8: 30 P.M
"Hey M, you in here?" Evie called. She walked into the dorm room she shared with her purple haired friend. Mal had always been known as a late sleeper. In fact, usually Mal would wake up thirry minutes before classes were about to start, causing her to scramble to get ready on time. When Evie woke up this morning she hadn't seen Mal in bed so she figured her friend already left for the day. Which, itself was odd but Evie wasn't going to complain. But what had started to confuse Evie was the fcat that Mal didn't show up in their first period class. In fact Mal hadn't shown for breakfest either. That prompted Evie to spend her six minutes in between classes to search for her.
Evie looked at Mal's empty bed. The covers were looked as if they were thrown on the floor, and her sheet's were falling off. But there was no sighn of Mal. Evie checked the bathroom but saw no sighn of her their either. Where could she be? She thought to herslef. Evie glanced at Mal's nightstand. Their were a couple framed pictures of friends facing her bed but Evie discovered Mal's phone was among the pictures. Mal always put her phone on her nightstand before falling asleep, but she never left the dorm without it.
"Mabey, Jay, Carlos, or Ben have seen her around," Evie thought aloud. SHe left the dorm room and intercepted Ben at his locker. He smiled when he saw Evide approaching. "Hey, Evie!" He greeted cheerfully. "Can I help you with anything?" he asked. Evie nooded, trying to fight down the rising panic in her tone. "I was wondering if you've seen Mal? She wasn't at breakast or first period," she explained quickly. Ben furrowed his brown and shook his head. "Now thaat you've mentioned it, I haven't seen Mal around this morning," Ben said. "I'm sure she's ok. Mabey ask Carlos, he was with her last night."
Evie noticed the concern in ben's voice and the worried expression on his face. Mal and Ben have been going strong in their relationship. There suppose to graduate in three months. Ben was secretly planning on proposing after colledge, but he hadn't told anybody that yet. Ever since the fiasco with Mal running back to the Isle, Ben usually gets worked up when Mal hasn't been seen for a while. Ben was only trying to remain positve for Evie, although he was failing. "I'll come with you," Ben offered but something in his voice made Evie suspect that he wasn't asking her permission.
They found Carlos at his locker as well, talking to Jane who had a big grin on her face. "Hey Carlos!" Ben called. Carlos turned around and waved to Evie and Ben. "Hey guys, whats up?" he asked. "Sorry to interrupt, Carlos," Ben apologized. "Evie and I were wondering if you've seen Mal after last night?" Carlos scratched his snow colored hair thoughtfully. "After studing in the library, Mal told me she was going to grab her notes from Lonnie. She let her borrow them," Carlos said. "I haven't seen her since last night, is she alright?"
"We don't know!" Evie exclaimed. Carlos slammed his locker shut. "I'll help you guys look," Carlos turned towards Jane. "I'll talk to you later ok?" Jane nodded. "Of course, go fined Mal!" Jane waved goodbye and walked towards her second period class. "We should go find Lonnie," her locker is on the other side of campus, we can cut through the R.O.A.R arena as a shortcut."
Carlos frowned when they entered the arena. The audience booth to their right was open and the coach usually locked it up tight after practices. Ben noticed this too. "Did coach forget to lock up the booth's last night?" Ben asked. Carlos shook his head. He knew coach didn't forget to lock up because Carlos had seen him lock the booth's after practice. Sombody must have found a way to unlock it. "Should we check it out?" Evie asked. Caros shrugged. He decided since they were here, they might as well take a look.
The climbed the steps that led to the top audience booth in the R.O.A.R arena. The rows of chairs were folded up obsucring their vision of the entire booth. Evie decided to check behind the chairs and what she found was the most terrifying thing she will ever see in her life, and the most devastating. Evie let out a blood-curdling scream. Ben and Carlos rushed over. Their, on the floor of the audience booth, was a purple haired girl. Her eyes were closed and her skin was paler than apper. And there was a huge wound in the middle of her stomach with dried blood on her shirt and the floor. Her face had bruises and cuts. They found Mal alright. But not their Mal. This Mal was dead.
FG (Fairy Godmother) paced her office while biting her nails. Her office was packed with tearful teenagers. In al of FG's years as head mistress, nothing like this has ever happened on the campus. Her heart ached for Mal and the kids in her office bawling there eyes out. Evie was behind cpomfort. Doug was rubbing her back as she cried. Carlos had tears streaming down his cheeks as he petted his dog, Dude, in search of comfort. Jay wasn't crying, but he looked downright mad. No, not mad, Jay looked furioious! His hands were balled up into fist, and he was shaking from the anger consuming him. FG had to stop Jay from punching the wall.
When Evie had burst into her office babbling about Mal, FG had not been prepared for what the gril meant. FG's heart shattered when she saw Mal's dead body lying on the cold floor in the audience booth. It was obvious enough to FG about what happend. Mal was murdered, no dount about it. But by whom, and why? Mal had been a very good student to her knowledge. FG had a million question cramming themselves into her brain. But right now she had to deal with one problem at a time.
FG cleared her throat, and swalled her own grief to adress the children. "I...have zero tolerance for this," FG voice cracked and she had to remind herself to stay calm. "It will be hard to digest this and you have my full support as you grivee." FG fiddled with the pen on her desk. "But we must get to the bottom of this. I assure you whoever has commited such a horrfic crime willl be caught and punsihed severly."
"I just don't understand," Ben was crying bitterly. "We were texting last night, we-" he broke down and started sobbing. It was just all too much. The girl he planned to spend the rest of his life with was gone. He couldn't believe it. Seeing her bloody body was too much, it would be engraved in his mind forever along with her smile. "We need to kill him," Jay muttered. "Whoever is responsible will pay. We need to get revenge we need to do something-"
"Jay!" FG interrupted. "We are all upset, but revenge is not the answer. We are taking this case to the police who will find the murdered and make them pay legally." Jay scowled. "When, how?" he barked. Mal's death was tearing him up on the inside, but he wouldn't show. For Jay, it was much easier to be angry then sad, like everybody else. "Soon," FG assured him. "We had Mal's body taken to a morgue where the'll preform an autopsy while the police will investigate the campus."
"I can't believe it," Evie whispered. "This is all juat a nightmare. any minute i'll wake up. Right?" Doug bit his bottom lip. He knew there was no comfroting Evie or anybody in this room for that manner. There was no mediine to heal a broken heart. Mal was on of the strongest/scariest girls he knows...knew. Doug was having a hard time proccesing it as well. Even though Mal was fond of teasing him, she always had his back. And they gotten along fairly well. And he had to admit, some of Mal's teasing was knd of funny. He would miss her calling him four eyes.
"I suggest you kid's take time to grieve. Ben I'll call your parets and inform them of whats happening. I will close down the school temeporarily for the police investigation,' FG explained. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Carlos pulled himself togther enough to stand. "I-I think i need to lie down" Carlos mumbled. He staggered out of the office. Dude looked up at FG. "He dosen't look so good," Dude said. "I don't like when Carlos is sad, is there anything we can do?"
FG shook her head at the dog. "Theres nothing anybody can really do right now. You all have my condolences."
Two days after Mal's death
Lonnie walked through the large double doors of the Auradon City police station. Lonnie was glad to be outside of her dorm. She hadn't known what to do with herslef since school was closed and Mal had died. Carlos, Evie, Jay, and Ben had refused to speak about the details of Mal's death. They didn't want to tell anybody else about how they found her. Lonnie was saddned by the news. Mal was a very fun person to be around. Mal had taught her alot, including how to replace sombody's body wash with body paint. She didn't deserve to die. The lady Mal would forvever be eighteen.
Lonnie wasn't quite sure why she was called into the police station that morning. She assumed the police wanted her statement, althought Lonnie knew very little. Lonnie walked into the back private conference room of the police station. She was surprised to see Carlos and Chad sitting in the seats in the middle of the conference room. Carlos eyes were red and puffy like he had spent hours crying, while Cahd just looked irriatted, like being here was a minor incovieniance in his day.
Sitting in front of Chad and Carlos was a plice officer wearing the official Auradon city police uniform. The police officers name tag read Lizzy. Officer Lizzy beckoned for Lonnie to take a seat in between Carlos and Chad. Lonnie complied. "My name is officer Lizzy Banks, but you can call me Mrs.Banls, and I'm one of the officers working on the case of Mal's murder."
"You might be wondering why you three in praticular have been summoned to the plice station," Mrs. Banks clasped her hands together. "We have recieved a report on Mal's autopsy before anybody else has in order to assist in her case. And they have confirmed that it indeed was a murder. She died from a stab wound in her abdoman. A sword was most lily the weopn used."
"What does that have to with us?" Chad snapped. He sank in his chair like a moddy teen would. "Mal died around 8:35 to 8:50," Mrs. Banks informed them. "This is on Saturday night, so the reason you three have been summoned here is because you have been reported as being the last three people to have seen Mal before she died." Chad suddenly popped right up in his seat and scoffed. "What are you getting at?" he growled. Mrs.Banks looked at Chad as if he was some kind of lab specimen that she would love to dissect. "Let it put it to you Mr. Charming in a way you'll understand," Mrs. Banks hissed. "You three are suspects in the murder of Mal Bertha."
Carlos shoots me a panicked look and I return it. Chad looks utterly surprised. "I-im no murderer!" Chad protested. "Okay, do you know who I am? Do you jnow who my parenst are? I'll have my father make your life a living hell." Mrs. Banks dosen't look fazed by Cahd's threat at all, actually she looked rather amused. "Actually I phoned all your parents and legal guardians for permission to question you. So Chad Charming, you are officialy a suspect as well as these two." Mrs. Banks motions to Carlos and Lonnie. "And I expect nothing but the truth from you."
Carlos gulps. Lonnie knew right away that Carlos was not the killer. The innocent, friendly, nerdy Carlos was not even much of a fighter. And Lonnie knew that she wasn't the killer. Lonnie narrows her eyes and stares at Chad. That could only mean one thing, it just had to be Chad. Mrs. Banks smiles and claps her hands. "Alrighty then, lets get this interogation started."
TO BE CONTINUED