I thought the day would never come! I'm finally updating one of my ancient stories. I'm very sorry for the wait, guys...but wait! I have news. So of my 5 or so uncompleted stories, I'm going to take one of them at a time and hopefully finish them all so there are no loose ends drifting around my profile. First off is TKAB!

If you've forgotten this story, I apologize. The chapters are pretty short, so if you want to go get caught up, it might be worth it!

Without further ado, here is To Kill A Beta's Seventh Chapter!

(p.s. - Remember the bold, not the bold italics, is Alicia's killer)


6.

Undisclosed Location

September 23rd, 8:00 pm

With verve, he clicked the mouse. Immediately, his computer made a whooshing sound as it saved all thirty pictures to the website. Immediately, a blinking message popped up, thanking him for the contribution and ensuring him that he would be credited for the images.

He smiled, as he always did after he uploaded another one of his A-series (this was number thirty-four, if you counted the two videos). They were quite popular.

The sound of footsteps filtered in through his door, and he reacted quicker than lighting. In two keystrokes, he deleted his history, wiped his hard-drive, took off his IP-concealing software and reset the password to one of his rotating ones (this time, it was switched to aliciamarierivera as it was every ninth time). In another three seconds, the brand-new Dell was stashed in the secret compartment of his desk and his newish Macbook Pro was front and center.

A beam of light slowly crept into his shroud of darkness.

"I'll never understand how you live in complete darkness," said a voice.

"It helps me focus," said he, glancing at the figure at the door.

"Mom wanted me to tell you dinner is in five minutes."

Cabana #1

September 23rd, 10:13 pm

Try as she would (and did), Massie Block could not block out the ah-noying burst of giggles that came in intervals of fifteen seconds. The sound was filtering out of Cabana #1's bathroom, where Jackie Bauer, Caitlyn Reuter and Amanda Goldstein were painting their toenails and doing facials.

Massie stabbed her finger into the 'pause' button once again, waited for the snickers to die down, and started Keeping up with the Kardashians again for the umpteenth time. Immediately, more laughter filtered out of the bathroom.

"I am reminded why I didn't let them in the PC," she growled, trying to decide whether to cause a scene and humiliate them for aggravating her to extremes.

"Uh huh," Alicia agreed, glancing at her charging phone across the room. Massie tried to ignore the gesture, because Alicia had clearly been making an effort to be more involved…. While her phone was charging, that is.

"Should we head up to the secret pool deck?" Dylan asked in between popping yoghurt-covered raisons into her mouth. Her red hair was piled on her head in an artsy way due to her face being covered in Anastasia's signature mud mask. Technically, you weren't supposed to eat, but Dylan could hardly go five minutes being awake without eating, let alone the suggested hour.

Massie titled her head, letting her soft hair spill over onto her shoulder as she contemplated Dylan's recommendation.

"Great idea, Dylan," she concluded, standing up. She gathered her sleeping bag into her arms, stuffing her two lavender-scented goose-down pillows into it. All of her other necessities were in her oversized brick red Longchamp tote, which she quickly grabbed. She then strolled out the cabana door at the same time that another burst of laughter emitted from the bathroom.

Warm summer darkness welcomed Massie out onto the patio. The granite slabs underneath her feet were moist from LBR-tracks to and from the pool. Right now, the pool appeared to be empty, but the water still showed traces of occupants with its undulating surface.

Massie carefully padded around Cabana 1 and felt the gate next to it carefully, feeling for a semi-hidden door pull. When she found it, she tugged it open and let out a grateful sigh. Ahead of her was a small stone staircase that wound around the cabanas and led her to the Blocks' hidden patio. Usually, there wasn't much need for the location in Massie's typical day-to-day. Kendra had used it for her book club up until the Chair had gotten knee surgery and the staircase was labeled too dangerous. Now, the patio was reserved for the occasional Friday night sleepover.

It was quite a shame that the Blocks' didn't use the hidden patio much, because it really was pretty. Five raffia-covered umbrellas from Ralph Lauren's home collection stood guard over six leather armchairs arranged in a circle with a flat-screen TV a few steps away. On the other side of the patio stood a small black marble hot tub with a flat screen of it's own. Massie immediately dropped her bag on one of the leather recliners and stripped off her hunter green boy-shorts and yellow tank top, revealing her brand new white-with-horse-print Chloé bikini. The other girls quickly did the same. Dylan slid off her maxi to show her fringed brown Max Mara, Claire took off her sundress to reveal a black and gold one-piece which was borrowed from Massie, and Kristen quickly stripped down to her sporty emerald green bikini.

Alicia was the only one who didn't immediately take off her clothes. Instead, she began creeping towards the exit, hoping she could dash down to the cabana without being noticed.

"Leesh?" Massie said curiously, cocking her head as she slid into the hot tub. "Coming in?"

"I left my Sidekick's charger," she said sheepishly. "I was going to go get it?"

"Leave it down there," Massie sigh-ordered, grabbing the water-resistant remote and clicking the TV on.

"Yeah," Claire jumped in, giving Alicia a snide look. "What's so important on that phone that you need it all the time?"

"Claire, shut up." Massie snapped. The blonde was getting on her nerves, always seconding her Alicia comments. What was up with her? "You probably have enough battery to last you through the night, Alicia."

"I guess," the Latina agreed awkwardly. Sensing more drama if she didn't join her alpha, she slid off her Spain-influenced butter-yellow silk slip and quickly slipped into the bubbling water in-between Dylan and Kristen. It was the farthest away she could possibly be from Claire.

Lower Pool Deck

September 23rd, 10:15 pm

Slowly and surely, a figure slowly peeked its head out from behind a cabana door. Spotting the five girls gathered just outside of Cabana 1, with their backs towards the figure, it spotted its chance. It leapt towards one of the many recliners laying about the pool, and crouched down behind it.

With gleaming eyes, it watched as Massie, that foolish girl, lead the rest of them up the stairs. Last, and certainly least, was Alicia Rivera.

Well, hello! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Missed me? I've certainly missed you! Well, I doubt there's much to say here without completely giving myself away, is there? All I can tell you is Alicia's time on earth is slowly and surely dwindling. Thankfully, am I correct?

Let's recap: there are dozens of people who I could be, or more correctly could be I. But that's the fun part, no?

And to throw another wrench into this tale, remember, not all murders are completed alone...


Hopefully another chapter will be on the way soon!

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

QOTD: Who do you think is Alicia's killer, if you had to guess right now?

- B