Autumn Mornings

Chapter 2

"Eleanor," my Mother says through her cold, gritted teeth.

"Hello," I say setting my bookbag down in a kitchen chair. "Why did I get a call today that you were caught leaving the school grounds?" my Mother accused. "Because I did," I reply.

"Why in the hell did you leave school campus? Running around with that boy again?" she asks. "We just went down to Anna's for lunch is all. It was fish day." I explain. "Don't let it happen again. Or just don't get caught will you? I don't want any more calls to this house," she lectured. "Mom, I get it. Won't happen again." I say as I grab my bag and head to my room.

As I walk into my room I throw my bag onto my bed and walk over to my desk. I sit down and open up my laptop. I immediately open up messenger to see a message from Caden.

Caden: Have you seen the news?

Ellie: No, what's going on?

Caden: Look for yourself. *Link attached*

I hover my mouse over the link and click to find something horrifying.

Local Teen Found Dead Behind School Grounds.

The 17-year-old teen was found behind Delmount High School in her cheer uniform last night around 8 pm.

Ellie: How is that even possible?

Caden: I couldn't tell you. Their practice ends at 8, heard the other girls themselves found her. They had been wondering why she never showed up to practice.

Ellie: That's sad...

Caden: Yea, can't believe that school kept hush about it. We were there all day and not a word. Not even from the cheerleaders themselves.

Ellie: I can't believe it.

I couldn't believe it.

How could that girl be found dead? How did they manage to kill her on school grounds? How were they not caught? Why didn't he hide the body? Why her?

So many thoughts ran through my head it was hard to wrap anything around what had happened. The only thing I could think of was something I never thought I'd ask.

Ellie: Meet me outside my house?

Caden: Sure?

Ellie: Thanks.

I grabbed a bag, a flashlight, my keys, my phone, and my wallet shoving them all into my bag. I put on a black hoodie and some boots. I looked in the mirror to see the brown-eyed girl looking back at me. She had dark brown pin-straight hair that was thrown up into a messy bun. She was of average height and slender but not too skinny. I liked to pick apart my face so much I never really notice my own body anymore. I shake my head away from the thoughts and look at my window. I exit through the window and jump out. Only having a one-story home has its perks sometimes.

"Hey," Caden says from my backyard. "Quick," I laugh at him. "For you, I am speed." he laughs back. I roll my eyes at him and handed him my bag. "We're going investigating," I announce. "We are? I- Ellie?" he said confused. "You coming or not?" I ask walking away.

-

"So, what made you decide we're investigators?" Caden asked. "I don't know, I guess I'm just..." I trail off. What I wanted to say was lost but what I saw was something I would never forget. A chill ran up my spine and goosebumps rose all over my skin. Every fiber of hair on my body stood on end, my body felt numb, I could feel that my hands wanted to tremble but couldn't, my heart was beating in my ears. I could feel my cheeks burn up from the amount of sudden blood flow from the racing of my heart.

You aren't safe.

Behind the school laid the whole cheer squid in a giant circle. There was blood spilled all over the ground and on the side of the school building read, "All my hard work, shot to hell!" written in blood. The blood on the wall still dripping which meant it was fresh.

"Ellie, we- we aren't s-safe here." Caden stutters. I watched as the lit candles around the girls' bodies started to blow out one by one from the gust of wind that suddenly came through. I slowly turned my head towards Caden trying to free my body from the tension I felt. My shoulders were locked in place from the fear that rose through my body. "Caden," I breathed.

Something from around the corner of the building caught in the peripherals of my wide eyes.

Something was there.

Looking at us.

The whole time.

"Ellie, we have to get o-out of h-here." Caden took me by the wrist and dragged me away from the crime scene.

We ran.

We ran faster than my body has ever run before.

-

Finally, we stopped running. We were outside my house, standing in the only light that came from the street light above us. "What did we just see, Ellie," Caden asked trying to process what just happened to us. I couldn't process it myself. All I could muster up to do was shake my head which quickly lead to heavy breathing, and soon my hands began to shake. I couldn't get the images of the girls laying there, their bodies, their necks slashed, slashes, they were all slashed to pieces. "Ellie," Caden breathed as he grabbed my hands from behind, pushing my hands up against my chest in a cross. He squeezed tight, he's been trained to do this, only this time, it wasn't one of my normal panic attacks.

I broke down crying.

I couldn't stop my body from trembling all over.

"Ellie, Ellie please," Caden broke too. I could hear him sniff from behind me but what he was going through wasn't registering in my brain at the time. After he couldn't get me to stop shaking or crying he finally decided to pick me up and ran me to his truck. He fired up the engine and fumbled for his cellphone. "Ellie, come here," he said laying me down across the bed of his truck cab leaning my head up against him.

He drove me to the emergency room.