The school day is over and I whip out my cell-phone and start calling my dad to pick me up. He doesn't answer, which usually means he's busy. I should have expected that. With a sigh, I put my phone back into the pocket of my jeans.

Kit notices this and nudges me softly, "What's wrong?"

"It's dad," I grumble, "He's busy again."

"Oh, well maybe Tate and I could give you a ride? If you wouldn't mind that is," He smiled shyly at me and I smile back, feeling my cheeks grow hot. "Yeah, that would be great!"

"Tate will be here soon," He informs me, but he leads me to his car— some Toyota model. He unlocks the car door and lets me in. I sit in the back and he sits in the driver's seat. We wait for Tate (that jerk) for some time before he finally decides to grace us with his presence.

He opens the door and glances once at the back seat and then back again, looking at his brother with a look of confusion and mild anger.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" Tate hissed, glaring at his brother.

"I take it you two don't like each other very much?" Kit murmurs, glancing back at me in the rearview mirror and mouthing an apology.

I shrug.

"Doesn't matter to me," Tate huffs and then sits himself down on the passenger seat. "As long as she doesn't try to talk to me."

"I wasn't going to!" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against my seat.

Kit started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Tate plugged in his IPhone and the radio started playing Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't a Scene, It's a Goddamn Arms Race". LOUDLY.

"COULD YOU TURN THAT DOWN A LITTLE?!" I yelled at Tate, but he ignored me, or was that because he couldn't hear me?

I huffed, annoyed.

"TATE! I SAID, COULD YOU TURN—!?"

"God, I heard you the first time!" Tate snapped, turning the dial to the left to lower the volume, but only by a little.

What a jerk. I couldn't believe these two were related. I mean they were both dreamy in their own ways, but Kit was a sweetheart and Tate was… the opposite. I didn't know how Kit put up with him. Probably because he had to, he was his twin brother after all.

I looked out the window and began to hum along to the song. Before I knew it, Kit was pulling up into my driveway. I gasped.

"How'd you—?"

"Everyone knows where you live," Tate muttered, sarcastically.

"Yeah… he's kind of right," Kit said sheepishly. "Oh."

"Anyway, thanks for the ride Kit!"

"No problem!" He smiled at me as I got out of the car. I shut the door behind and me and as I walked up to my doorway and turned the doorknob, I heard the car peeling away.

The house was empty. I sighed.

It had been a long day at school, I'd had to go to all seven of my classes, and face unwanted stares (particularly from guys), a bitch named Madison tripped me for no reason, and a guy who was an even bigger jerk than Tate was hitting on me and trying to get me to sit at his table. But then again, I did make two new friends, who were really awesome.

I was tired, so I decided to take a nap.

When I woke up, it was already eight! I hadn't had dinner yet, so I went down, hearing my stomach growl. I was really hungry. I stared at the kitchen. There was no food in the house. Dad hadn't cooked, or even left food in the refrigerator. I sighed, pulled out my cell phone and called delivery for chinese. I was feeling gracious, so I ordered two, one for me and for my father.

The chinese take out came thirty minutes later, and I finished it in ten minutes. I was THAT hungry. It was nine now, and dad still wasn't home. Where the hell was he? These days he wasn't out so late anymore, there was hardly anything going on these days… unless… I didn't want to think about it.

I sit in the living room for a while, waiting for his return. I turn on the t.v. flipping through the channels. I stop at a news channel and my jaw dropped.

"Oh shit…" I murmer, putting a hand up to my mouth.

"A 34- year old man was murdered sometime this afternoon. Officers have ruled his death as a homicide, the cause of death is multiple lacerations to the head and neck, and deep stab wounds to the chest. Investigators say the man was stabbed at least 42 times." A news reporter stated.

I continued to watch and my eyes widened, the reporter had walked up to a man in a police uniform. It was my dad!

"Officer Lowe, do you have any leads? What do you think is going on?"

"No… unfortunately not yet. This does seem to be incidental, the motive could possibly be revenge related. But this is all I can discuss with the public," my dad said. He was very pale though, and his brows were furrowed. He wasn't okay. There was something on his mind.

"Thank you sir," The reporter said, and then he turned back to the camera, "The victim is a Cortez high AP Calculus teacher. His name is William Drake and his nine year old child was the one who called the police. There were no other witnesses."

I gasped. I tried to take this all in, but my thoughts were flying. William Drake… Mr. Drake! Oh god, I thought I was going to be sick. This couldn't be…

I didn't know what to do but stare at the T.V. in schock. I didn't know the man well enough to cry hysterically, but I did feel very disturbed by what I had seen on the news.

I closed the T.V. This was too much for me too handle. I had to get up early in the morning anyway. I started for the door, making sure it was locked. It was. I closed all the lights and then headed for my bed room.

The lights were still on. Funny… I thought I had left it closed? But maybe I hadn't. No, maybe not.

I walked over to my bed and noticed the window was open. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I never opened the windows, especially at night. I glanced around the room quickly, getting myself ready to run if I needed to. But there was no sign of anyone there. I poked around the closet, every corner of my room, but there was no one there. I sighed, it was probably just my imagination and I was probably still unnerved by the news I had scene.

I flopped onto the bed, but just as I did, a note slid out from my pillow. I frowned.

I held it up to me. My hands began to tremble as I read it. It was written in red material… was it blood?!

'The Countdown begins' it read.

Countdown for what? I wondered, but I could feel a pit in my stomach growing. I don't think it was a good thing.

please please please let me know what you think! i'll be uploading the fourth chapter very soon!