Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 21: Jack

"What's wrong?" I asked as we hurried after Rapunzel.

"In the floor above us, one of the students went missing a few days ago. The principal and faculty kept it really quiet, but just now her roommate walked in and found her body on the bed. It was covered in blood. We think her throat was slit," Rapunzel explained as we ascended the spiraling staircase. 

The dorms were set up with twelve rooms on each floor, capable of housing two people each. There were twenty-five stories in the girl's dorm and twenty-five in the boy's, so altogether about one thousand two hundred students could live here. We had about a thousand currently. 

"This girl named Elise was killed. She was in our year. Remember her, Jack? Tallish, blonde, brown eyes?" Rapunzel explained grimly.

"Oh," I muttered. I didn't know Elise. And now she was dead.

"Where's the teachers and authorities?" Elsa asked as we joined the throng of students packed into the twenty-third floor. 

"They're coming soon," Rapunzel assured her.

As if on cue, shouting could be heard below. Suddenly, North, several professors, and several Elites appeared. They began to herd the students out of the floor, bellowing directions in our ears.

Rapunzel, Elsa, and I hurried back down a floor to find Hiccup, Flynn, Astrid, and Merida waiting for us at the entrance to Elsa and Rapunzel's room.

"Is it true?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup," Rapunzel answered. 

Elsa nudged my shoulder and whispered, "Do you think it's a coincidence that Merida was possessed and attacked me and then a girl who looks a bit like me turns up dead? Elise sounds an awful lot like... you know..."

"It can't be a coincidence," I whispered back. "It's too similar. It sounds like Pitch, or who ever is working for Pitch, mistook Elise for you."

"But there was the chance to kill me at the temple... why didn't he take it? Merida was completely under his thrall."

"Yeah, that is weird."

"Wait! I know! I don't think he wants me dead. When he figured out Elise was the wrong person, he disposed of her. The possession was just him trying to scare me."

"You're probably right, Snowflake."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Flynn asked, interrupting our conversation. 

I tore my gaze from Elsa's. Had any of them heard what we just said?

I didn't think so. They all looked confused.

"Uh, nothing," I finally answered. 

"STUDENTS!" a professor with messy brown hair and crooked glasses shouted. "Please go back to your dorms! This is a crime scene, and we ask that you head to your dorms. If you were housed on the twenty-third floor please head to the mess hall for further instructions."

Reluctantly, the kids began to clear out. 

"Ugh," Astrid grumbled. "I hate teachers."

"Come on," Flynn said good-naturedly.

I was about to turn and follow Merida, Hiccup, Flynn, and Astrid when Rapunzel snagged my wrist. 

"Wait. What were you and Ella talking about?" she asked, shutting the door, so that Elsa, Rapunzel, and I were standing in the room together.

"Nothing, really," I lied. I wasn't sure whether Elsa wanted Rapunzel to know her secret, but I wasn't going to take that chance. Rapunzel deserved to know, but Elsa should be the one to tell her.

Rapunzel's eyes narrowed. She knew me too well.

"We were just wondering why someone would kill Elise," Elsa interjected.

"That's it?" Rapunzel asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

"That's it," I agreed. 

Rapunzel sighed and nodded, still looking slightly unconvinced. "Okay, you can go."

I opened the door and glanced back. My eyes met Elsa's and we shared a long glance before I shut the door behind me.