A Third Victim

Lemon, Hazel, and Evelyn stood awkwardly in front of a small group of seniors, trying to mask their nervousness.

"We… we just want to know about Lydia," Lemon started. "Anything you can tell us."

The seniors exchanged glances. One of them, a girl with short black hair, crossed her arms. "Why do you care?"

"Because we're not blind," Hazel said, stepping forward. "People are dying. And nobody seems to be talking about it."

The girl hesitated. Then she sighed. "Lydia was… nice. A little too nice, if you ask me. She always tried to fix things, even when it wasn't her business."

"Fix things?" Evelyn repeated. "What do you mean?"

The girl hesitated again. "She had this thing about friendships. Always wanted to make sure no one fought. She hated fighting with someone, with or without any reason."

Lemon glanced at Hazel and Evelyn. "Was she close with Sophia?"

Another senior, a guy leaning against the lockers, shook his head. "They used to be. But not recently."

"What happened?" Hazel pressed.

The seniors fell silent. The black-haired girl looked uncomfortable. "Look, we've already said too much. Just… drop it, okay? You don't want to get involved."

"But—"

"No." She stepped back. "Lydia's gone. So is Sophia. And if you don't stop digging, who knows who'll be next?"

The words left a chill in the air.

Lemon clenched her fists.

They needed more information. But for now, this was all they'd get.

As they returned to the dorm, they found Riley, Scarlett, and Autumn waiting for them, arms crossed and expressions unreadable.

"Well?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you find anything?"

Hazel sighed, sitting on her bed. "Not much. The seniors weren't exactly eager to talk."

Evelyn sat beside her, arms folded. "We got a name. The first victim was Lydia. But that's all."

Riley scoffed. "That's all? You guys were gone for over an hour, and you got just one name?"

Evelyn came closer to Riley. "You think it's that easy? We're literally walking on thin ice! The seniors don't want to talk, and the teachers don't even acknowledge the murders properly. We had to be careful."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Careful? Or just slow? If I had gone, maybe we'd actually know something useful."

"Oh, really? You think you could've just use your charm to make people say everything huh!" Evelyn said sarcastically.

"At least I wouldn't have wasted time standing around like you," Riley retorted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I miss the part where you suddenly became a detective?" Evelyn snapped.

"Enough!" Lemon's voice cut through the room like a blade.

Both girls turned to her, startled. She rarely raised her voice.

Lemon exhaled sharply. "Fighting like this won't get us anywhere. If you have a problem with how we're doing things, then speak up before we leave—not after. We're in this together, remember?"

Riley stayed silent. Evelyn huffed and sat down again, arms still crossed.

Scarlett, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke to break the silence. "So… what's our next move?"

Lemon took a deep breath. "We know two victims now—Lydia and Sophia. Both were seniors. That's a pattern. We need to figure out how they're connected. And why is the killer only killing the senior girls."

Hazel nodded. "And we need to talk to more people. Maybe not just seniors. Some juniors might know something."

Autumn hesitated. "Do you think the school's hiding something?"

Lemon frowned. "I don't think they're hiding anything on purpose. They just don't want to ruin Maplewood's reputation."

"But why is the School ignoring it, that's a big point."

The room fell silent for a moment. The weight of the situation pressed down on them. They were just students—this wasn't their responsibility. But if they didn't try to figure it out, who would?

Evelyn rubbed her temples. "Okay, let's set up a plan. Tomorrow, we split up. Some of us will talk to seniors again, try to get more details about Lydia and Sophia. Others will check out any records from past years of the dead ones. Maybe they were in the same club or had the same friends."

"I'll take notes," Lemon said. "Every clue, no matter how small, might help."

Scarlett nodded. "Sounds like a start."

Just as they were about to settle in for the night, a distant scream shattered the quiet.

The girls froze.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Did you hear that?"

Without another word, they rushed out of their room, following the sound. As they neared the girls' washroom, they saw a crowd gathered outside. The air was thick with hushed whispers and panicked murmurs.

Lemon pushed through, heart pounding.

Inside, some girls were kneeling on the floor, trembling, pointing toward one of the bathroom stalls. Tears streamed down there face as they choked out one name.

"Luna… Luna…"

The stall door was slightly open. The unmistakable sight of a lifeless body slumped inside sent a wave of gasps through the crowd.

The warden arrived moments later, pushing past the students. "What happened here?"

The girl who had found the body was still sobbing, unable to speak properly.

Lemon, Hazel, and Evelyn exchanged glances.

A third victim.

Another senior.

This wasn't just a coincidence anymore.

Lemon's fingers clenched into fists. If they weren't careful, more names would be added to the list.

And they were running out of time.