Natalie closes her locker door and turns towards Isabelle. "I'm totally screwed," she says.
"What? Why?" Isabelle asks.
Natalie pushes her black hair out of her eyes and picks up her science textbook and her math homework. "I have history tomorrow-"
"You mean Monday," Isabelle cuts in. "Because it's Friday today."
Natalie looks confused. "Oh, right. I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"We all do," Isabelle sighs.
"Third paper's due Monday, and I've written one sentence," Natalie grumbles.
The PA System suddenly blares out around the school and a computerized voice crackles through the speakers.
Isabelle Stone, Natalie Deveraux, and Mona Vander Crussaine, please report to the principal's office.
Mona struts towards them in high heels, her bag slung over her shoulder. "What is going on?" she asks them.
Isabelle shrugs. "I have no idea."
"Let's just go over there and find out," Natalie says, exasperated. She stuffs her work into her bag, and Mona applies some more mascara onto her face. The hallway clears out in a matter of minutes, the kids all heading off to their third period class. The three of them easily make their way to the principal's office. Isabelle opens the door and almost slams it against Mona's face.
"Oh my god," Isabelle says.
Natalie and Mona enter the room and stop as well. Natalie frowns. Two people dressed in black stand beside the principal, Mr. C. One is a woman, and the other is a man.
"FBI?" Mona questions, looking at the man's badge.
"What's going on?" Natalie asks.
The man steps forward and addresses himself to them as Detective Randol. "We're here to talk to you about Kayla DaLanis's murder case," he says. "Please, sit." The three of them sit down on the black couch against the far wall, facing away from the big window in the room.
The phone rings in the next room over. "I'm sorry, I have to take that," the principal says. He leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
Natalie leans forward and looks at the two officers. "So, what can we help you with?" she says nonchalantly. She tries to stay calm, but she's shaking with fear. They have so much to hide, and a lot of stuff that they've had to keep quiet about over the last few years.
The woman smiles. "I'm agent Parlin," she says. "We'd like you three to tell us what happened right before Kayla was killed."
"We already talked to the police the day she disappeared," Isabelle says.
"Maybe you guys remember more, or withheld information from the cops?" Agent Parlin asks.
"She was murdered between 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, and 2:00 a.m. on Monday," the Detective says. "If you guys could tell us what happened that night before she disappeared, that would be very helpful towards our search."
Isabelle shares a worried glance with Mona and Natalie. That was a crazy day. It all started at Blackrayde. Kayla had gone to see her aunt that morning, and less than 24 hours later, she disappeared.
• • •
The train pulled up to the station at 5:00 p.m. As the doors opened, a girl with straight brown hair stepped onto the platform in black highheels. She wore fitted black jeans, a tight grey t-shirt, and dark sunglasses over her eyes. She was pulling a small suitcase behind her, and a navy purse hung loosely around her right arm. She looked around at the crowd and spotted a girl in a bright red top and hideous polka dotted tights standing by a bench. She smiled. Of course. Isabelle always wore the weirdest clothes everywhere she went.
