"Hey, Jennie," I smile as I see her across the large hallway, heading toward me. She smiles back and waves before shutting her locker and turning to face me. "How are you?"

"Hey, Gwen," Jennie says. "Ex-hau-sted. And we have three more tests this week, plus an essay? Kill me now."

"I know, right? But think that it could always be worse, like the start of the year," I offer, trying to comfort her, though I doubt it'll work that well.

"Oh, don't remind me. And just wait, the end of the year will be much worse." Jennie rolls her eyes and flips her hair to the side. "At least we have the parties to keep us going."

I can't really relate since I don't attend any parties, but I see her point. They are technically a much-needed break from all the pressure and stress—the teachers are definitely not cutting us any slack this year. I know Bellwood High has high standards and expectations, but it has been a bit overwhelming.

"I wanted to ask if you've heard anything unusual about some girls at school." I place my hands to my side, trying to think how to word it without causing rumors and possible panic to spread. "Apparently, some haven't shown up to school for a while now—I found out yesterday, but I wanted to check with you as well."

Jennie shakes her head, her shiny black hair swaying to the side. "No, nothing like that," she continues, pressing a finger to her lips in thought. "Maybe Dawn? It's weird for her to miss school, especially for like a week straight now. Totally unlike her. But I remember she did it once last year when she had her appendix removed."

I nod and take note of that. Dawn Johnson. We only have one class together, and I can't remember the last time I talked to her. We definitely need to look into that.

"Why are you asking?" Jennie asks. "You said 'girls.' Does that mean more than just Dawn hasn't shown up?"

"I…" I pause. "I'm not sure. I'm just trying to confirm some rumors I heard."

Jennie doesn't seem so convinced by this, but she doesn't comment further. Okay, she is definitely going to talk to other people after this.

"If I hear anything, you'll be the first to get a text," she says. "Anyway, I need to go to cheer practice now. See you later."

I watch as she walks away and disappears into the school hallway and towards the gym room. Alright, so Dawn could be one of the girls currently missing. That definitely isn't good. I wonder if Michael knows about it or if he has yet to find out? And what about her family?

I'm surprised, however, that this has been going on for a month straight yet rumors aren't spreading like crazy. I wouldn't put it past the school to try and cover some things up, of course. But the students? I make another mental note to ask Michael how exactly he 'covered things up' to not spread panic.

I adjust the straps of my schoolbag and decide to head further inside, maybe even find Kevin and see what he has found out. I frown at the thought of facing Kevin, but I try not to ponder on it too much.

As I turn into another hallway that leads to all of our classes, I catch a glimpse of Kevin. I smile at the sight of him in the usual Bellwood High uniform; his shirt isn't tucked in, and the sleeves of his shirt are pulled up, revealing his muscular arms. I look at him for a moment, and a smile spreads on his face. That's when I notice he is talking to a girl who is twirling a lock of her hair around her fingers and moving closer to him. He throws his head back, and the girl blushes. I tighten my fists and feel my heart beat faster.

Kevin turns his head to look at me, and his features soften. He looks unsure for a moment, until he waves the girl in front of him off. I sigh and walk up to him, not in a good mood.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," I continue, clearing my throat. "Did you find anything useful?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, actually. That girl was just telling me about some 'Dawn' who was acting all weird for a while. Like always phasing off, being ill, and having weird marks on her arms kind of weird."

My eyes widen for a moment, but I quickly recover.

"My friend said she hasn't shown up at school for a week now," I say. "Maybe we need to ask Michael about it."

Kevin mutters something under his breath and looks to the side. "Yeah, right."

"I'll text him; he said he'll meet us after school."

We exit the school together, but Kevin doesn't utter a word. I know he doesn't like Michael being around, but he'll have to put up with it; we need him in this. I look down at my phone as a notification from "Michael" pops up.

Something came up, sorry. I'm waiting for you at my place.

On our way, I text back.

"He's waiting for us at his house," I say.

We enter Kevin's car, and he starts driving but still refuses to speak. I hiss and clench my eyes shut as a strong headache throbs against my skull. I rub my temples and take a deep breath.

"Is it Amperon again?" Kevin asks, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"No, I don't think so," I say as I shake my head. "This is something else."

After a moment of silence (another one of Kevin's silent treatments), and me trying to control my pain, Kevin speaks out, "Maybe I should drive you home if you're not feeling well. We can meet with the preppy guy tomorrow. It's not like he'll mind."

A tempting offer. I would give everything to lie down on my soft mattress right now because the headache continues to throb and push against my scalp. But I know the disappearance of innocent girls, some of them my friends, is more important than my temporary comfort.

"No, it's fine. It's already going away."

I can tell Kevin isn't convinced. Sometimes I hate that he can see right through me and tell I'm lying. But after a few minutes, we reach the front of Michael's house, and the subject is dropped. Kevin parks the car to the side, and we both exit. We reach the front door, and I raise my hand to gently knock.

The door opens not long after, and Michael's smiling face appears. I smile back at him, and he gently touches my wrist. It's unexpected. That bolt of electricity I felt last time happens again, and a tingly feeling surrounds the area he's touching me, but I don't question it further. It happened last time as well. All I know is that I feel an overwhelming calmness at this moment, and I quickly look at Michael.

"Please, come in," he says. "I think I have some new developments."

"We do too," I say.

Michael pulls me inside the house, his hand still tugging on my wrist, and I walk beside him with Kevin not that far behind us. Kevin's gaze falls on Michael's hand, and I can tell it's taking everything in him not to speak up. He makes eye contact with me but then quickly turns his head to the side, almost in anger. My headache continues to intensify, pushing further into my scalp, but I ignore it.

"I think another girl has gone missing. I found some weird activity and suspected one of the cameras had its footage tampered with." Michael continues, pulling me slightly closer to him and tugging on my wrist a tad tighter. "But I was able to recover it."

"What a surprise," Kevin sarcastically says as we step into Michael's camera room.

"We asked a few people around school today," I say, "and I heard a student hasn't been at school for a week now. They also said she was acting out of character before. We're planning on asking her parents. Can we see the footage?"

Michael lets go of my wrist, and numbness takes over. He walks over to his system, typing something on the keyboard. "Of course."

He points at the screen as the footage starts playing. It's grainy and filled with static, but it's because it's nighttime. The street seems empty, with no one walking or moving around, but it's at the end of the town, which is usually more deserted than the rest. The street remains calm and quiet for a moment, until a girl finally appears. Her clothes are ragged and ripped in places, and her steps are uneven, and she looks like she is struggling to keep herself standing.

Her limbs start shaking, and she turns her head behind her every few seconds, almost as if she is running away from someone. Or something. She looks down at her arms, which are covered in bruises and bite marks, and she tries pulling her sleeves further down. But in the process, she falls to the ground and scrapes her knees. It takes everything in me not to look away, knowing that every second matters. But the sight is so upsetting and hard to bear.

The girl's hands touch her face, and her shoulders start shaking. I know she is crying. Whatever happened to her has clearly messed with her mentally as well. She remains like that for what seems like hours, but then the camera starts shaking. In the blink of an eye, the girl disappears, and only droplets of blood from her scraped knees remain on the ground, the only indication she was there to begin with.

The clip stops, and Michael turns to face both of us.

"What the hell happened to her?" Kevin asks. "That was from a week ago?"

"A few days ago, actually. I haven't been to the scene yet; I was waiting for you," Michael says.

"I think we should go right now." My voice is deeper, and I feel more determined than before. "I know her. And we need to find out what happened to her—maybe she left something by accident, and I can try tracking her down."

"I know the way," Michael says.

All three of us exit the building in a rush. Kevin and I walk up to the car, while Michael stands on the side of the road.

"Follow me," Michael says. His eyes glow a bright yellow, and his body floats off into the sky, moving in the direction of the crime.

Kevin touches my shoulder. A calmness takes over me right away, the headache minimizing. His aura has a comforting effect, and I just wish he would do that more. "Hey, are you okay?" Kevin asks.

I look at him for a second longer, then I drift my gaze to the side. "It just doesn't make any sense. No one has seen or heard anything, yet her clothes were ripped, and she was covered with bruises. Bruises," I emphasize. "Who could even do something like that?"

"I'm not sure," he says. "But I have a really bad feeling about all of this. And the preppy guy."

"You suspect Michael?" I ask, my eyebrows raising, yet not totally surprised.

"Yep. He coincidentally finds the footage because he has cameras all over town—which is suspicious as hell to begin with—stops the police from investigating, and suddenly has all the solutions to our problems?" Kevin looks at me as if he wants me to agree. "Don't you think that's a bit suspicious?"

"Then why would he be pushing for us to investigate?"

He places a hand on his jaw as if deep in thought. "That part, I'm still trying to figure out."

"Uh-huh," I say. "I know you don't like Michael, but it's a reach even for you."

"Yeah, whatever." Kevin parks his car at the side of the road, just opposite where Michael is. "You would see it too if you weren't so busy drooling over him."

"Drooling over him?" I exit the car, and Kevin slams his car door.

"His name is Michael," Kevin mimics my voice, placing a hand on his chest. "And let's not forget the goo-goo eyes you keep giving him."

"I'm not—" I interrupt myself, almost chuckling in disbelief. "And what about you, then? Weren't you flirting with—"

"Over here," Michael yells, interrupting us.

I snap my mouth shut, avoiding looking at Kevin. He doesn't say anything either. We cross the street and step closer to Michael, who is standing on the pavement near the road. The place is isolated, quiet, and eerie. There are no shops around, just a few apartment blocks and some abandoned buildings that are half-destroyed, including a factory on the further side of the road, away from the lights. The only indication of civilization is the cars passing by every ten minutes or so, and even those are far too sparse. It's not a good area, that's for sure.

"I think this is where a lot of the other girls went missing," Michael says.

"Not surprising. The place is completely isolated; if someone wanted to do something like that, this would be the perfect place," I say. "You said it was a few days ago?"

"Yes. But it doesn't make any sense why someone would tamper with this footage in particular," Michael mumbles quietly, yet still loud enough for me and Kevin to hear.

"Maybe we should look around and see if we can find something?"

I make brief eye contact with Kevin, but he simply turns his head away.

"I'll look this way," Kevin says. He starts walking away without another word. He heads towards the fields next to the road that are bathed in complete darkness.

He pulls his phone out and uses the flashlight before moving forward. I raise my eyebrows and frown. I know his anger runs deeper than his suspicion of Michael. I feel slightly guilty, and in a way, I understand him. But on the other hand, he is definitely overreacting, and his suspicion is more because of his dislike of Michael than anything else.

"I'll look this way," Michael points. "At the abandoned buildings. But I could use some help."

I offer a smile. "Alright, let's look there."

We walk to the other side, the opposite direction of where Kevin is. He turns to stare at me, and I look at him back, but he quickly looks away once again. I sigh. We head to the other side of the road, where a building with busted windows and a hole in the wall with graffiti is located. It looks as if it can collapse at any moment, what with the rubble all around it.

"Your friend doesn't like me that much," Michael notes as we continue walking ahead.

"Kevin? Oh, don't mind him, I'm sure you'll grow on him. He's just…suspicious of people." It isn't exactly true. I doubt Kevin will ever end up liking Michael—well, if we are to keep in touch with Michael, that is.

"I understand," Michael says. "I tend to be the same, especially when it involves my close friends. I just hope it doesn't hinder his ability to work with me."

We reach closer to the abandoned building, and I step forward first, squeezing through the tight hole. I'm not sure what we're exactly looking for here; maybe it would be better if we went to the residential buildings first. But then again, you never know.

"Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much. Kevin understands that it's serious and—"

"Watch out!"

Before I can even process his words, a hand touches my forearm and pulls me to the side. I land straight into Michael's chest, and I look back, noticing that a metal pole has collapsed right where I was just seconds ago. That tingly feeling flows through my body again, this time more intense, and Michael turns me around so my body is directly facing his.

"Are you all right?"

"Uh, yes," I quickly say. "Thanks."

"Please, it's okay. I'm just glad you're not hurt." He smiles at me, and I smile back, my mind growing fuzzy despite my returning headache.

"I didn't see it coming."

The metal pole has collapsed right at the entrance. There is still a large enough gap for both of us to enter the building, though I know it's unsafe. Michael releases his hold on me and moves to the entrance, entering the building. I follow behind him, very cautiously and on the lookout for anything, but I'm soon distracted by a putrid odor that covers the whole building. It's horrible. Suffocating. It's like the smell of death intensified ten times over. Michael must have smelled it too because he also covers his nose with his hand.

Once we're properly inside, I see a weird-shaped item in the back. It looks like a person, but it can easily be a shadow from the falling debris. I move closer to it, but the smell also intensifies. I can smell it through my covered nose, and I cough as my eyes water. Once I'm close enough to it, my eyes widen.

I hold my hands against my mouth in shock. No, it's not a shadow. It's a corpse. There is a lifeless body against the wall, with flies, ants, and different insects all around it. It's Dawn. I freeze and forget how to breathe. Her skin is hollow and a sickly gray color. Her eyes are void of any life, but she has the darkest bags under her eyes. And the rest of her body. Oh, God. It's so much worse up close. Scratches and bruises around her neck, her wrists, her upper arms, even her legs. Bite marks everywhere, including below her collarbone, and blood all over her uniform.

"No," I whisper.

A strange weakness comes over me, and numbness flows throughout my whole body. This is real. It isn't a dream—well, a nightmare. This is right in front of me.

"Hey, any luck here? I couldn't find—" Kevin says, but stops once he takes a good look at both of us. "What happened?"

I turn to look at him with teary eyes. I don't want him to see it; I don't want him to carry any more burdens. I instinctively turn my gaze back to Dawn's body, and Kevin follows it.

"Is that—"

"The missing girl," Michael confirms. He reaches closer to me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders. I would appreciate it, but it only leaves me confused and dizzy again. "Are you all right? Maybe you should step outside for a moment."

I don't respond, and Michael lets go. Kevin steps closer to me until his body is between Dawn's body and mine, forcing me to snap out of it. His eyebrows are furrowed, but he seems genuinely concerned.

"We will need to tell her mom," I say as I turn to look at the dirty floor. "If anyone else sees the state of her body…oh, god."

Kevin steps closer to me. "I'll deal with it if needed, okay? No one will see the body."

I turn to look at him again. I'm glad for that. His words bring me comfort, and I feel as if I can breathe, even for a moment.

"Do you think Amperon could have done this? Like with Denise?"

Kevin shakes his head. "No. It doesn't look like something he would do. He is more of the 'clean kill' type, and this is… not it."

I nod. Kevin is right. He has to be. This looks nothing like Amperon's job. This is far too different. Animalistic. Whoever did this is sadistic and enjoyed doing it, that much is obvious. I shiver just at the thought. And besides, Amperon has no motive to go after Dawn or any other girls, not if it won't further his plans. And I don't see how this will.

Michael, who has let go of me for over a minute now, clears his throat. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asks me. "We can go back to my place, so you can rest and—"

"She's fine," Kevin quickly says, interrupting Michael.

I straighten my back and raise my head. "Yeah—Yeah, I'm fine now."

Although Kevin isn't convinced (and neither is Michael), they don't comment further. There are more pressing matters.

"We should go back to my place and figure things out regardless. Maybe footage from another area will show something," Michael says. "We need to get to the bottom of this."

"We?" Kevin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We should work together if we want to find out what truly happened. I hope you two will join me as a team," Michael says, but he's only looking at me.

I nod and extend my hand forward, but Kevin places his hand on my wrist to stop me.

"Thanks for the offer, but we don't do the whole 'team' thing. Duo works fine," Kevin says.

I press my eyebrows together. No. I know Michael can help us. "Duo only works if we know where to look. Which we don't." I extend my hand again and shake Michael's hand. "We'll join you."

"Great," he says. "Let's go to my place."

Michael turns and walks out of the building. I'm about to follow behind him, but Kevin stops me.

"We can't join him," he says in a deeper-than-usual voice.

"Speak for yourself," I say. "Michael can help us—he knows what he's doing. I'm going."

He runs his hands through his hair in obvious frustration.

"Okay, fine. I'm coming," he says. "But don't meet the guy alone, okay?"

I hold my tongue from asking, 'Why do you care?' Because honestly, it doesn't seem like genuine concern to me.