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It was early Monday morning in Summerland when Alice woke up with the birds chirping, the sound of the songs wafting in through her open window along with the crisp, fresh breeze. The quietness in her room let her know that Magnus had probably left early so he could head home to get ready for his morning exam... she'd grown used to the sound of his slow, deep breaths now, so when they weren't around... it seemed extra quiet.

She got ready for school, pulling on some mid-thigh length denim shorts that hugged her thighs after her shower, an oversized cream Nike sweatshirt she'd borrowed from Magnus's closet and some new sneakers. She left her hair natural, and in its natural state that was mainly straight with a few waves here and there and did her make up. Not before long she had jobbed lightly downstairs to have breakfast, wondering why the kitchen seemed so quiet as her mother put Olivia back in her baby seat on the counter after feeding her, and her younger sister ate her cereal whilst scribbling something down in her school notebook. "Where's Polly?" Alice asked suddenly, noticing the dog bed empty after she hadn't been greeted with the small dogs usual happy barks.

"Richard took her to the vet," Sophie replied, her eye focussed on Olivia as the new born closed her eyes to sleep.

"Why?" Alice asked, placing her hand on the back of Charlotte's neck in greeting before sitting down next to her at the breakfast bar and pouring herself some cereal.

"She had a limp? And kept licking her paw the whole weekend, so Richard just wanted to get it checked out." Sophie replied, "She probably stepped on something outside, she's got such tiny feet." She added, whilst smiling happily and touching her baby's tiny feet covered with knitted pink socks.

"Oh," Alice replied lightly, noticing her phone buzz on the table. She checked it, and smirked seeing how Magnus had responded to her good luck text with a thumbs up. "How's the baby?"

"She's fine," Sophie cooed, feeling all light headed and googley eyed as she continued to watch Olivia. Alice smiled and continued to eat quietly, glancing at the time to see how long she had left to brush her teeth and get her bag together. Fei had offered to pick her up, and only fifteen minutes later Alice heard the light beep of a horn from outside.

It was a bright, crisp but a little warmer than usual morning in Summerland, the breeze was gentle and softly scented with freshly cut grass that had been ripened by the sunlight. Music flowed from the radio as Fei and Alice drove to school, both of them singing along to the sound of Promises by Calvin Harris. The two even stopped at the drive through for coffee, wanting to celebrate the sunny weather by ordering iced caffeinated drinks to sip through paper straws. By the time they arrived at campus the flow of students gathering to head into the building was in mid-flow, and from the inside of the car everything looked normal, considering they couldn't hear the topic of conversation.

Some students were gathered together in groups to talk, whispering quickly in hushed, nervous tones with wide eyes, and others with particular shades of hair were glancing around themselves, suddenly paranoid because of the news that had broke that morning.

The music from the radio stopped, and Fei turned off the engine from her car, plunging them into a quietness before they both got out and gathered up their bags from the back seats. Alice noticed instantly, picking up on the quietness that had settled like an invisible fog over the school grounds. "What?" Fei asked as Alice closed the back door behind the passenger seat quietly and furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced around.

"Do you not hear that?" Alice asked, tucking her hair behind her ear as she began to walk around the car.

"Hear what?"Fei asked, locking the car manually with her keys then stuffing them into her bag.

"Exactly." Alice replied, letting her mind run free with theories as the pair walked towards the entrance of the school, trying to pick up on key words or a phrase that would tell them what had happened. It wouldn't take them long to find out, however, since by the time they reached Alice's locker, one of their friends had already spotted them and approached.

"Morning guys," Georgia sighed, her mousy blonde hair pulled up into a particularly messy bun.

"Hey," Alice replied carefully, turning to face her since it sounded like she was about to be delivered some news. "What's going on? Why's everyone so quiet?"

"You haven't heard yet?" Georgia asked, making a face for only a second before carrying on. "They found another girls body in the woods by the highway." She carried on, and the air seemed to turn a little cold. An instinctive chill wavered down Alice's back and she pressed her lips together slowly and swallowed as Georgia kept talking. "It's said she had been there for a few days... some of the dog walkers on the trail were reporting a horrible smell so... that's how they found her."

"Who was she?" Fei asked as Alice stared in silence.

Georgia sighed and glanced around her briefly, "She was a freshman from here. Zoe James-Brown? Her sister is in our grade."

"Oh god," Fei murmured, since she knew who her older sister was, considering they had a few classes together. "Do they know like... why? Is this a....?"

"Yeah. My brother drove past it this morning, police tape everywhere. White tents and everything." Georgia whispered, folding her arms and leaning towards them to talk more. "They think it's connected to that other girl they found... look." She continued, pulling out her phone from her pocket and typing on her screen for a few moments before showing them a picture... Alice's eyes widened a little, since Zoe the murdered freshman had long blonde hair, slightly greenish eyes and a very obvious baby face.

Fei swallowed and glanced at Alice who looked down at her hands before clearing her throat. "What are the police saying happened?" Fei asked quietly, but the bell rang moments later, the sound seeming to echo louder through the halls than normal because of the quietness.

"Not sure. But there's an assembly right now, so I'm sure they'll give us more details." Georgia replied just as the three of them began to walk together to merge into the flow of students making their way to the gym. Alice glanced around for Magnus, but sighed quietly knowing he was probably still tucked away in his exam.

Students filed into the bleachers either side of the gym, all murmuring quietly as they eyed the faculty positioned in the middle. Alice sat down between Georgia and Fei, noticing that there were a large collection of seniors that weren't present. Her heart pulsed in her chest, and she felt nervous and eerily excited as she read the expressions on the staff's faces. She hated the thrill she felt because of it, and felt herself crack a smile suddenly before she reached up to cover it and pretended to rub her upper lip. The tension was pressing against Alice's skin, and she took a deep breath to calm herself before she put her hands back in her lap.

"Quieten down everyone," the principle said, speaking into the microphone placed on a stand as the room filtered down into silence. "We have some unfortunate news to deliver this morning." He sighed, looking a little sick and like he hadn't slept in days. The bags under his eyes were dark and heavy, and Alice noticed them and stared intently from where she was sitting up in the bleachers. The guidance counsellor stood off to the right of the principle watched her carefully, furrowing his eyebrows very briefly as the principle delivered the news...

"One of our students Zoe James-Brown was found early this morning just outside town..." he began slowly to a deadly silent gymnasium. "She had been missing for just over forty eight hours, but it wasn't reported publicly because the police think it will only fuel fear." The principle carried on, his voice echoing as the evident distress bounced off the walls and flew back at him, seeming to hit him in the chest and make it ache with worry. He stopped to take a deep breath, and glanced around at the solemn faces briefly before continuing speaking. "We're in a crisis." He said seriously, hesitating again to let the words sink in. "And the police have their theories, so... I feel as if it is my responsibility to let you all know for your own safety."

Alice glanced to the right, noticing the guidance councillor, Mr Hammond, looking at her directly. She stared back before looking away again after a few seconds, and shifted in her seat... wondering why he was looking at her so intently.

"The description of the two girls are disturbingly similar. Long blonde hair, five two or three... with similar facial features. All Caucasian." The principle carried on, glancing down at his notes. "The police believe that there is a pattern starting... but they are still unsure. Which is why it is not being reported as such-"

"There has to be three," someone whispered in front of Alice, catching not only her attention but Fei's too. "To be considered a serial killer, there has to be three of the same killings in a row." They added to their friend, before glancing back at Alice to realise she was looking at them. They turned around and grimaced at their friend, feeling awkward to be caught talking... and wondered internally if their comment was insensitive or stupid.

"-there are not many other details I can tell you all, because we wish to respect the privacy of the James-Brown family, but because of these recent developments... there are various students that will be contacted by members of staff over the course of the day to speak to Mr Hammond our guidance councillor."

Alice knew instantly that it would be her, since she could see the guidance councillor looking at her again. She refused to make eye contact, and looked down into her hands. She breathed carefully, feeling her heart pulling as the thrilling sensation wore off... this situation was different, and she couldn't help repeatedly thinking that this had something to do with her. It wasn't arrogance, or selfishness that fuelled these thoughts, instead it felt like fear... and dread. She knew it wasn't Magnus doing it this time, and whoever it was seemed to be careless enough to dump the bodies badly enough to be found. Which meant... they weren't worrying about being caught.

Alice felt sick suddenly and felt a cold sensation slide across her skin. "Hey, you okay?" Fei whispered, noticing how Alice stood up a little late since everyone had started to leave the assembly a few moments ago.

"Yes I'm fine," Alice replied calmly, rewiring her mind and choosing to think about her next class. She could hear Fei talking about what had happened as they walked back to her locker, but didn't seem to pay full attention. She got her books, said her goodbyes and walked to her next class quietly, hugging her books to her chest like they were some kind of shield whilst her mind obsessed over the who, what, why and when... the how, the where, and the what if... she was seconds away from placing her hand on the door knob to enter her class, still wrapped up in her own thoughts, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump sharply.

"Sorry," Magnus said blankly as Alice turned around and visibly relaxed as looked up at his face.

"You scared me," she breathed, feeling her heart reeling from the sudden adrenaline shock. She stepped out the way to let another student pass and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Did I really scare you?" He asked, smirking a little.

"Yes," Alice breathed, deciding to confide in her boyfriend and pulled him off to one side of the hallway since he looked like he had nowhere to be. "They had an assembly this morning about another dead girl."

"I heard," Magnus replied, his voice calm and casual as if they were talking about simple local news.

"She looks like me." Alice mumbled, visibly getting a little nervous as Magnus watched her face intently. He hummed, folding his arms now as Alice looked into his eyes intently.

"You think this is about you?" He asked in such a way that it didn't sound or feel like an accusation.

"I don't know, I have a weird... feeling..." Alice began, but stopped as she noticed the guidance councillor appear in the hallway just behind Magnus and turn to look at her. His gaze focussed on her as if she was the one he'd been looking for, and he smiled as he began to walk straight towards her. Alice looked annoyed suddenly, and Magnus turned to see who she wasn't pleased to see just as Mr Hammond approached.

"Morning kids," he smiled and Magnus smacked his lips and furrowed his eyebrows at the use of the word kids whilst Alice said nothing and glanced away, "Everything okay?"

"I need to get to class." Alice mumbled, about to turn away but Mr Hammond spoke up.

"Not so fast, Miss Murphy, it's you I'm here to see." Mr Hammond said, putting his arm out to stop her but he didn't touch her. Magnus's gaze focussed on it, and he carefully looked back at Mr Hammonds face as his own went a little blank. He felt defensive suddenly, and adjusted the way he was standing so that it didn't scream out in his body language, which he suspected Mr Hammond might know a thing or two about.

"Why?" Alice asked,

"Well you were present in the assembly. What do you think?" Mr Hammond replied simply, "-and it's not just you I'm speaking to. There are a few other girls in sophomore year I need to talk with too."

"... is this about that girl being killed?" Magnus asked, the bluntness in his tone causing Mr Hammond to tilt his head before looking over at him. "Which is sad." He added in a quieter, but still fairly blunt tone.

"It's more than sad... it's extremely worrying. And you must be Magnus Johnson, am I right?" Mr Hammond replied. Magnus said nothing in response and continued to look at him quietly. "Your parents funded the Johnson Library," he added, and Magnus raised his right eyebrow a little. "Funny, I always thought that was named after the American ex-president. Now it makes sense." he chuckled, "You're very tall."

"Anyway," Magnus said out loud, causing Alice to smirk but she hid it by rubbing her upper lip. Mr Hammond chuckled a little awkwardly and looked back to Alice, taking in a deep breath before he spoke again...

"I'll, uh, let your teacher know where you'll be then would you mind following me to my office?" He asked, even though it didn't sound like a question, and made it seem like less of one moment later since he stepped away to speak with Alice's teacher before she could reply.

Alice sighed heavily and looked back towards Magnus, "I really don't need this today." she mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "Oh, how was your exam?"

"Easy as shit." Magnus replied simply, and Alice smiled. "Would you like me to wait?" He asked, referring to her spontaneous appointment with the guidance councillor.

"Um... if you wouldn't mind?" Alice asked just as Mr Hammond stepped back out of the class. "I won't be long."

"Sure." Magnus agreed, unfolding his arms and tucking his hands into his pockets. He watched Alice leave, noticing her slightly on edge body language even as Mr Hammond spoke to her whilst they walked away. She didn't say much, only nodded and hummed when necessary. He watched as they turned a corner, earning some looks from some students just making their way to class... Magnus could just tell the whispers were about to start and sighed carefully before turning away and deciding to go sit in the library until Alice was done with her meeting.

The halls were quiet, apart from the various echoing voices of teachers giving their presentations to their classes... Magnus listened to the scuffing of his shoes on the linoleum floor as he walked, his mind wandering, jumping calmly from thought to thought, before a door to his left opened as he walked down the main hall. His gaze instinctively looked at who it was, and he felt his walk slow as Trey looked up and seemed to freeze slightly.

Magnus slowed his walk further and stopped, turning to face him a little. "Hey," he greeted calmly, feeling no interior emotion at all. Trey inhaled, maybe to calm himself, Magnus wasn't sure, and then lowered his shoulders. You could almost hear the buzzing of tension vibrating through the air, circulating them both as if it was anxiously waiting for something else to happen...

"Hey." Trey muttered, feeling his heart thudding in his chest as he looked into Magnus's eyes, briefly looked down, then looked back... as if he was somehow afraid to break eye contact because of what it subconsciously meant in terms of respect and intimidation.

"Good weekend?" Magnus asked, his lips stretched into a little emotionless smile that made his unfaltering gaze seem more threatening. He wasn't trying to be, but it seemed to happen naturally.

"It was fine." Trey replied, his voice a little rasped because of what happened to his throat. Magnus stepped towards him, tilting his head a little as he analysed Trey's expression since his tone had caused Magnus think it wasn't fine. "And... and yours?" Trey then asked, stepping to his left as if subconsciously his body was encouraging him to leave.

"It was fine." Magnus replied in a lower tone, and continued to smile a little. They seemed to wait for a few seconds for something to happen whilst neither of them spoke, until the brief silence was broken and Magnus released a chuckle and turned away to walk off with his hands still in his pockets. Trey watched him leave for a second or two, but felt words rising in his throat, and before he could stop them, they came out...

"I'm sorry," Trey blurted, surprising himself since he didn't know what he was apologising for really... even though he'd spent the whole weekend worrying about what would happen if he didn't say those two words. Magnus was unpredictable, but Trey thought he knew him well enough to know how predictable he could be too. "I'm sorry I said those things about you... and uh, Alice." Trey continued as Magnus turned around slowly. "It was uncalled for... I, um, I feel really stupid to have put you in that position." He added as they stood a few metres apart in the empty hallway, the quiet hum of electricity from the lights above their heads filling the momentary silence. He was lying, and he wanted to lie to save himself... he felt as if he needed to lie to sort this out, and he believed that it was a good idea.

Magnus looked him in the eye, his face expressionless for a few seconds before he smiled, making it look disturbingly genuine. "Don't worry about it, man. I get it." He said with such a kind tone that Trey visibly relaxed since he didn't pick up on what was lingering behind it. He'd let his guard down too fast, and Magnus's lie had slipped right through the cracks completely undetected. "And I'm sorry too," Magnus added, but didn't clarified what for as he smiled a little more as he felt the void raise its head. His sentence seemed unnaturally short, but Trey seemed to reason with himself that Magnus didn't want to actually apologise fully because of his pride.

"Yeah," Trey chuckled, reaching up to touch his throat. "Don't worry about it." He added. "Uh, I've got to get to my exam, so-"