CHAPTER TWO

The counsellors poured over stories. They tried to put pieces together. They called in students for questioning. The girls were upset. None of them wanted to talk. The school didn't blame them. Most were kidnapped. They were snatched and humiliated.

They wanted to keep this quiet. They couldn't start an uproar. But they regretted their vote. Maybe they needed a detective. Elwood City had a good special victims unit. They'd put away hundreds of perverts. They'd just cracked down on a daycare owner. He seemed nice but he liked to look. He never touched. But he took photos. He eventually sold them. He thought it was innocent. Nothing with children's genitalia was innocent.

If the detectives could catch that guy, they could help these teens. Teens were stupid. They made dumb decisions. They never thought ahead. Someone had to have information. They just needed to find people. They didn't have the resources at school. The cops would have more resources than necessary.

They met again. The problem was growing. Five new girls, several more showing. Two had left completely. They had to do something. But Principal Marcus stood strong. The cops weren't contacted. They'd have to handle it themselves.

Fern eyed the two carefully. Jenna and another girl wandered into the stacks. It was the nonfiction section. Fern counted the rows. One, two, three-they were in the medical books. Fern pulled out her notebook. She liked to jot down suspicious activity. A lot of girls had acted weird lately. She made the note.

Buster approached swiftly. He scared her. He apologized as he took a seat. He eyed her notebook. Fern closed it. Buster shook his head, "Look, I know your mysteries actually have merit around here. Everyone else might think you're just another crazy writer chick, but I know the truth. You've got a lead on something, and I…I have a lead too, but we can't talk about it here. Wanna meet up at the old Sugar Bowl?" he asked.

Fern was reluctant. The building was abandoned. Carl sold the business. The new owner moved to a more popular side of town. He couldn't keep both locations. The old building was in shambles. It was dangerous. But it was private. That was an important perk. Fern agreed to it.

Buster left. Fern looked up to see Jenna. Fern opened her notebook. She added that both girls were round in the middle. She wondered if they were pregnant. She made the note. She thought for a moment. Neither girl had boyfriends. Jenna didn't have time. She was a student athlete. Fern didn't know the other girl. She knew her name, Natalie, but nothing else. She'd look it up later. She had to document other things. She had to keep an eye on everything.

The boys gathered at the house. They sat around a formal dining table. Notebook paper was everywhere. Lists were on each sheet. Ink colors varied. It was a disorganized mess. They didn't care. This was how they kept up with things, how they decided the winner.

Some worried they were moving too fast. Others thought they could do more. The group voted. They needed more girls, more babies. They had to act.

A freshman dance was that night. They'd stake out the surrounding streets. They'd grab the girls. They'd party with them. They'd win their sick game.

Binky got a text from Molly's mom. She hadn't come home from school on time. Binky went over. He looked around the house. James was in front of the television. He hadn't seen Molly since the day before. Binky saw her at school. She wouldn't say much. She kissed his cheek and went away.

That was before lunch.

Binky and Molly's mom called the school. They said they'd send someone to look around. It was almost five. It'd be easy to spot someone. The admins forgot about the dance. People were everywhere. They took an hour to call back-no sign of Molly.

Binky and Mrs. MacDonald were panicked. Where did she go? Why would she disappear? Binky bit his lip. He decided to tell Molly's mom about her problem. She already knew. But it got her thinking. They wondered if she'd try to hurt herself. They brainstormed. How would she do it? Where would she go?

They decided to just drive around. Mrs. MacDonald grabbed her purse. The landline rang. She answered. Her voice cracked. She seemed to just know ahead of time. She dropped the phone. Binky dropped to his knees. A confused James picked up the phone. He wanted to know why two people would fall like that. The person told him-Molly was dead. She'd jumped at the park. James fell. They all fell.