The Rising Trouble

The day after the horrifying discovery, Maplewood buzzed with a tense energy. Whispers ran through the halls like fire, the incident was the only topic of conversation.

"Did you hear how they found her?" a girl from another dorm whispered in the cafeteria.

"Yeah! Blood came out of the taps. That's straight out of a horror movie," another student replied, shuddering.

Near the staircase, a group of seniors stood together, discussing in hushed voices.

"They're saying it was an accident," one of them scoffed. "Who the hell believes that?"

Lemon, Scarlett, Riley, Autumn, Hazel, and Evelyn sat at the table in cafeteria. listening to the murmurs around them. None of them had touched their food.

"An accident," Lemon muttered, shaking her head. "How can they even say that? A girl doesn't just accidentally fall into a water tank and get stuck there!"

"It's the school's reputation," Scarlett said bitterly. "They don't want parents pulling their kids out."

Before anyone could respond, the dorm doors slammed open.

Reporters.

A wave of them flooded into the school, cameras flashing and microphones in hand.

"Excuse me! Can you tell us what really happened here?" one called out to a passing student.

"Is it true that the school is covering up a murder?" another questioned, shoving a mic toward a stunned teacher.

The students backed away, some looking eager to speak, while others hesitated, afraid of getting involved. The six watched in silence as the chaos unfolded.

Within minutes, teachers stormed in, trying to control the situation.

"Why the hell did you come in, this is an educational institution, not a media circus!" one of the senior staff barked, pushing back a reporter.

But the reporters weren't backing down.

"Parents are worried! How can you expect them to remain silent when a student was found dead under in such mysterious circumstances?"

At that moment, the main doors burst open again.

This time, it was the parents.

A group of them stormed in, their voices filled with panic and anger.

"Our children are not safe here!" a mother yelled, gripping her daughter's wrist tightly.

"We demand answers! Was it an accident or something else?" a father roared.

The principal, a sharp-eyed woman in her late fifties, stepped forward. "Please, everyone, calm down! We understand your concerns, but I assure you, the school is handling this matter—"

"By lying to us?" a furious parent cut her off. "You're saying this was an accident? Do you think we're fools?"

The tension in the air was suffocating. Lemon exchanged glances with her friends. "No one believed the school's story." She said.

"This is getting out of control," Riley whispered.

"It was never in control," Autumn murmured back.

The teachers eventually managed to push the reporters out, but the damage was done. The internet had already caught wind of the incident, and Maplewood's name was everywhere.

Later that evening, an emergency assembly was called.

The principal stood on the stage.

"We understand that recent events have caused distress," she began. "But we must not believe the rumors. The official report states that the incident was an unfortunate accident. We urge you all to focus on your studies and stop spreading misinformations."

Murmurs broke out. No one believed her.

As the students were dismissed, The six were still standing there.

"That was complete nonsense," Scarlett muttered.

"They just want to bury this," Evelyn added.

Hazel crossed her arms. "And what happens if this wasn't an accident? What if it happens again?"

A chill ran through the group.

No one said it out loud, but the thought was there.

As they went to their room Evelyn spoke,

"They really expect us to believe that?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "A girl was found dead in the water tank, and they're calling it an accident? That's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

Scarlett sighed. "They just don't want the school's reputation to go down."

Riley turned to her. "So, what? They'll just cover it up and pretend nothing happened? Do they even care that someone died?"

Autumn nodded in agreement. "This isn't something we can ignore. What if there's more to it?"

Lemon's fingers clenched into fists. "There is more to it. I don't know what, but something about this incident feels wrong.

She looked at her friends, her dark eyes sharp with determination.

If it happened once…

It could happen again.

And soon, it would.