DISCLAIMER: I admit that I do not, and never will, own Private. And under Act . of the International Copyright Law, I am virtually un-suable.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the views/ reviews. Anyway, I'm on a little break for now because my finals are coming up in about 3 weeks and also, I recently finished my writing pad. So... hope you enjoy the fic.

Ariana wondered if coming back to Easton was the right thing to do. Everyone hated her. Even the freshmen knew of Thomas's murder. Thanks to Reed, everyone thought her a murderous psychopath. She was nineteen; and so was Noelle. All this wasn't necessary. Had that Glass-Licker stayed at Pennsylvania where she belonged, this would have never happened. Billings's age regulations would not have been warped and disgraced this way. Noelle wouldn't have had to go through the probation or that trial. They would have all been able to finish their education the normal way, not like this. Reed had changed their lives; she broke them apart. Kiran, Taylor, Noelle and Ariana were slowly growing distant, thanks to Reed.

And now, Noelle was out to destroy her. They had the perfect lives, the perfect education. It only took one Hurricane Reed to distort their lives, without them even knowing it. You never know what someone is capable of until they are pushed off the edge.

In…two…three

Out…two…three

In…two…three

OUT…TWO…THREE

IN…TWO…THREE

OUT…TWO…THREE

IN…TWO…THREE

OUT…TWO…THREE

IN…TWO—

"Would you stop already? I'm trying to sleep here, woman!" Cheyenne snapped. Ariana's intense breathing came to an end. It was 4 a.m. Soon, she drifted off into a troubled sleep.

There Reed was, a smirk etched upon her face. A smirk of content without the slightest trace of compassion in it. Noelle was there. So was Cheyenne. Ivy. Everyone else. They all looked at her; accusingly, disgusted and shocked. Reed lay unconscious, but not dead, on the floor, Ariana's red finger marks around her neck. Noelle was crying. Cheyenne was in shock. Ivy was quiet. Constance stopped her 24/7 flow of words. Reed lay unconscious, but smirking, as though mocking Ariana.

"Why?" Noelle asked helplessly, in a atone that made Ariana shudder. Her eyes were bleary and red. In the dark background, Ariana saw Marc smiling. Not his usual warm smile but somehow a frigid and cruel one. As if he knew. About everything; And was making Ariana pay. And now every Billings girl was looking at her.

'Marc… It was him… He made me do this...' Ariana tried to say but no words came out.

This was no dream. It was a total nightmare. And without knowing it herself, Ariana screamed. She woke up. It was 5 a.m. Cheyenne was looking at her in a most annoyed way.

"What does it take to get some sleep around here?" Cheyenne snapped.

"Sorry," Ariana finally managed to mutter.

At breakfast, no one spoke to Ariana. They only spoke about her. There were things like 'How can they let that murderer back?', 'Look at her evil, staring eyes', 'I heard she's stalking Reed', and 'What if she kills us next?'

Noelle, her usual nonchalant self, said nothing and began to talk to her other friends. "It has to be Ariana. She's taking revenge on Reed,"

Take revenge on Reed, her foot. Wait… how is vandalizing Reed's room even considered revenge? The only thing that could possibly atone for Reed's crime was death. Noelle gave Ariana a quick, spiteful look before continuing to talk to her friends. It was probably the same look that scared Cheyenne out of being President. Ariana watched Reed closely. What was that in Reed's hair? No, it wasn't a squashed bug as Ariana had hoped. But one strand, just one strand stood out. It was a bright red tip on a strand of red hair. The tip was so small, so slight that it was almost impossible to detect. Only Ariana's keen eyes would be able to detect this.

Then it was her! And Alberro helped. Damn him. Damn her. How could Noelle be so blind? Everything happens for a reason, like Noelle said. And now that reason was Reed. It had to be. Ariana knew exactly what Reed's plan was. Ariana would die, after Reed had framed her. Like the note said:

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.

This is a death game,

We must play,

For you to die,

Is the way.

Yes, It had to be. Reed was going to kill Ariana. The vicious wretch who killed her own boyfriend was after his ex. Reed was going to kill Ariana. But how would she rule Billings that way? Then it hit Ariana.

"You sure? This all seems so wrong," Reed said. Cheyenne smirked.

"At least I'll get some sleep," she said. "So are you okay with Phase One?"

Reed hesitated. "I don't know… It's just so… wrong,"

"Are you sure you're a Billings girl?" Cheyenne asked, arching a perfect eyebrow, casting Reed in a shadow of doubt. Reed's face hardened, with a sneer to complete it.

"Prepare Phase One," she said. Cheyenne and two others nodded, but their faces were concealed by the shadows.

"Looks like old enemies are one," Cheyenne said, shaking hands with one of the shadowed.

"It's for a good cause after all," the voice said in a low tone. Slowly… the four approached Ariana's room… and took something out… and put something else in. The four separated, with Reed clutching the stolen item.

Reed held the fleur-de-lis tightly in her right palm. It reminded her of when she and Ariana were friends. Before Ariana betrayed her. Before Ariana led the others to kill Thomas. Reed knew it was Ariana's idea. Not Noelle's. They were only saying that. She remembered the time Ariana told Noelle off for calling her a mean name. How her voice had this calming effect on her. Then, she recalled the time Ariana went to save Thomas from her own scheme that October. The thought of it made Reed's blood boil. Ariana had made her kill Thomas.

The cold metal was warming up in Reed's clutch. Reed had made up her mind. She would do what she had to. She went on and joined Noelle.

"So, glass-licker, what's up?" Noelle asked.

"Nothing," Reed said, as she quickly pocketed the fleur-de-lis, as if to prevent Noelle from seeing it. Just then, someone burst into the room in a desperate way.

Ariana had to tell Noelle. Had to. Warn her. Ariana burst into the room, panting heavily. Both Noelle and Reed stared at her.

"Noelle. We… need to talk. In... private," Ariana said, gasping for air. She definitely was no athlete.

"Excuse us," Noelle told Reed, signaling for Reed to leave the room. Reed left without a word.

"Noelle, Reed is going to kill you,"

"Yeah right," Noelle scoffed. "You're the murderer,"

"You're no better," Ariana accused.

"I only do what I have to," Noelle said in defense of herself.

"You can't trust her," Ariana said. Despite her best efforts, Noelle refused to believe her. In the end she gave up but told Noelle to be careful. Reed went back into the room and glared as Ariana walked past. She hated Ariana, and Ariana hated her back.

"Reed Brennan, you're a stuck up, good for nothing, two faced, wretched, blackmailing, boyfriend killing, backstabbing witch," Ariana muttered under her breath. She went to her room and gripped the forged note so tightly that it got all crumpled. Ariana felt a sudden emptiness in her. Then she realized the cause of all this. Her fleur-de-lis was gone! But who? Who was so perfectly wretched? Marc? Reed? Ariana grabbed her bag. She had a test coming up. She would think about all this later.

Ariana placed her bag at the side of her table. She glanced at the paper, and found it exceptionally easy, and finished it in about five minutes. Suddenly, Noelle walked over, and tripped on Ariana's bag, Everyone gasped. Some at Noelle, some at Ariana. Ariana wondered why everyone was staring at her as with Noelle's help she gathered her belongings. That was when she caught sight of that. Crib sheets. That came from her bag. The teacher cleared his throat, and Ariana knew what this meant.

"What? But— but I didn't…" Ariana began but he ignored her. Her eyes darted around, practically imploring for someone to believe her. The crib sheets were confiscated, as was her test paper. She stared at the crib sheets on the teacher's table. They reminded her of so much. Reed had to steal crib sheets for her once. They used crib sheets to get Leanne expelled. That was what they were doing now. Reed and the others were getting her expelled. Ariana wondered if Noelle knew of her little sister's treachery. It just wasn't fair. Reed stole Ariana's life. She stole Ariana's best friend; her Billings sister. Reed was nothing but a twisted temptress who got lucky.

Ariana was sent to Cromwell's office after that. Unlike Noelle, Ariana knocked before entering.

"At least one of you Billings girls know how to knock," Cromwell said as Ariana took seat. She looked Cromwell in the eye. Under the table she got a voice recorder handy. She was going to do what she had to.

"And as demonstrated by your friend Leanne last year, I'm sure you're well aware that cheaters are expelled from Easton?" Cromwell said. Ariana didn't answer. Instead she deliberately stared at Cromwell's food container. She made it so obvious, that even Cromwell noticed. Cromwell went red with embarrassment, because he had so often announced of his being capable of eating at posh restaurants every night without being halfway near bankruptcy.

"As I was saying, such actions…" Cromwell began but stopped when he saw Ariana fishing for something in her bag. As she continued to delve for something, he kept his mouth shut and watched.

"How much do you need?" Ariana asked, placing her checkbook on the table. "1K?"

"Make it 5 and we have a deal," Cromwell said. And just like that, Ariana was spared, and she rushed off to her next class, where Noelle seemed surprised at her return.

As she always did when she was lost, confused or upset, Ariana wrote.

In a clandestine room,

I take out my knife,

I thrust it forward,

And end your life.

Ariana smiled as she imagined herself stabbing Reed, She could almost feel the scholarship girl's blood trickling down her arms. That lovely, warm blood. Reed's eyes looking as if they would pop out any moment. Ariana lived for that moment. But all it was now was a dream. A delightful, idyllic, indelible dream. Noelle, who was sitting beside Ariana saw the poem and rolled her eyes.

Back in her room, Ariana tossed the poem into the bin. Stupid poem. She took out her voice recorder and pressed the play button.

How much do you need? Ariana's own voice, followed by the tap the checkbook made when it hit the table. 1K?

Make it five and we have a deal. Cromwell. The fluttering of the checkbook's pages being turned, written on and torn out.

Ariana smiled, proud of herself for having used such a sneaky tactic to obtain the right part of their conversation to blackmail Cromwell with, in case he got in the way later.

This was the life of a true Billings girl. Do what you have to, to lead your sisters to the right path. That was what Ariana had to do. She had to prove Reed killed Thomas.