Disclaimer: I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a non-profit writing.

Thanks to: Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, Remember Me. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

Chapter THREE

(ZodiacRain, started 11-12-06)

"Adam, Bryon and Alan," Dawn said.

Mary Anne looked up from the notebook. "Dawn, do you really think that they would have done that? I mean, I know they all dated Kristy, but-"

She looked at Dawn and saw that Dawn was annoyed. It was true that Mary Anne disagreed with all her ideas before she had a chance to defend them, but Mary Anne did doubt it. Dawn's accusations just didn't make sense. "You're jumping to too many conclusions, Dawn," she said. "Besides, why would they kill her?"

"I've got my ideas, Mary Anne," Dawn said, "I know of some possible motives."

"Why, Dawn? Why are we playing detective here?" Mary Anne asked, frustrated.

Dawn sighed. Why were they? Suddenly, that weird dream came back to Dawn. "I guess it was because of this dream I had. In it, Kristy was there… she was asking me to solve the mystery and find out who killed her so she could rest in peace. I… I guess I'm doing it for Kristy's memory…."

The two sat in silence for a little while. Finally, Mary Anne broke the silence, asking, quietly, "Why do you think Byron or Adam or Alan killed her?"

"Well, both Adam and Alan wanted Kristy. Kristy dumped both of them. They could, very easily, have been mad about it," Dawn said, just as quietly. "And Byron… he might have been upset about the family troubles Kristy was causing. I'm not sure…."

Mary Anne wrote down the names and the 'evidence' into the mystery notebook, silently. "Let's go home," Dawn said.

"No," Mary Anne said.

"Huh?"

"I think we should go talk to Adam, Byron and Alan," Mary Anne said. Dawn stared at her as if she was crazy. "You want to find answers, right, Dawn? We'll, we've got to get them! Come on, we're going to Mallory's house!"

Dawn, dumbfounded by Mary Anne's sudden change, followed her. The two were just out of the park, Mary Anne marching ahead triumphantly, when Mary Anne suddenly stopped. Dawn almost collided into her. "What's wrong, Mary Anne?"

Mary Anne was staring, a surprised expression on her face, at the direction of a tree. Dawn followed her gaze and saw Logan making out with Shannon under one of the older trees. Dawn frowned, remembering how Logan had broken up with Mary Anne at his school's prom; Mary Anne was heart broken.

She looked at Mary Anne, worried. Tears were filling Mary Anne's eyes. "Oh, Mary Anne," Dawn said sympathetically. Obviously the emotional wounds Logan gave her were still sore. Mary Anne closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened them again, the tears were fading and her expression was icy cold. "Logan," she said loudly.

Logan pulled away from Shannon. "Oh, hi, Mary Anne," he said with a glance at her. Then he went back to looking at Shannon. Dawn glared at him, anger, like coals, filling her mind. How could he treat Mary Anne like that?

"I thought you were dating Cokie," Mary Anne said icily. Logan looked back at her, as did Shannon.

Shannon responded, "Logan broke up with Cokie. That… girl was far too demanding and only wanted a physical relationship. I'm giving him a better one, one that isn't just physical."

Mary Anne didn't respond to Sharon, still glaring icily at Logan. "Did you hear about Kristy?"

"Kristy, oh, I hate the girl, she dumped me for Alan Gray!" He shook his head.

Dawn gasped. "Logan, you went out with Kristy?" Things were getting more confusing.

"I dare you to say that again," Mary Anne challenged Logan before Logan could respond to Dawn.

"Why, is she listening, or something?" Logan asked jokingly. Dawn and Shannon grimaced. Shannon looked at the ground, a sorrowful expression crossing her face.

"No, she's not, Logan," Shannon said softly.

"How do you know?" Logan asked, his voice also softening.

"Logan, Kristy… Kristy died," Shannon said.

A shocked expression crossed Logan's face. "What? When did this happen?"

"Two days ago," Shannon said. Dawn watched as Logan tried to think up something to say. However, Mary Anne grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

Dawn saw the two talking as they pulled away, and she tried to listen in. But Mary Anne's voice, still cold, broke her concentration. "Logan," she said quietly, but venomously.

"What?" Dawn asked, Mary Anne's tone causing her brain to freeze in fear and shock. She had never heard Mary Anne speak so… cruelly before. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Logan," Mary Anne repeated loudly, "I'm adding him to the suspects. He killed her, I know he did, you can't trust that…. Out of all those boys, he'd be the one to kill her."

Even though her mind was sluggish, Dawn could think of a few protests. Logan was the town player, he wouldn't notice if Kristy broke up with him. And his shock was pretty genuine when he heard about Kristy's death. But she didn't dare say anything out loud, not when Mary Anne was this angry.

"Um, let's go home," Dawn stated after a few minutes of silence, but all plans to go to the Pike's had been forgotten by Mary Anne. When they arrived home, Mary Anne skipped out on dinner, locking herself in her room.

Later, when Dawn went to bed in her room, she couldn't help but sigh. She couldn't fall asleep, with all these thoughts going through her head. The suspects list was growing… there were six people on it, Dawn realized. But the evidence for all of them was extremely tiny. And Kristy was dead.

Dawn still couldn't believe it. "We're missing something," Dawn said silently. Her attempts to find the killer were futile, she realized as sleepiness drifted over her. There were many possibilities they hadn't gone over yet. Who said it was just one person, or that everyone they talked to was truthful?

What if, Dawn thought silently, they were all conspiring together? What if all the former members of the baby sitters club, and the Pikes and even her parents… what if they had all planned it out? Nonsense, she thought to herself. What would be the motivation?

Mind heavy, Dawn finally fell asleep.

I'm drifting, I realize. Throughout the day, I saw things in waves. One second, the police are investigating the kitchen. Why are they there? Is that where… I died?

The next, Dawn is home. And now, she's asleep.

I need to get her to see me. No one else can even feel my presence. Mrs. and Mr. Schafer didn't move a muscle when I floated towards them, and neither did Mary Anne. But I can't communicate just by sending her shivers.

"A séance," I gasp. That's it! If I can tell her to host a séance, then she'll be able to help me. I've decided I need to move on to the next realm. I don't want to stay here, drifting in and out of consciousness, forever. I know there is a next realm, but why can't I move on?

The second I think the thought, the answer comes to me. I need to find out who killed me and how I died. I would have moved on, I realize if I hadn't sent that message to Dawn in her dreams. Now I'm stuck here until the question is answered.

But the question will be answered, I know it. I just need to get Dawn's help.

"Dawn! Wake up Dawn! Come on, I know you can't hear me, but you can feel my presence, right? Right? DAWN!"

Yes! Dawn's waking up. I've got to focus all my energy… if I focus all my energy, she'll hear me. My mind wraps around the three words….