Rain poured down over Summerland, blurring the lush scenery into splotches of green, brown and grey as a storm settled over the small town... thunder rumbled through the sky, but seemed to go unnoticed by the town below as quiet chaos unfolded behind closed doors and locked windows...

The sound of the raindrops clattering over buildings and cars was almost deafening, but barely a single person seemed to acknowledge the extreme weather and its volume as they went about their day, all their minds occupied by other things, especially the recent news of another missing teen that whipped and wound through the streets as fast as the storm's current winds.

Only a handful of people knew what had really happened... in comparison to the hundreds, it not thousands of people that didn't and couldn't believe it, since they had barely recovered from the news that Veronica Green, a well known Realtors daughter, had vanished from the streets without a word not too long ago. Silent panic had set in, parents now worrying heavily about their kids who were out on their own, since there seemed to be no pattern and no motive found. No concrete suspects. Especially now, since they were almost certainly convinced that the kids that went missing from the province were being murdered.

Thunder rolled through the sky loudly again as the police station's phones rang non stop, concerned civilians of Summerland and some neighbouring towns and the local media all called in for updates on the most recent missing girl and what the police planned to do about keeping their children safe...

Sheriff Wilson sighed heavily at his desk after having turned down another accusatory interview, rubbing his forehead as another stressed headache washed over him, squeezing his brain as his own mind demanded answers from him too. There was a light knock on the door, and he looked up, seeing one of his deputies peering past the door with a cautious look. "What?" He asked, his tone a little snappy.

"There's a Miss Eno here to see you, says it's important." The deputy said, holding the door frame and waiting patiently. Her second name struck a chord inside sheriff Wilson's mind and he remembered instantly that Eno was the second name that belonged to Trey, who he had questioned not to long ago about some disappearances... and he was connected to Magnus Johnson... Who he was sure was behind all of this, but just couldn't prove it. The thought of Magnus made his blood boil to the point of violent bubbling, and he hated to admit to himself that he hated the kid, for he was Summerland's Golden Boy... but there was something about Magnus Johnson that was intensely off and unnerving, and that made him feel sick with anger and frustration.

"Send her in." He said, sitting up slightly as he straightened up and inhaled deeply, silently praying for some useful information as a tall, slim mixed race girl with vibrantly curly hair walked in, looking slightly dazed. "Candice," he smiled warmly, standing up to shake her hand as she glanced around the room, her gaze unsure.

What are you doing. She heard her own voice inside her head hiss angrily as the scene around her became weirdly muffled whilst she shook the sheriffs hand and was offered a seat. Instantly, she wanted to leave, because her instincts were screaming at her to do so.

"What can I do for you, Miss Eno?" Sheriff Wilson asked, looking subtly excitedly at her. "My deputy said it was important."

"Um..." Candice began, glancing back at the door and remembering that Fei was waiting patiently in the waiting room outside, who also stuck in a strange daze. You shouldn't be here. Candice's voice whispered to her again, causing her heart to suddenly begin to thud heavily against her chest and her stomach to twist with anxiety.

She knew what the right thing was to do... hand over all the information, confess for Charlie and turn him in and hope that all the rest would fall in line and either be put away for good or leave her and her friends alone in fear that they'd be caught too. But it was as if a hand was being held over her mouth, her thoughts switching from supporting Alice to hating Charlie to Fei sat outside who wanted her to do the right thing too, or so she'd said but Candice hadn't really believed her tone.:. her thoughts went back to Alice, remembering how excited she was to be involved with Magnus and then to Veronica.

She could smell the rotting flesh suddenly and shifted in her seat, trying to force herself to speak as sheriff Wilson stared at her. She'd tampered with evidence, she'd ruined the Veronica Green case by stealing her body with Alice and leaving the police empty handed. She knew she should feel bad, but she wanted to laugh suddenly at how clueless they all were especially since the answer was right under their noses... her mind felt like it had been torn into multiple pieces, each segment burning with its own intense emotion. Guilt and excitement being the biggest two at the moment.

"Candice?" Sheriff Wilson prompted, clasping his hands together on the desk in front of him. She looked back at him and hummed in a high note, like she was unsure of what to say suddenly since her mouth didn't want to open. "Now listen here, I get the feeling you're here to help... is that right? and I understand passing on information can be hard... especially if it's risky. But we can provide protection if you feel unsafe-"

Candice swallowed heavily as she stared at the sheriff, hearing the phones ringing in the background and the rain pattering against the window in his office... she'd been psyching herself up the whole day for this moment, and purposefully avoided anything that would change her mind, including Alice... which she now felt immensely guilty for since she could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket and knew it was her trying to get in contact, most likely. The truth was... Candice didn't want to spill. And she felt sick thinking about how she suddenly would miss the adrenaline... how her parents would be heart broken and never forgive themselves if they found out who Trey really was.

Leave. Candice's conscious whispered to her in a strong voice, and it felt like it was leaning over her shoulder and whispering into her ear with its hands on her shoulders, gripping hard. Make up an excuse and leave. Her voice said again and she exhaled shakily. "I know it's off timing, but my parents wanted to know how the searches going." Candice said, her voice calm, which worried her. "AndI was wondering if I could do anything to help. Volunteering looks good on my college applications, so-"

Sheriff Wilson stared at her for a moment, growing frustrated and annoyed as she continued to talk about her college applications and suggest ways she could assist around the office. "Thank you, Miss Eno but we've got a lot on our plates right now." Sheriff Wilson said, cutting across her and motioned at the door as he looked away...

Candice could see in his eyes and body language that he wanted her to leave, and she sighed silently, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She stood up, dusting off her jeans and smiled awkwardly, forcing it so she could keep up the act. "I know it was bad timing, sheriff, but if you do need any help around the office, I'd be happy to do it."

...Outside in the waiting room Fei stared at her hands, feeling anxiety coursing through her veins as she waited for Candice to be done. She didn't like police stations or hospitals or any large official facility, her palms would sweat and she'd find it difficult to breathe... for a couple of minutes she forgot that she had the freedom to leave and sat there, stone still, watching deputies walk back and forth in front of her, looking stressed.

Finally, she stood up suddenly, remembering she didn't have to sit there and left the room to get some fresh air, hearing her subconscious whispering for her to leave over and over again like it was some broken record in her head, skipping over and repeating the same part continuously until it was listened to or stopped.

She couldn't understand why she felt like this, why she felt like she was forcing herself to do this against her will, since coming to the police was the right thing to do, logically, but everything in her being at that moment was telling her it wasn't and that they should leave. She could hear herself silently hoping that Candice would leave the Sheriffs office soon, confessing that she hadn't gone through with it and they could both go back to pretending none of it had happened... or...

She couldn't finish the thought in words... but instantly her mind dangled Trey in front of her eyes and she cursed at herself silently for feeling her heart clenching with need.

It was still raining heavily outside as Fei pulled open the glass door and stepped out carefully into the air, not wanting to make too much noise as she left, whilst smelling the dampness of wet concrete from the rain as she stayed underneath the extended roof that covered the stairs leading up to the main entrance... she zoned out a little a she stared at her shoes, listening to the world around her a little distantly as she heard cars passing through puddles on the road and splashing footsteps of people walking past the station and into a coffee shop opposite...

She could hear people approaching, quietly laughing about something and talking normally but didn't look up as she examined a dirty water stain on her sneakers, until they seemed to slow down in front of her. "Fei?" A Male voice asked and she looked up, feeling her heart turn to stone as her muscles froze too.

Charlie and Noah stood in front of her, both with their hoods up and their clothes slightly damp from the downpour. Fei glanced between them, beginning to panic since this was the last place she should've been seen, especially by Charlie and Noah, who she knew to be Magnus's friend too but hadn't spoken to him much. "What're you doing here?" Charlie asked, keeping his hands tucked into his pockets as he looked down at her, his expression going hard and yet strangely calm.

"Um..." she mumbled, glancing at the door and wondering if she could quickly run back inside. "We were just-"

"We?" Charlie asked, cutting across her just as Candice burst through the door and whined loudly, her head down as she jogged down the few steps, evidently not noticing Fei's company.

"Fuck that! I literally almost fainted, I couldn't do it-" She trailed off as she saw Charlie and Noah and cursed under her breath, all four of them now stood in silence as she carefully stepped down the last few concrete slabs. Charlie smiled, pulling his arms from his pockets and folding them across his chest, looking from Candice to Fei then chuckling. "What're you doing here?" Candice asked quickly, feeling her heart beginning to beat faster, but not out of fear as she looked at Charlie and felt her cheeks warm.

"I need to pick up some shit from my dad." Noah replied, pushing his glasses up his nose that were now speckled with rain drops. "You?" He asked, his tone surprising Candice and Fei since it was like he had no idea what had happened, either that or he had decided to pretend as if none of it had.

"Just... browsing, um... internships." Fei mumbled, glancing at Charlie again who didn't seem worried at all as he took out his phone and typed something quickly... Candice was surprised for a moment since she'd suggested the same thing in the sheriffs office, and raised her eyebrows whilst glancing at Fei, who glanced back at her and shrugged quietly.

"We didn't say anything." Candice then said, shifting on her feet. She wanted him to know that she didn't turn him in, and that she could be trusted not to say anything... she just wanted to be left out of it, or at least that's what she was telling herself. "Charlie." She added, since she wasn't sure he was paying attention because his eyes were on his phone.

"I don't care if you did or not," Charlie replied, looking up at her. Their eye contact made Candice's stomach flip. "You can't prove it. No one can." He whispered, then smiled menacingly before chuckling. His hand now motioning to Noah that they could leave.

Candice sighed angrily, annoyed at his attitude, now wishing that she'd gone through with her confession. She could feel words beginning to rise from her throat and she couldn't stop them before they slipped out, "You'll get caught with that kind of shitty arrogance," she spat, causing Charlie to stop as he climbed the stairs and look back at her,

"Sure," he nodded and smiled, looking her over seconds before he turned away whilst chuckling. "Have a shit day ladies," he called, throwing them a lazy two-finger salute as he walked into the police station behind Noah, both of them disappearing from sight. But before the door closed, she even heard one of the police officers belt a happy greeting at Charlie, as if they were good friends...

"Fuck him." Candice muttered, snatching an umbrella from her bag and putting it up, ready to brave the weather as she walked off with Fei walking quickly beside her. "Just fuck him." She spat again, feeling tense, angry and upset... that he hadn't paid more attention to her. "I could've dropped him in the shit, I really could have. But I didn't, and he goes and talks to me like that? What a dick."

"Why didn't you?" Fei asked as they walked quickly towards her car, trying to get out of the rain and cold wind as fast as possible. "Turn him in," She added, realising the timing of her question was wrong.

Candice didn't reply immediately, feeling the mess of thoughts in her head beginning against build up and bundle together... "I can't really explain it." She muttered, unlocking her car and climbing in without looking at Fei. She sighed heavily, remembering snippets of their night together... before it all went dark, both metaphorically and literally, they talked normally... about everything, it seemed. She remembered thinking differently of him, even when she knew she shouldn't...

~

At the same time, outside the school, Alice sighed and handed Georgia her phone back, now awkwardly stood with her and Olive under the shelter of the bike shed. "Thanks, she was supposed to meet me after school but maybe she forgot," she explained, since she'd asked to use Georgias phone to call Candice, who had vanished as soon as the bell rang, apparently.

"I can text her for you?" Georgia asked and Alice nodded, thanking her again as she watched Georgia type out a message to Candice saying that Alice was looking for her. "I have to run, got swim practice, but I'll see you guys tomorrow," She continued after a few seconds, waving goodbye to Alice and Olive just as a four by four pulled up beside them and Georgia's mom waved at them from the drivers seat.

"I'm probably just gonna go wait inside," Alice mumbled, glancing at Olive before she smiled a little and turned away.

"-Alice," Olive said, the first word she'd uttered since Alice had walked over to them and asked to borrow Georgia's phone a few minutes ago. "is Candice okay? I heard something happened at the chalet..." she asked, shifting on her feet and looking slightly uncomfortable as she waited for Alice's response.

"She's fine." Alice replied, suddenly looking past Olive and seeing a familiar person leaning against his car with his hood up, evidently waiting for her. Her heart clenched in her chest at the sight of him, and she inhaled and exhaled slowly, wondering if she should just ignore him and walk off like she was meant to, since he'd made no effort to call for her, but she couldn't... not now that they'd made eye contact.

Olive glanced behind herself, seeing Alice looking at someone else and saw Magnus waiting beside his car in the torrential rain, seemingly unbothered by it. She glanced back at Alice, who seemed to sigh in exasperation and begin walking towards him. Before Olive could stop herself, she reached out to stop her as she passed, "Be careful, Alice," Olive warned, looking into Alice's bright blue eyes for a few seconds to show her sincerity... she could see the confusion immediately and let her go, walking off quickly, not bothering to wait to be asked for an explanation as she hurried back inside the school to get out of the rain.

Confusion set in as Alice began walking again, seeing Magnus straightening up as he realised she was coming over to him finally. She wondered what Olive meant, and what she knew in order to give her that warning, but pushed those thoughts to one side as she stopped a metre away from Magnus and shielded her eyes from the rain since her raincoat wasn't doing a great job. "You know when someone's says they don't want to see you anymore, they usually mean it literally." She said, raising her voice a little so he could hear her over the clattering of rain drops on his car.

"I know," he replied, stepping to one side and opening his door. "I just want to talk for a second." He added, motioning for her to get in. She sighed heavily again and stayed where she was, but could suddenly see the coffee cups placed neatly between the seats. Her heart melted quietly, covering its own mouth as it whined, trying to hide that he was appealing to kinder nature... and her weakness, which was obviously him.

Alice felt her body give in before her mind did, and her feet walked forwards and climbed up into his expensive car and sat down, sliding off her raincoat and humming and the warmth radiating from the heaters as he shut the door behind her. She wondered if she should feel more annoyed that he was playing into the pull he had on her, since all he had to do was stand there and she was sat in his car minutes later... but at that moment she didn't care too much, since the coffee she was now sipping tasted like heaven, a little bitter, but heaven nonetheless. "What did you want to talk about?"

"That one was mine," Magnus muttered, and Alice hummed and pulled it away from her lips, glancing down at the pink lipstick stain on the lid.

"Sorry," she murmured, wiping off the lipstick and handed it over. She took the other and sipped it, humming happily since it tasted even better, since it evidently lathered in cream and sugar, just like she liked. He watched her sip the coffee as he put his down again, and started up the engine, putting the car into gear as Alice furrowed her eyebrows. "...Are we going somewhere?"

"I don't talk in my car, remember?" Magnus replied and Alice watched unsurely as she put on her seatbelt then settled back into her seat, letting her mind wander since it was evident that he wanted to speak about something important... she suddenly remembered Candice and Fei going to be police and tensed, lifting her coffee cup to her lips slowly... she wanted to talk about it immediately but knew he would get cross if she mentioned it, so waited... and waited... as they drove, her eyes examining the scene around her but the rain seemed to blur all the scenes together, making it confusing as the radio played quietly in the background.