. Audrey and Mary rushed over to try and recomfort her, and Jason headed to the recreation room, seeing that being in his room would not offer any calm.

Jason crashed onto one of the couches, tired already despite having just woken up. He lay there for a few minutes, thinking over what had just happened. Lola was dead. Despite her being the closest to Vicki out of all of them, she had been punished. But how? Lola should have been able to piece together what had happened much before anyone else could. Was she so profoundly shaken up that she couldn't figure it out? Before he could think any further, Lavender entered the room.

“Jason?” She asked. “I think you might want to see this.” In her hand, Lavender held an envelope. Curious, Jason took the letter. The envelope did not have an addressee, but there was an author - Lola Jouvence. The envelope had already been opened, and Lavender grabbed a sheet of paper inside and handed it to Jason. Jason read the letter carefully.

To whom it may concern,

You'll all be pleased to know that none of you will be punished tonight. I've brought it upon myself by being such an inconsiderate person. I've figured out the crime. The killer had been hiding in the closet, waiting to kill Vicki after I left, and the motive was that since Vicki and I knew each other, we couldn't possibly be the killer. In fact, I'm willing to bet I would have been the next victim. Fortunately, I won't be around to witness who else perishes. As I write this, I am painfully aware that I will be the one punished. I deserve it, after all. What I did was walk in there, bowed, and walked right back out. I waited a few minutes in the transition hallway and walked out. I knew that I was the reason Vicki came out of her room at all, the reason she was put in a vulnerable state and most of all, the reason she was killed. All because I couldn't control my hormones.

I think you all deserve some closure on what exactly I did to Vicki to rupture our friendship so thoroughly. After my modeling career kicked off, I discovered one of life’s many pleasures. I trust I don't need to go into much more detail than that. I became addicted to it, burning through mates left and right. Eventually, I decided to get a bit wild and, well… It didn’t end well. Vicki caught me in the act. I can still picture her horrified face, having flashbacks of things I can only imagine. Truly, this was my life’s greatest mistake.

This next paragraph is addressed to Vicki, wherever she may be. I could not regret something more than I regret ending our friendship. When you caught me, a thousand thoughts were going through my head, but none of them were apologies. I realize now what I should have done, but it was too late. You had already shut me out, and I can't blame you for that, even if I so badly want to blame anyone other than myself. I understand now why you did it, but even so, I wish you'd reconsidered our friendship. You might even still be alive as I'm writing this had you done so. But I can't blame you for my mistakes. Your death will forever remain my burden, and the death of the only person who had ever called me a friend is a burden I cannot bear.

To the other houseguests, you must now realize what I have done. Quid pro quo, as they say. An eye for an eye, or in this case, my life for Vicki’s. I hope this will atone for my awful behavior towards you all at first. You have to be vicious in the modeling world, and I brought that viciousness to you all. I hope that you remember me all as someone who, despite their mistakes, was trying to live. That is my final request. And if anyone ever makes out alive, please show this letter to my mother, Brittany Jouvence. If anyone deserves to know, it's her.

Mom… I'm sorry. Sorry that I abandoned the family. Sorry I abandoned the people who cared. Especially you. Even when dad left, you tried so hard, and I was so busy trying to kickstart my modeling career that I couldn't even notice that much. Please don't blame yourself for what happened to me. I had it coming from miles away.

This letter is getting long, isn't it? So much to say, so little time to say it. Or, rather, write it. I have one final request from you all - stop the killer. This might seem obvious, but I want them to pay. Pay for what they did to someone who didn't deserve it. I have no idea who they are, but I just know they'll slip up. And I'm counting on you all to catch them when they do.

Don't repeat my mistakes.

Sincerely yours,

Lola Jouvence, the world’s best model

Jason read the letter several times over. With this letter, so many of Jason’s questions had been answered. Why Lola was dead when she of all people should have gotten immunity, what had caused the conflict between Vicki and Lola and why Lola chose to do what she did. He read the letter once more. Was this Lola’s true character? Granted, she had seemed like a different person these last few days, but Jason had guessed that Vicki had been the cause of that. Had he caught a glimpse of her true personality?

For the second time, Brian had claimed one of them. And he would continue to do so until there was no one left. That much Jason was sure of. It then became painfully aware to him that he was up against a clock - he had to find the killer in as little time as possible in order to save as many as he could. Or else he may end up being investigated himself. There was one catch, however -

Who was the killer?

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