Betrayal at the House in the Woods

Why So Blue?

We ran as fast as we could towards the source of the scream. It was Cleo in her room. Thomas caught up right behind us. She was standing next to one of the beds where Lilly laid. Very still... and blue.

"Is she..." I couldn't even finish my sentence.

But, I just talked to her... like fifteen minutes ago.

Thomas was the first one who recovered from the shock. He went to check on Lilly.

"But... how?" He stuttered.

"We ate the same things," I muttered.

Jessy turned to me. "You think she was poisoned?"

I dared myself to look closer. "I'm afraid so."

I was no doctor, but for a body to turn blue like this, my guess would be either cyanide poisoning or asphyxiation. Given that there seemed to be no signs of struggles, I was guessing it was poison. But it was so quiet.

This was not only shocking, but interesting. First Hannah went missing, and then her sister died? But there was also Richy...

"Who could've done this??" Cleo asked hysterically.

"It's him, isn't it? He's really hunting us one by one!" Jessy covered her face with both hands.

"Who?" Thomas asked.

"The man without a face," I said quietly, almost whispering.

Cleo groaned. "Oh, not that nonsense, Jessy."

"What other explanation is there? Richy was marked and now we don't know where he is!"

"But Lilly wasn't marked. And you're still here!"

These two really needed to calm down. They triggered each other so easily.

"Stop it," Thomas interrupted. "Let's... cover her up. I can't bear seeing her like this."

After we covered Lilly's body with a blanket, we left the room.

"Cleo, you were the last one to see her. What happened?" Thomas started the conversation once we reached the lounge.

"After she finished brushing her teeth, I went to the bathroom. Then when I came back, she was already..." Cleo bursted into tears.

"I was with her in the bathroom," I added. "We were brushing teeth together. She seemed fine then."

"So either she was attacked in her room when Cleo was in the bathroom, or..." Thomas turned to me. "What did you do afterwards?"

"I talked to Jessy in the lounge," I replied calmly. I knew where this was going.

Jessy nodded. "You're not accusing Aggie, are you?"

Thomas shrugged. "Well, she came out of nowhere and now this is happening. What am I supposed to think?"

Cleo had calmed down and stared at me. "Is your car tyre really flattened?"

I frowned. "Of course. Why would I lie about it? You can see it for yourself."

Jessy lifted her hand. "Enough. We can't be blaming each other. For all we know, it can be someone from outside."

Cleo rolled her eyes. "Sure. You trust people so easily. Just like with Eira."

I tried to keep my expression flat when my name was mentioned. "Who's Eira?"

Jessy ignored me. "You both also trust her."

"Well, we have talked to her more than Agatha."

I lifted both my hands in front of my chest. "Okay, I'm not sure what I have walked into, but I'm sorry for the troubles I have caused. I'll just be on my way."

"Where would you go this time of night? No, just stay," Jessy pleaded. "Don't mind them. We're all just on edge right now."

"Understandably," I replied quietly.

"Or are you just trying to run away?" Thomas accused.

This was getting out of hand, but I couldn't just come clean, it would be even more suspicious. "I honestly don't know what to say. What proof do you have against me?"

Jessy shook her head. "If we want to rule out someone outside of this group, that means it could be anyone of us, not just Aggie." She turned to Thomas. "What's your alibi?"

Thomas raised his eyebrows. "Why would I kill my girlfriend's sister?"

Jessy shrugged. "Anyone can be a suspect."

Thomas shook his head. "Fine. I was in my room, getting ready for bed."

"Hmm, and no one can confirm or deny it, just like with Cleo. It's just Aggie and I who actually have a confirmed alibi."

Cleo groaned. "Why would I kill Lilly? As if Hannah's kidnapping isn't bad enough?"

"All right, all right," I decided to step in. "This blaming game would not get us anywhere."

Thomas took a deep breath before agreeing. "We should try to get some sleep. We should make sure all doors and windows are locked and then get to our own rooms together and lock the doors."

"Cleo, you can stay in my room if you like," Jessy offered.

Cleo smiled thinly. "Thanks."

"We just need to survive tonight, then we can get help tomorrow," Thomas said.

I must say, he was surprisingly a leader material. I had never seen him in this light. We all got to work just like what Thomas suggested. As I laid on the bed, I tried to calm myself down. This undercover business had moved far from plan. Did we really have a killer among us? Or was it really someone from outside who could have sneaked in? Whoever it was, this was definitely linked to everything else that had been happening. What if Jessy was true, that the man without a face - and by that I meant his copycat - was hunting us one by one? If that was the case, Dan should not come here tomorrow.

Dan... I never got to check whether he was really in the hospital. Could it be him? And what about Richy? Was it just me not being able to find him or did the killer hide his body? Or was he even dead? Could it be a family related issue since both the Donfort girls were involved? And Amy and Richy were just at the wrong place at the wrong time...

All different thoughts and scenarios were running through my head intensely until it was interrupted by a slight squeak. I sat up and kept my ear peeled to hear if there was any more noise. But nothing. Was it just in my head?

I sighed. Typical. When it is awfully quiet and you are tensed, every single noise would sound like a threat. Should I go and check it out anyway?

After a few minutes of thinking back and forth, I decided to stay put for now. At least until there was another noise. I just started to doze off when there was a loud knock on my door. I practically jumped out of bed and opened the door.

"What's wrong, Cleo?"

Cleo was trying to control her breaths. "Jessy... I just got woken up and realise she's not in her bed."

We both went to get Thomas.

"I haven't checked anywhere else in the house, but the bathroom door was open," Cleo said as we walked towards the main area while calling Jessy's name.

She was not in the lounge, so we headed into the kitchen. We all closed our eyes in shock the moment we walked in. It was Jessy... laying down on the kitchen floor. Very still... and very blue. Just like Lilly.