When 17-year old Scarlett Adair is found dead, having been brutally attacked with an axe, at a house party, the local police find themselves in over their heads. Now, nearly a year has passed and no new leads have been discovered and they have no su...
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Song of the Chapter- Stay by Gracie Abrams
NIGHT OF THE MURDER...
The moonlight reflected in Winter's eyes as she and Pierce stared at the night sky. Empty bottles of beer littered the floor of the balcony. The two were cuddled up together. Pierce had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, keeping her close. Her hair had been messily tied up to keep it out of her face. Faint red lines stained her face. She'd been crying earlier. That's what led them up to that balcony. The story started and ended just as it always had: someone starts crying, the other takes their hand and they wind up blackout-drunk on that balcony. Every time.
That balcony was their safe place, a second home. Away from the theatrics and the gossip. A place where they were free to be themselves, well their drunk selves.
Winter's breathing became shaky as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes once more. "Shh..I'm here," Pierce whispered to her, wiping away a tear from her cheek. The light of the stars lit up her face. The lights of the party served as a reminder that this moment was that, a moment. In reality, they weren't completely alone. Anyone could've gone up to that balcony and seen them, but it was all a part of the fantasy. A fairytale.
In this parallel universe, the rest of the world, and the people in it, simply didn't exist. There was no drama or rumours. No pressure or a need to be perfect. Just them. Winter and Pierce. Scarlett and Zander and Sage and Morgan didn't exist. Carly didn't exist, and neither did Everly. Just two teenagers in love on a balcony surrounded by empty beer bottles and plastic cups.
Through her altered vision, the night faded into nothing. Every noise died down and she could no longer feel Pierce's arm around her shoulder. The scent of beer that was once thick in the air was just gone. She had fallen asleep. As soon as Pierce realised this, he decided it would be best to not move her and just let her wake up on her own.
Soon enough, Pierce's consciousness was fading just like Winter's had. SCRAPE! The sliding door to the balcony opened and in walked Dalton Kellett, a schoolmate of Winter and Pierce, and Pierce's best friend. Upon entering, he noticed the suspicious scene: Winter and Pierce curled up together nearly asleep.
As soon as Pierce realised he and Winter weren't alone, he jolted up. Despite the fact that he was relieved it was only Dalton, he still didn't give him a chance to say a word. "It's not what it looks like!" He shouted, startling Winter awake. Dalton rolled his eyes, not really caring. "Look, I don't really care what's going on here, I think something might be wrong,"
Pierce stared at him, unsure of what to say for a few moments before Dalton burst out into laughter. Pierce rolled his eyes. "You should've seen your face!" All of a sudden, Dalton stopped laughing. "Wait... what IS going on here?" Pierce shook his head. 'It's nothing," He knew Dalton wouldn't buy it but he truly didn't care. Dalton wasn't exactly the type to go spilling his best friend's secrets.
