What does she know?

Ding, ding, ding. Ding, ding, ding.

Morty silenced his phone alarm. It was 7:00 AM.

He stood up with difficulty, his ribs aching and his head spinning.

Dragging himself to the bathroom, he prepared to get ready. 

He and Rono had agreed last night—no matter what, they would show up at school.

Morty caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. 

His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, and dark circles lingered beneath them like heavy shadows. 

He stared blankly for a moment, his mind drifting into nothingness.

A sudden wave of guilt hit him, sharp and heavy. But he shook it off quickly, convincing himself he wasn't the killer.

After an intense staring contest with his reflection, Morty decided to skip the shower.

He changed clothes, sat back on his bed, and browsed the internet while waiting for school time.

Not long after, he contacted Rono and Chris.

Grabbing his bag, Morty left the house without breakfast, heading straight out the door.

"I finished it in one night. I didn't even notice the time passing,"

"But it's not on the same level as that one show... I forgot its name. You know, the one about the Russian soldier falling in love with the Ukrainian soldier?"

"Oh, I know it! -John the Cow- was in it. He was amazing," Chris replied.

"I didn't expect love to win over war," Rono added with a smile.

The two were chatting as they waited for Morty.

"He told us he was already out of the house, but he's late. Do you think he was still in bed when he said that?" Chris asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe he got hit by a car and died—haha!" Rono joked with a laugh.

Two minutes later, Morty finally arrived.

"Holy moly, Morty, you look like a zombie. Sorry, but we need to hurry, or we'll be sorry. You know Mr. Louis has no mercy," Chris said, waving his hands dramatically with every word.

"Morty, you don't look okay. We should go to the school nurse," Rono said with genuine concern as they started walking.

"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well, and now I'm starting to see things ," Morty replied weakly, his face frozen in an expressionless mask.

"Why did you come, Morty? You should've stayed home and rested. You know Mr. Louis doesn't care if you're sick. He'll still scold you if you make a mistake or show up late," Chris said, his tone firm.

"Don't worry. I'm used to it," Morty answered calmly.

After a short walk, they reached the classroom. 

The door was open, and the students were gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.

"Has the teacher not arrived yet?" Chris asked the other students.

"No, he has," Mike, one of the students, replied.

Rono's heart skipped a beat. His face turned pale, and he glanced at Morty with fear and confusion. 

But Morty's expression was just as lifeless—blank and unchanged. 

Maybe he hadn't heard, or maybe he'd simply lost the will to care.

Mike continued, "He's hiding behind his desk because he wet himself! Hahaha!" He burst into laughter, looking toward the girls, hoping for a reaction.

"Ahem… Of course, he hasn't arrived. Why else would we be talking like this if he had?" Mike added with a serious face when no one laughed at his joke.

"But I didn't expect you to be so shocked, Rono. Maybe you hate him even more than Eleanor does," Mike said, eyeing Rono.

After catching his breath and calming himself, Rono smiled and replied, "I was just surprised how he let you guys talk like this if he was already here."

Morty, Rono, and Chris walked into the classroom and took their seats.

Rono pulled his desk closer to Morty's and sat down.

Chris dragged his chair and sat in front of them so they could continue their conversation while waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"GTM 7 is set to release in December, but they haven't announced the exact day yet. I hope it's better than GTM 6," Chris said.

"While playing GTM 6, I almost died—it was way too realistic, haha. Perfect for anyone looking to experience suicide," Rono joked.

Morty and Chris laughed. Chris added, "GTM 7 will definitely give people even more excitement in their final moments."

Morty started to feel a bit better, and the hallucinations finally seemed to fade.

"What were you two doing in my backyard last night?"

' Looks like the hallucinations aren't gone after all ' , Morty thought with a sigh. He turned to Rono and froze.

Rono was staring at him with wide-open eyes, his face turning red as he forgot how to breathe. Fear was written all over his face.

' So, these aren't hallucinations ' , Morty thought, watching Rono's expression scream ' We're cooked, man.'

All of this happened in just a second. Morty quickly composed himself and turned around. 

His body was exhausted, and after the rough night, he didn't feel nervous anymore. He'd started accepting it.

"Oh, good morning, Eleanor," Morty said with a smile.

"Ooh, you look even scarier up close. It's like you just came back from hell," Eleanor replied, sitting behind them, wearing a black wool sweater with her long hair flowing down.

"I got sick after a challenge with Rono. He wanted to see if I could swim in this cold weather, so I agreed. And, well, you can see how I ended up," Morty said with a tired smile.

Rono looked at him with admiration, thinking, ' Good answer, Morty.'

Morty didn't deny anything; he simply gave a convincing reply. 

As long as Eleanor hadn't seen them dumping the body, they'd be fine.

"What does your challenge with Rono have to do with you being in my backyard?" Eleanor asked, her tone serious.

"I swam in your lake—it was the closest one to us," Morty replied with a grin.

"And who gave you permission to swim in a private lake?" Eleanor asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I thought we were classmates, and I didn't want to bother you over something so trivial," Morty said calmly.

"Oh, so because we're classmates, you don't need to ask for permission? Haha, fair enough," Eleanor laughed as she stood up from her chair. 

She paused for a moment and added, "Anyway, go see the nurse after class. You don't look okay."

"I will. Thanks," Morty replied.

Eleanor returned to her group, and Morty adjusted his seat.

"Hehe, I think she likes you. She seemed worried about you," Chris said in a low voice, smiling.

"You were worried about me earlier and told me to see the nurse. Are you into me too?" Morty joked, his red eyes shadowed by dark circles.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on! I'm in a relationship, okay? I'm not ditching my girlfriend for you," Chris replied, and the group burst into laughter.

"You handled it well. You saved us back there," Rono said seriously.

"We just got lucky. But I have a question on my mind," Morty replied.

"Yeah, I think it's the same one I've been wondering," Rono said.

"How did she know it was us, even though we covered our faces and didn't say a word?"

That was the question haunting them both.

When they had broken into Eleanor's backyard, they'd wrapped their heads in sports shirts they found in Rono's car and stayed completely silent. 

They had discussed every detail beforehand while still in the car.

Even though they knew there were no cameras pointed toward the lake, they had taken precautions to cover their faces.

Yet, somehow, Eleanor knew it was them.

The question was: had she seen them dumping the teacher's body in the lake, or had she caught them afterward? If she had witnessed everything, what would happen next? And why hadn't she said anything about it?

Was this really good luck, or was it bad luck?

They only knew one thing: if they ever got caught, it would be because of Eleanor. And now, that was more certain than ever.