Chapter 1

It was a sunny Monday morning. Jude opened his eyes and yawned. He got out from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Downstairs, in the kitchen, there were Stef and Lena preparing breakfast for everyone. Callie was the first one to wake up.

While Lena was frying the eggs, Stef was putting the dishes on the table. She noticed Callie's bad mood.

"Callie, is everything okay?" Stef asked.

Callie looked into Stef's eyes and answered with a casual tone:

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem upset by something."

Lena turned to her daughter, concerned.

"No, it's just... I couldn't sleep last night."

"Why?" asked Lena.

Jude entered the kitchen and said good morning to everyone, and they all did the same.

"Callie, everything okay?" asked Jude.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just tired. I stood awake almost the whole night."

"Hmm?" asked Jude, raising an eyebrow.

"Why couldn't you sleep? Have you got sick?" asked Stef, putting her palm on Callie's forehead.

"No..."

"Then what?"

A few seconds, Callie didn't say anything.

"Well... I chatted with Wyatt on Messenger."

"The whole night?!"

Callie shyly nodded.

"Honey, I understand that after your break up with him you two couldn't stay apart but chatting the whole night is too much." said Lena, calmed.

"I'm sorry, moms. It won't happen again, I promise."

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

"I get it."

Stef got up and went to the door. She opened it, revealing Mike.

"Mike! Hey!"

"Hi, Stef."

Mike didn't seem too fine.

"What's wrong?"

Mike let out a deep sigh of regret. Brandon, Jude and Callie came to him, concerned.

"Daria went missing."

Jude's eyes widened. He shouted:

"WHAT?!"

"Her parents are worried. They think she ran away. However, a neighbor said that she saw a man in a black costume entering her house."

Jude looked down, still not recovering from the shock.

"So it is possible that she was kidnapped." said Stef.

"Or murdered." said Brandon.

Everyone looked at him.

"Do we have any suspects?" asked Stef.

"No, not for now. But we will have to interrogate everyone, including her friends and classmates. At this point, everyone is a suspect."

Jude sighed, saddened. Callie snuggled him.

In the afternoon, Jude was at his high school locker, putting some books in it. He shut the door and startled, as he saw Connor standing right beside him.

"Jude, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Jude smiled at him.

"It's ok."

They kissed and made sure that nobody saw them. Connor whispered:

"Hey, are you sure you don't want to tell anyone about our relationship? This hiding makes me uncomfortable."

"It's better this way. It's enough that Taylor and Daria know about it."

Connor nodded. He is ok with Jude's decision.

"Did you hear? Daria dissapeared."

Connor seemed sad when he said that.

"Yeah... I heard. I mean, I know we weren't too close, but she didn't deserve it."

"No... she didn't."

For a few moments, nobody said anything.

"What do you think that happened to her?" asked Jude.

"I don't know."

The school bell rang.

"I'm going to the classroom. I'll see you there." said Connor.

Jude nodded and Connor left him standing there.

After Chemistry, Connor was sitting on a lunch table from outside the high school along with Jude and Taylor.

"Do you guys believe it? Daria went missing. The whole high school went crazy." said Taylor.

"It doesn't seem real." said Jude, affected.

"I'm still waiting for her to show up." said Connor.

Jude said:

"Guys, I don't think she ran away."

Connor and Taylor looked at Jude.

"Do you think she was killed?" asked Taylor, starting to panic.

"Maybe."

Connor seemed affected, too. Then Jude continued:

"A neighbor saw a person wearing a black costume entering her house the night she dissapeared."

"Oh my God..." said Taylor.

Just then, Jude's cell phone rang. He reached for it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It read "Daria". Jude nearly gasped. Jude shared worried looks with Connor and Taylor.

A second. Two. He answered:

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jude."

"Who is this?"

"I pick you."

"What?!"

"Don't disappoint me."

The caller hung up. Jude looked at Taylor and Connor, all freaking out.

Jude was sitting on a chair from the interrogation room. Lena was beside him, squeezing his hand. Stef and Mike were interrogating him.

"I pick you." thought Mike, trying to find a meaning for it.

"That's what he said. Am I in danger?" asked Jude, worried and scared.

"No, you aren't. We won't let anything happen to you, baby." said Stef, caressing his hair.

This gesture didn't make Jude feel any better. He sighed.

After the interrogation finished, Jude went back to his classroom.

Lena was walking outside the high school, worried for Jude. She needed some fresh air. Someone approached to her. She turned around, and saw Monte looking at her.

"I'm sorry, Monte, I can't help you with anything right now."

"No, no, I don't want you to. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay. After what happened to Daria and Jude..."

Lena sadly nodded.

"Anything you need, I wanna help."

"Thanks." said Lena, grateful.

They shared a warm hug.

"Well... I have to go back to my office." said Monte with a nervous smile.

Lena smiled at her back. Then Lena's face turned worried again. Monte put her hand on Lena's shoulder.

"Hey. Be careful."

Lena appreciated it.

"You too."

Monte wanted to say something, but she reconsidered and left. Lena watched her go.

A few hours later, Jude was inside the house, laying on the couch along with Callie. He put his head on her shoulder. Callie was holding him like he was her own child. She knew how he felt.

"Judicorn... Talk to me. What are you thinking about?" she sadly said.

"Other than my creepy phone call? Daria. I just can't believe it."

"I can't believe it, too."

"I'm so scared right now. I don't think I'm gonna sleep too much tonight."

"Hey, hey... Everything is gonna be okay, you have nothing to worry about!"

"Daria is missing, a neighbor saw a stranger entering her house, and I got a scary call coming from her phone. I have so many reasons to be worried."

Callie sighed. Who was she fooling? They really had to worry. But she tried to remain confident.

"But you have all of us! We will be on your side everytime! As long as you have us, nothing bad will happen to you."

Jude looked at her. He teared.

"Don't you worry."

Callie kissed him on the forehead and left. Just then, Jude's cell phone rang. He picked it from the coffee table. "Daria". Jude started sweating, as he was holding the phone with a shaky hand. Finally, he answered:

"What do you want?"

"I want you dead, Jude."

"WHY? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"Your life." the man chuckled.

"You're insane. I'm calling the police."

"I'm shaking in my boots!' said the man with sarcastic fear.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Jude, overwhelmed.

"I have my reasons, Jude. But now it's not the right time for explanations. But don't worry, you'll find out soon. Until then, you are going to suffer."

The man hung up. Jude looked at the phone, horrified.

Meanwhile, Monte was sitting inside her office, talking on the phone.

"I'm so sorry for not calling you sooner, Becca. I was busy. Oh wait, somebody is calling me, I have to hang up."

Monte ended the conversation with her friend and answered her other call.

"Monte Porter."

"Lena Adams Foster, please." said the man.

It was the same man that called Jude earlier.

"I'm sorry, I am the new principal of the Anchor Beach Community Charter School. Do you have any messages for her?"

"Yes, please." answered the man with a kind tone.

Monte took out from her notebook a yellow paper. She picked a pen.

"What's the message?"

"Please tell Mrs. Adams Foster that... are you writing this?"

"Yes, I am."

"Tell Mrs. Adams Foster that I WILL GUT THE NEW PRINCIPAL!"

Man's kind tone turned into an angry tone, full of rage. His last words made Monte startle. The man hung up. Monte looked at the phone from the desk with confusion.

Then she heard a hit coming from the hall. She startled again.

She left her office, looking around. Nobody was there. She decided to investigate the noise further, even if she was scared. She was heavily breathing while slowly walking.

"Hello?" she asked.

She heard the hit again, this time much stronger. She continued to walk.

At the end of the hall, there was a corner. Monte went there. She peeked and saw...

THE GHOSTFACE KILLER!

He sliced her arm.

Monte screamed and started running back, holding her bleeding arm, Ghostface chasing her. Monte was deadly screaming:

"HELP MEEEEEEE! SOMEBODY, HEEEELP!"

While she was running, Ghostface tripped her, and she fell on the floor. But she got up back on her feet quickly and continued running, almost imbalacing. Nobody was hearing her screams for help.

In front of her, there was a chair. She threw it at the killer, and he grunted, falling on the floor. Monte was quick on her feet. Within a second, Ghostface got up and continued following her, knife raised.

Monte went upstairs. Just as she touched the floor, Ghostface grabbed her. She screamed again.

"NOOOOO! HELP MEEE, SOMEBODY! HE'S KILLING MEEEEEE!"

Monte struggled to escape from killer's arms, but Ghostface was holding her tight. She was pleading. Screaming.

Just as the killer was about to stab her in the stomach, a woman raced upstairs.

"MONTE!" shouted the woman.

Ghostface heard the desperate shout and let her go. Monte punched him in the face and went to the staircase. The woman was Lena.

Monte ran to her crying and hugged her.

"Monte! Oh my god, what happened to you?!"

Monte was really scared out of her mind.

"Someone wearing a mask tried to kill me!"

"Oh my god! Where is he?!"

"There!"

Monte pointed with a finger to her back, but nobody was there.

"The bastard escaped..." murmured Monte.

"Let's go to the hospital!" said Lena, holding Monte's hand and going downstairs.

Monte turned around again. Nobody was there.

A/N: Well that was it. I hope you liked it. Who do you think is the killer? :) Reviews appreciated.