DISCLAIMER: I don't own Private. Sigh...

Author's Note: Acknowledgements. Without whom Chapter 2 of this fic would not be here.

Kate Brian. The author.
FFN site admin. Whoever it its.
My friend Sapphire aka Reed. Who told me Private was a good read and provided me with the idea of Reed killing Thomas.
My friend aka Noelle. Who was the first of us to read a Private book.
The readers and reviewers. For your support.

Ariana placidly walked up Easton's steps. The school administration had been informed of her recovery, but not her innocence, though. She was given the key to Billings that was taken from her long ago. She could feel everyone staring as she 2walked past. She knew how they saw her: a murderer; a killer; a psychopath. They were all wrong. She was not a murderer. She was a killer, though. She had to kill. She killed to save herself. Most of all, she was not a psychopath. It was Reed who made her look like one. Ariana entered Billings, where an appalled Noelle and Reed had been lounging about. Even the knowing Noelle was unprepared for this. Her eyes darted all around the room, from Reed to Ariana to the lacrosse bat on the shelf and back at Ariana again.

But before Noelle could reach her bat, Ariana lunged for it and placed it out of Noelle's reach.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Noelle demanded. Ariana noticed that Reed no longer looked appalled. Instead she looked terrified, with a slightly threatening look in her emotionless eyes. Obviously, such an expression was reserved for Ariana.

"I have come to…" Ariana stopped to stare at her enemy. Reed was biting her lip and clenching her fists.

"You're lying. You came to kill Reed. To kill everyone. Like the murderous psychopath you are," Noelle accused unforgivingly. Ariana felt Noelle's sharp words cut into her. Like glass. Reed was looking amused and Noelle was dead serious.

"Noelle. You have to understand me. Both you and I missed our senior year. We're both re-taking it. Kiran and Taylor have their careers. Noelle, I really need this. I need a chance to prove to people I can change," Ariana begged.

"You'll never change, Ariana," Noelle snapped.

"Okay, I didn't want to have to say this, but I have every right to be in Easton and Billings. I've got approval from the school admin and the management," Ariana said, then sarcastically added, "I'm surprised your father didn't tell you,"

"You know how it works in here, Osgood. I'm president. I call the shots. I can kick anyone out, in any way," Noelle said calmly.

"Noelle, just let it go. I forgive her for killing Thomas. She's done her time," Reed pleaded. What a hypocrite she was!

"Reed, we desperately need to talk," Noelle said, dragging Reed to her room.

"What the hell were you saying? Ariana will kill you!" Noelle demanded. Reed said nothing.

"I know Ariana better than you do. She will kill you," Noelle said.

"No she won't. I think she's changed," Reed said.

"She hasn't, and never will," Noelle insisted. Yet Reed sill offered Ariana absolution. Noelle did not understand.

"All she needs is a chance. She gave me Billings. The least I can do is give her a chance," Reed said. Noelle twitched in annoyance.

"Well, yeah, if you haven't noticed she took you in to kill you," Noelle retorted.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing,"

"I sure hope you do," Noelle sighed, giving up.

Noelle didn't speak much to both Reed and Ariana, but she did make it a point to give either one of them an occasional insult.

"Hi," Constance greeted Ariana warmly. "Welcome back,"

"So what did I miss?" Ariana asked. Across the table, Noelle rolled her eyes.

"Cheyenne's reign as president, new school rules. Nothing much. Me and the girls voluntarily left Billings," Constance sighed. "You know how Billings is,"

Ariana nodded to show she understood. She toyed with her food. How could she get back at Reed? What if Reed had something more sinister in store? What if Noelle got in the way? What if Reed hurt her friends? Ariana knew that Reed would do anything to ruin her. After dinner, Ariana followed Reed. Reed bumped right into another boy. Wait—wasn't that the 14-in-14 scholarship boy? This was perfect. Ariana snapped a picture with her brand new digital camera. Reed's belongings were strewn all over the floor. Her cell phone, her books, her Billings necklace and a tin. The tin was cylindrical like an aerosol can. But why would Reed need a tin for? No way. It must be the scholarship boy's. Ariana stopped to look at the boy. His belongings were all mixed up on the floor, too. So the can was probably his. What was his name again? Ariana had forgotten. Marco Albert? Marcia Alberto? The boy introduced himself to Reed as Marcus Alberro. Reed picked up some of her belongings then told him to wait. Ariana heard Reed's footsteps approaching her. She had to do something. Fast.

Ariana darted into the storeroom. The place smelled like a market. Ariana held her breath. After long enough, she decided it was safe to come out. She saw Reed smile at Marc before leaving. So… the scholarship girl fell for the scholarship boy? Interesting… at least Reed found someone her level this time.

Ariana saw Marc leave Billings later that day in a hurried fashion. He looked at Ariana for a moment and blushed before walking on. Ariana stood staring at the door. Noelle and the others were gossiping at the other end of the corridor. Suddenly, everything was stopped by a long, shrill scream belonging to none other than Reed Brennan. Noelle told the others to stay out. Noelle entered Billings, and soon, Reed's pathetic wails were heard. Ariana knew this was her calling.

Ariana cautiously entered the common room. Noelle was waiting patiently.

"I hope you have an explanation," Noelle said. Reed looked upset.

"Explanation?" Ariana repeated. Without a word, Noelle took both Reed and Ariana to Reed's single. The once white walls were filled with psychotic scrawling. The offending lines were splashed—sprayed, rather, a blood red colour upon the pristine walls of Reed's room. Ariana took a glance at the scrawling, The words were in poem form.

For past wrongs a curse you get,

Until Karmic requirements are met;

And shall I prevail in the killings,

I will become ruler of Billings.

Beside it was a poorly drawn tree, with a human stick figure tied to it. Thomas. Next to it was a gigantic letter A, followed by a medium sized D. Ariana realised they were initials. A.D. Ariana knew Noelle thought it was her. After all those were the initials of the last letters in her name. But then Reed moved away only to reveal a small letter M beside the A.D. initials. A word was spelt out. Mad.

That was when Ariana knew. It was that Marc Alberro. He added a D to make everyone think it was Ariana. Even the M was smaller to make the last two letters stand out. He even talked about killings. What if he knew? About Mel. And Sergei. The thought of those names made Ariana cringe. It only takes one mistake to ruin your life. She regretted it. She regretted it all. She shouldn't have killed Mel. She shouldn't have killed Sergei. She shouldn't have trusted Thomas.

"Well?" Noelle asked, interrupting Ariana's train of thought. Out of the corner of her eye, Ariana saw a tin of spray paint. Like the one Reed, or Marc, had dropped. For a moment, Ariana wondered if Reed had vandalized her own room. But it wasn't possible. Marc was in there. He came out and blushed at Ariana before running away. Reed looked really, really, genuinely scared.

"It was Alberro," Ariana finally said. She3 could tell Noelle didn't believe her.

"There is no way it was Marc. It was you," Reed accused. Noelle helped Reed calm down; before she started on of her freakish paranoid screeching sessions.

"We're going to Cromwell," Noelle declared. Ariana sighed. If Noelle wanted something, Ariana knew there was no stopping her. So she followed Noelle to Cromwell's office, expecting the worst. Noelle barged in without even knocking.

"Miss Lange. I am sure I have reminded you countless times about barging into my office at a time like this?" Cromwell said. Noelle couldn't care less.

"Ariana here left a threat in Reed's room," Noelle said, her eyes gleaming with the coldness instilled in it.

"It wasn't me," Ariana said quietly, her blue eyes literally begging for someone to believe her. Cromwell remained silent, as still as Stonehenge and as quiet as the mice that ran around campus.

"Let me have a look," Cromwell said. After looking at the scrawling, Cromwell sighed and paced up and down, thinking hard. His graying heir made him look stressed and old.

"We'll have the cleaning staff in here, Miss Brennan," Cromwell said, walking towards the door. Noelle looked appalled. What lack of judgment; what idiocy.

"What about Ariana?" Noelle immediately asked. Cromwell paused.

"Innocent till proven guilty," he finally said and walked away. Noelle stood there in shock. How dare he defy her? How dare he spare Ariana? How dare he set Reed and her aside fir that psycho killer? Reed, on the other hand, continued to sob. Ariana left Reed's room. She knew Noelle had some kind of revenge in store for her. But the moment she reached her room, she saw the door had already been opened. But by who? She saw a note on her blue duvet covers.

"No," she said. There it was, in her handwriting.

For past wrongs a curse you get,

Until Karmic requirements are met;

And shall I prevail in the killings,

I will become ruler of Billings.

But there was a next stanza in this one.

This is a death game,

We must play;

For you to die,

Is the way.

Someone was framing her. Who? Why? Marcus Alberro. Because no one likes a murderer. Because he has the ultimate key to Billings; Reed.

In…two…three

Out…two…three

This was it. She had to kill Marc. No, a voice inside her said. She had made mistakes in the past. She wasn't going to repeat history.

Noelle wondered how she would make Ariana pay; make her regret coming back, She stole a glance at Reed who was sobbing pathetically. Her poor little sister. The first thing to do was to get Ariana shipped off to the asylum.

Ariana combed her long blond hair before lying on her bed, cuddling her storybooks as she let her emotions flow. She was happy that she was back at Easton, and sad because no one accepted her. She was angry with Reed. She was jealous that Reed got all Noelle's trust. She was shocked because she was being framed. She was worried Noelle might do something drastic. The list was endless.

To Ariana, there were many cockroaches around her. Reed and Marc, to name a few. Ariana knew you needed the right kind of pesticides to kill each kind of bug. And this time, Ariana knew there was no hestitating in using it on Reed.