Popular In Life and Death

Summary
In the first chapter of the first installment of the Secrets And Lies series, the readers meet the core characters of the story. Alex VanLinor, Rachel Watson, Anna Romano, Laura Davidson, and Gabriella Moody. After their ringleader's mysterious disappearance, the girls are left without a clue. But when something big happens, there entire world is turned upside down.

Chapter
' Prologue '

Every town has that perfect person. The one with the perfect grades, the perfect body, the perfect looks, the perfect family, everything. Most of them live their entire lives in the lap of luxury with everything already planned before they’re even born. But what if not all of them made it to adulthood?

What if not all of them made it past 15?

It had been a dark and rainy night on September 1st,2012 in Briarwood, Pennsylvania. It was the last weekend until school started back up and the four girls and Alex were going into their sophomore year of high school finally. It was supposed to be the best years of their lives. Years that one of them would miss. ..

They had all been hanging out in the mother-in-law house that resided in Rachel Swan’s back yard. Of course, Alex had snuck a bottle of vodka from his parent’s liquor cabinet. They had passed it around, everybody taking a swig (though Rachel was the hardest to convince, being as she was the Virgin Mary of the group).

Some ridiculous Bruno Mars song was blasting in the background as the group all laughed about some stupid video Gabriella had found. For them this was just another night. Nothing special. Little did they know that soon it would be the anniversary of somebody’s death.

Let’s meet everybody. We have Gabriella Moody. The least popular girl in the clique. The least noticed, the one that isn’t as attractive as the others, isn’t that skinny or fit, just another dog Alex liked to carry around on a leash. They were his pets, there to serve him and only him. And Gabriella was the most fun to play with.

Next we have Rachel Watson. God, she’d probably count out a billion dollars in pennies if Alex asked her to. She had her brave moments but those were quickly shot down by Alex if he didn’t like it. And if he did like it, well she survived for the day.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Next we have Anna Romano. Future World Cup winner for whatever Soccer league she goes in to. The perfect fit body from all of the exercise, and gorgeous looks to top it off. Her and Alex became friends first so most people see her as being his favorite. They all knew Alex had a favorite and they all thrived to be his favorite especially Anna but he would never tell them who it was. She’s like him in ways except she’s not a total bitch. She’s independent and works hard to keep her social status and keeps her career set out for her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The last of the four girls. Laura Davidson. Let’s put it this way. She’s Gold when it comes to popularity. Almost the top of all of her classes, great career set out for her as a writer, Vice President of Student Government, and with a rich family. Now next to Alex, she’s just something laying there to cast a shadow. She’s gold but he’s platinum, she’s almost at the top of all of her classes, he is at the top, she has a great career set out for her, he could live his life without working a day, She’s the VP, he’s the President, she’s rich, he’s richer. It’s a constant competition between the two. She begins doing Yoga, he’s been doing it for a month now. She gets a 90 on the Math Final, he got a 110. But at least she has the Dolce & Gabbana leash out of all of the other girls.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Lastly, Alex. Alex VanLinor is #1 at everything. President of Student Government, top of his class, so rich that he throws out Prada like its newspaper. Healthier than a horse, more fit than Anna, and absolutely brilliant. And popular. The people at high school practically worship the ground he walks on. Laura despises him but she’s maintaining being #2 popularity-wise by being in the clique. He’s perfect but there’s one downside. He’s a total bitch. A complete bully. But everybody puts up with it because they feel like it’s an honor for him to even breathe the same air as them. He even has special nicknames for people. Like Four-Eyed Allison and Ugly Gabby.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Well, somebody got sick of Alex and his constant bullying and on August 13th, 2012, they decided they were going to act on those.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">These girls all have something to hide. Especially after Alex disappeared. How do I know? Well that’s a secret I’ll never tell. - A

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">' Chapter 1, Popular in Life and Death '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">It’s been four days since Alex has gone missing. All of the girls are at a loss as to what they should do. This was their ringleader, ruthless and cruel as he was, he was still their ringleader. Anna thinks this is just another stunt of his, he loved to toy with people. Laura simply seems like she doesn’t care. They never did have the best friendship and everyone knows that. Gabriella pretends to be remorseful about it but on the inside she feels relieved. Rachel hasn’t talked since she heard the word Missing escape one of the officer’s mouth. Somehow, Rachel saw underneath all of the cruelty and bitchiness that was Alex Mills. She saw all of the good (and there wasn’t much) in him. The good that was buried deep. Like really damn deep.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">On the fifth day of his disappearance the girls were taken into questioning. They would have been taken in the second day but the parents asked for a few days for the girls to let it soak in since they were so close to him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Hello girls, I’m Detective Marlin and I’d like to ask you about a few questions about your friend Alex’s disappearance.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The officer seemed like he spent most of his time in a gym. He was well built, tall, and had a deep tan. He was rather attractive but not even Laura was thinking about that. They were all still in shock in one form or another. Rachel’s thought process had turned to slush. All she could think of was ''Where is Alex? ''Laura was silently praying that wherever he was he was safe but would stay gone. Anna wanted her friend to come back. Gabriella wasn’t sure how she felt. She was absolutely conflicted. It was like she was on a rollercoaster that was stuck at the top and she was just waiting for the second when it would all come crashing down. The girls had been dismissed from the first week back of school except for Laura and Anna. Laura had to keep herself at the top no matter what was going on in her life and Anna needed to be able to maintain good grades to stay in soccer.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Death.” Laura stated firmly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Excuse me?” Detective Marlin asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Death. Alex isn’t missing. He’s dead. He’s too smart to get kidnapped and too much of a spotlight whore to leave the attention for any amount of time.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Rachel could barely process everything Laura said. She could only comprehend the word Alex. Gabriella and Anna were in awe that Laura had said that. They both knew for a fact that when Alex got back he would find out somehow and she would be out of the group. They both loved Laura and would be sad to see her go but they couldn’t say anything or they’d be walking out behind her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Well Ms. Davidson, we don’t have a body or any sufficient evidence to prove that he’s deceased so until then this is still a missing person’s case. So any further comments like that from you will result in you getting a solo interrogation.” Detective Marlin said with a smirk as he saw the aggravated look on Laura’s face.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Anyways. We have to question all of you about what happened the night that Alex disappeared. You will get your turns to tell the story from your point of view and there will be no interruptions from any of you while one of you talks.” He looked at Laura at that last part.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Who wants to go first?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">None of the girls raised their hands or spoke up.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“How about you Gabriella? What do you remember from that night?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Gabriella shifted uncomfortably in her chair and then began to speak.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“I was never with Alex that day until the sleepover at Rachel’s House. I remember going there and I heard him talking to someone in the Mother-In-Law house that Rachel’s grandma lives in but when I got there he was alone.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The detective was scribbling down something very fast onto a notepad as he paid close attention to what Gabriella was saying.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“I was probably just imagining it though.” She hastily said realizing that if Alex found out she had heard him up to something he’d be pissed at her for eavesdropping. “Well anyways after that I just went inside and waited for the other girls. That’s all I remember.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">They all knew she was lying. Something had happened that night that she didn’t want anyone to know. Detective Marlin raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at her. He wrote down some notes that seemed pretty small compared to what she said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Anna, you next. I need everything that happened that involved Alex on that night. It could really help the case we’re building. If you guys gave us the full honest truth today we could probably get a lead twice as fast.” At the word truth he glared at Gabriella. He knew damn well that she was lying.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Alex and I played a few games of soccer. He said that I needed to win the upcoming game because he couldn’t have a loser ruining his reputation.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“It seemed like he bullied you guys a lot.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“We’re used to it. Were used to it.” Anna said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Well then, proceed with your story Anna.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“While we were playing soccer he had gotten a call. When he looked at his phone screen I saw something I had never seen before. He was scared.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">A heavy silence fell upon the entire room as the girls let that sink in and Detective Marlin began writing down something that was a lot longer than what Anna had said. Anna cleared her throat and broke the silence.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“After he took the call and walked away, I went back inside my house to get us some water and when I came out he was gone. I looked for him a bit and called him a few times but I eventually gave up and went inside to take a shower. Then I didn’t see him until we all got together for the sleepover.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Thank you Anna. If you and Gabriella want, you can leave.” Detective Marlin said after ripping out his second page of notes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“No, we’re staying right here.” Anna said and Gabriella just mmhm-ed in agreement.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Very well then. Laura, you next.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Well, my day started out normally, I woke up, did my make-up, brushed my hair and braided it, got dressed, and brushed my teeth, then grabbed an apple and a protein shake and drove to school. I went to my first peri-”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“No Laura, not your day. Your interactions with Alex that day.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She let out a heavy sigh indicating that she wanted nothing more than to stop talking about Alex. He wasn’t even here and he was getting more attention than the sneezing panda.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Alex and I got our school schedules together that day. We have 3rd period chemistry and 7th period Gym together this year. After we got our schedules we went our separate ways and I next saw him when we went jogging together. I had my earphones in and about halfway in I looked up and saw that he was gone, and there was only a lingering scent of his cologne like he had left recently. And like the other girls I hadn’t seen him again until the sleepover.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">He had written down less than half of what he had written for Anna and Gabriella. Like he didn’t really care what she had to say. Anna, Gabriella, and Rachel couldn’t really blame him, she seemed (and mostly was) a stuck up, self-centered person, who couldn’t care less about Alex and his wellbeing. Which was true for the most part,

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Lastly, Rachel. Recount the events that occurred between you and Alex that day.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Rachel looked up and stared the detective in the eyes. She looked so broken. Like she didn’t know what to do and she kept muttering the same word; “Missing”.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Rachel, if you want us to get a lead on Alex’s disappearance you’re going to need to tell us everything that happened with you and Alex that day.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Rachel just stared blankly off into the distance like she didn’t know what to say. Or couldn’t say anything.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“She hasn’t fully spoken since Alex disappeared. Don’t expect to get anything out of her.” Gabriella said, her sentence coming out harsher than planned.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Well then, I’m going to take this information back to the station, if Rachel decides to speak up call the station and I’ll be down to interview her. Alone.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Gabriella slowly walked into her house. She felt sort of exhausted after the interview. Like she was emotionally drained.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“What did they call you in for?” Her mom had been waiting at the door for her when she got home.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“They were questioning us about Alex. When we had seen him throughout the day, if we knew anything about his disappearance. That kind of stuff.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Do you want to talk about it?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“No, I just had to talk about it for two hours the only thing I want to talk about is my bed. Goodnight”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“It’s 2 in the afternoon.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She giggled at her mom’s confusion and continued to walk up the stairs and into her bedroom. She quickly changed into some pajamas and sunk into her bed. Just as she was drifting into sleep, her phone went off. ''Beep beep. ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She unlocked her phone and saw that she had a new message.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">Night Night, don’t let your lies bite. -A '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Those past two hours had been severely frustrating, stressful, and emotionally exhausting. Anna needed to clear her head. And she only knew one way to do that. Run. She put on a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra when she got home, jammed her earphones in, put her playlist on shuffle, and took off not knowing where she was going or if she was coming back. She was blindly running she was feeling a flurry of emotions. She was angry, sad, lonely, frustrated, and confused. Where was Alex? Why isn’t he home yet? She just didn’t understand.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She felt like the whole world was standing still while she was spinning rapidly. She never realized it before but without Alex she was absolutely lost. He kept her motivated to do sports, he was actually the reason she got into sports. Even when they were 5 years old he was still in control. He made her get in his backyard and kick around that soccer ball until her leg muscles gave out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">He was stronger than all of them combined. He truly was the glue that held them together. Their missing puzzle piece. And now that he was gone she could already feel them falling apart. She couldn’t lose Gabriella, Laura, and Rachel. Aside from Alex, they were her best friends. She was trying to theorize. She was more of a jock than a brain so she wasn’t doing very well and after an hour she decided to go back home but when she looked up she was in the middle of the forest.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She whipped out her phone and looked up her location on Google Maps. She was 5 miles from her house.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">I made it this far why don’t I just keep going and never look back. I could make it. I have like 20 bucks on me, I could buy a charger for my phone and get a part-time job and move from motels. Escape this town and all of its drama. All of its mystery and all of its lies. ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">CRACK ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">A twig snapped to her left and she heard some leaves rustling. She looked over but saw nothing. Now she was spooked and she was five miles away from her house. Might as well keep going. And she did. She started running again and didn’t look back. . . until her phone went of.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'' <span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Badum Badum ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She had a text.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">You can run but you can’t hide from me. –A ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC) ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Laura had gotten home with a smug look on her face. Something her mom didn’t expect. She knew that Alex wasn’t Laura’s favorite person in the world but she figured she’d be a little upset about Alex’s disappearance. Alex wasn’t really her favorite person either. All he brought about was drama and secrets and lying. He wasn’t welcome in her house anymore after-. She didn’t like to think about it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Laura walked upstairs and sat on her bed and looked around. All she remember now was Alex. Them binging 3 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy together while eating enough candy to give them diabetes. All of them hanging out in her room taking pictures and trying out new outfits that Alex had bought for them. Alex taking Taylor’s phone and them going through her messages.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">There were times when he wasn’t a royal bitch. When he seemed almost human. Normal even. When he was nice to her and let himself go. Just let himself hang out in pajamas and sleep in and stay up late.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She layed on her back and stared up at the top of the four poster bed. Her, Alex, and the girls had all signed it last year and had put a group picture directly above it. She couldn’t help but grin at that one. That was fun night

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">FLASHBACK

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">The girls all giggled as Alex put on makeup. It was nights like these where he was fun and loved to joke around like this. Most of the time he was being bitchy or trying to degrade them but he was giving them compliments and treating them greatly. Even Gabriella who was his favorite tree to break twigs off of. '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Alex got on the bed and as their natural instinct they followed him. He grabbed five sharpies off of Laura’s night stand and handed one to each girl. He got on his knees and reached up to the ceiling of the bed’s canopy and wrote something. They all looked up. '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:26.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "BickhamScript";mso-ansi-language:EN">Alex VanLinor '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">So they all followed suit and signed their names and then Alex whipped out his phone and began taking at least a hundred pictures of them. Rachel ducked to avoid the camera, Anna just posed, Gabriella didn’t notice, and Laura rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress her smirk. They all bundled up together on the bed – Alex in the middle because he was always the center of attention – and took a picture. It was times like this where they didn’t feel like Kings and Queens. Where they didn’t have to maintain an appearance or attitude. Where they were 100% themselves. '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">END OF FLASHBACK

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She took a deep breath in and out of her mouth and then turned over and buried her face in her pillow. She sat for a minute and then it began. It was one tear and then two more and then three more and then it was like somebody had turned on a high pressure water hose from inside her eye sockets. Her body was shaking and she could already feel her pillow soaking up all of the tears from the amount of water leaking from her eyes. She spent too much time bottling things up but now that Alex was gone and might be dead she couldn’t handle anything else. She was completely and utterly broken.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Boop Boop, Boop Boop ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She had a text. She wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater and unlocked her phone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Oh sob Laura! I guess you’re all alone now. It’s okay, you’ll always have me! –A ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC) ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Rachel was numb. Her entire mind was shut down. There was only one thing she could process. Alex was gone and she might never see him again. It was her best friend. Her other half. She could always tell that she was his favorite because he was a completely different person when he was with her. He was changed. He wasn’t a horrible person. He was kind, and understand, and would listen to whatever she needed to tell him and he wouldn’t judge her. He’d done so much for her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">One time, somebody decided to call her a slut because Austin Crowl had told everybody at school that she had slept with him. Naturally, Alex ruined him. If you ask somebody who Austin Crowl is no they’d immediately stiffen and walk away because he literally disappeared. Some say that he ran away, some say that Alex murdered him but nobody ever talks about it anymore because that was the one thing that had made them really scared of Alex.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">In her room she had a large sky blue tote with four small boxes in it. One was painted with a red A on it the next had a Pink cursive L, another had a sloppy Green G on it, and the last had a pale pink cursive A on it. They were all boxes of mementos from the others in the group. She loved them so much. They were more her family than her real family was.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She gently picked up Alex’s box – The one with the pale pink A on it – as thought it was made of glass because to her it was. It was everything of Alex she had. Every birthday card he’d given her, every little note they’d passed in class, the notebook they had written in to talk to each other on the long boat ride so her parents couldn’t see their texts.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She gently lifted the lid of the box and pulled out the first thing she saw. It was the note they had been passing in class the other week.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">Could this lecture be any more boring? Why should we care what the product of B and Z is? '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">You actually need this stuff for your future ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">Yes, because coefficients are going to be a job requirement '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Oh, like you’re going to have to work a day in your life ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">Probably not. So, I hear that you actually have a boyfriend. Never thought the little virgin mary would actually date somebody. '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">That’s a total rumor. I don’t date and you know that. My mom would kill me anyways. ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">'<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">Probably. We should stop passing these before Mrs. Lucas catches us, she’ll lose her shit. '

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Her tears fell down her face and onto the paper as she folded it up and stuck it back in the box. She missed him so much. It hasn’t even been a week yet. She curled up into fetal position and let the tears pour out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Alex, please come home.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Her phone went off.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Dinggggg ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Miss me Rae? You’ll see me soon. –A ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC) ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">A blood curling scream rang throughout Briarwood, Pennsylvania at 7:39 AM. It was September 7th, also known as the day that Alex VanLinor died.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">In front of the VanLinor manor is their large rose garden behind a set of iron gates with the VanLinor family crest on it. A black hooded figure pushes the gates open after putting in the all-too familiar code.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The shoes were practically silent against the pavement as the figure made their way up to the mansion. A soft knock on the door. No answer. A louder one. This time it was a series of loud, fast knocks. When the hooded figure didn’t even hear feet coming to the door they got impatient.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The hooded figure walked over to the entrance and got into the car. They really loved making an entrance. The car was thrown into full speed and sped through the gates and up the lawn to the front door. When the stairs hit the double doors swung open and one flew off the hinges while the other hung limply off one hinge. They smirked evilly under the black mask and backed up a little bit before getting out of the car.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The car door opened and out stepped that black hooded figure. They slammed the door closed and walked up to the front door. One there they lightly knocked on the hanging door. The intruder could hear soft whispers upstairs. He knew they were here, which made the end of this little game oh so fun. The intruder began to walk up the stairs with an agonizingly slow pace that was loaded with anticipation. Once the intruder reached the top of the stairs they raised a glove hand and lightly pushed on the door that had the name “Alex” printed on it in foam letters.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The door didn’t move. He thought locking it would do anything. The hooded intruder lifted one of their legs and slammed on the door with it. It was a flimsy wooden door that practically shattered at the force of the powerful leg. The intruder walked in and saw the tall teenager sitting on his bed with a butcher knife. The intruder smirked behind the mask. This was going to be fun.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Alex launched off of his bed and attempted to stab the intruder but they side stepped him, causing him to lose his balance and fall. While he was trying to get up the attacker went and grabbed the knife that Alex had dropped when he fell. He got up and ran back into his room knocking over the hooded figure. This did nothing but made them stumble and aggravate them. This was their game and Alex wasn’t going to be doing anything to interfere with the game ending.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The attacker grabbed Alex by his hair and smashed his head into the vanity mirror. The glass shattered and flew everywhere. Alex began bleeding from his head but continued to fight. He pushed back against the attacker but was dizzy and fell against his dresser, knocking it over and taking out two of his bed posts. Alex took a deep breath and regained his composure, he wasn’t losing nearly as much blood as he thought. But he was still losing blood and the intruder was fit and ready to kill him. He tried to run but the attacker grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back, knocking Alex to the floor and knocking the wind out of him. They picked him up and pushed him into the staircase.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">On contact, he broke the railing and went tumbling down the stairs leaving a blood trail behind him. They had already won but they were still playing with their food. Alex was on his hands and knees at the bottom of the stairs trying to breathe properly. When the attacker got to the bottom of the stairs, Alex hadn’t noticed and the attacked put their foot on his side and kicked him over. Alex was weak but he was still fighting for his life. He got up and stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed a knife.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The attacker walked in and grabbed one of the large knives from the knife block. They were no longer playing, they were pissed because he wasn’t supposed to be fighting back. He should have died when he was thrown down the stairs. But now this attacker was done. Alex tossed the knife at them. It brushed their shoulder and lightly tore the hoodie. The color drained from Alex’s face. He knew it was over, he was dead. But he still had to try to fight for his life.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The attacked walked towards him and slashed the knife in the air. It cut his chest and he began dripping blood. The attacker pushed him into the china cabinet and the plates and glass from the windows of the cabinet fell on Alex. All of the glass made small cuts on his arms, face and neck. The attacker picked him up by his hair and dragged him to the living room where they grabbed the knife and ended it once and for all. They lifted the knife high in the air and then plunged it into Alex Mills’ chest.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Alex’s mother had returned home about an hour after the murder. She knew something was wrong when the gate was open. The sight that awaited her inside her home as something she would never be able to get out of her head. She walked into her house and saw her son’s dead body lying on the floor with cuts all over his body and a knife sticking out of his chest.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She screamed so loud she could feel her throat becoming sore. She began sobbing heavily and fell against the wall and slid down on her back.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Anna, Rachel, Laura, and Gabriella were standing outside of the VanLinor property and watched as the police taped off the scene and had to drag a broken Cynthia VanLinor-Russell was dragged out of her own property but she couldn’t do anything about it. She was visibly broken, she didn’t even look like she was trying. She was too overwhelmed with grief.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Laura had to stay strong in front of everybody she really wanted to cry but she couldn’t, Gabriella was still in shock, she had thought he was dead but just having it be confirmed made it so different. Anna didn’t know had to respond either, her thought process was somewhat the same as Gabriella’s but she was more hurt. Alex had been her best friend from her childhood. But Rachel was different then all of them. Alex hadn’t just been her best friend, he had been her other half, the reason she woke up in the morning, practically her brother. She collapsed onto the ground in a mess of tears.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">She couldn’t stop crying, the other girls had to hold her up just to make sure she didn’t accidentally hurt herself.

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:115%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace: none">'''<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN">THREE DAYS LATER '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The girls all arrived at the church with black dresses on. They were all accompanied by their parents to the funeral or their best friend. Their parents had been keeping their distance the last couple of days. Except for Rachel’s mom, she had to be the cruelest of them all, even Laura’s mom. All she had done was bitch about how Alex deserved to die since he was a “fag supporter”. She was more homophobic than every member of the Westboro Baptist Church put together. She never dared try to separate Alex and Rachel because she knew that she was his favorite and if she tried to take his favorite she’d be trying to get out a straitjacket until the day she died.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Alex had resources and he could lie so well the girls were sure he convinced himself sometimes. If Rachel’s mom or any of the girl’s mom had tried to separate them from Alex it’d be one of the last things they did for a while.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The four girls walked into the church where a white coffin with a gold trim was surrounded by Red Roses (Alex’s favorite flower) and had an art easel with a picture of him next to it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“He would have loved this funeral.” Anna broke the silence.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“Yeah.” Gabriella and Laura agreed in unison.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“He would’ve wanted confetti and liquor.” Rachel mumbled with a small giggle.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The girls are lightly chuckled because it was true. Alex hated depressing things. If you were at a party and you weren’t dancing or drinking he’d pick you up and force you to loosen up. It seemed rude and unnecessary to some of them but he just wanted them to have fun and enjoy themselves.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The girls all sat down in the front where Cynthia had more than likely guaranteed they have seats. She was still staying with Anna’s family because her mansion was a crime scene and she was an emotional wreck. She damn near refused to eat unless Anna got her protein shakes which she reluctantly drink and then she would just lay in bed and cry and sleep. It was really sad but it was her way of coping.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The pastor at the front of the room began reading some Bible verses that were in farewell of Alex.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">After the funeral everybody began hurrying out of the doors. Nobody wanted to be at a funeral and nearly everybody in Briarwood had come to say good bye to the Queen Bee of the town.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The girl’s all went outside and sat there waiting for their parents to pull the cars around so they could go home.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“It doesn’t really feel like he’s gone.” Rachel said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">“But he is Rachel, and it’s going to take some getting used to, but we’ll make it without him, we still have him in our memories.” Laura said as she hugged Rachel in an attempt to comfort her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">Their phones all went off.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Beep Beep ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Badum Badum ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Boop Boop, Boop Boop ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">Dingggg ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">The girls all pulled out their phones and saw they each had a text message from a blocked number.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">The Game’s Only Just Begun. Hold Tight Bitches. –A ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">''<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN">03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC)03:57, October 22, 2014 (UTC) ''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN">A Black Hooded Figure is unpacking boxes in what appears to be a small apartment. There were at least 50 black boxes scattered across the floor. The hooded figure put up a poster of an all too familiar face that had been plastered across town for the past week. The face of Alex VanLinor.

Trivia
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:16.1000003814697px;">
 * This is the first chapter of the first book of the series, Secrets and Lies.