The Hunt of Altswood High (The Altswood Saga #1)

Chapter 2 - Paranoia

Chapter 2 - Paranoia

I watched Dad as his eyes flicked over to the cupboard where my meds were. It was subtle, but I caught it. 

"Don't answer the door to anyone!" Dad called, gathering his stuff and heading towards the door.

"But—"

"I mean it, Loosh. Lock the door. Call if you need me. Love you!"

And then he was gone.

I pursed my lips and turned to a picture of Mom, framed on the wall. It was one of the first things we unpacked after our move. If Dad's first, immediate reaction from my questions was avoidance, that could only mean one thing. Maddison Peters must have been shot too.

I was wallowing in disbelief. Murder? On an island famously known to be serenity and sunshine? But then I remembered the drama that had followed Maddison around, and it was only the first day back. How many enemies had she made over the years? More importantly, who would act out on it?

An echo of words, cast carelessly aside earlier, came rushing back. Suddenly, my spine went rigid.

One of these days someone is going to resort to homicide if Maddison can't keep her opinions to herself.

In case anyone wanted the dictionary definition of ill-fated coincidence, that would be it. Unless, of course, it wasn't a coincidence. Gabriel was there when Manny was spitting curses at Maddison. That put him in some shady light.

Shaken, I retreated to my room, and crashed onto the bed. I stared at the ceiling for a while before I got bored and curiosity got the best of me.

I booted up my rusty laptop, tapping my fingers against the mouse screen. After logging onto Facebook, which I hadn't been on in a while, I typed Maddison Peters into the search bar. It wasn't hard to find the right profile—the top result. Her page didn't have any grievances for her death yet. But news would spread like wildfire soon.

I ignored the rubbish wall posts about parties and hang-outs, scrolling past without a second glance. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly—perhaps something spiteful enough that might hold motivation for murder. Turns out there was a lot of spite on her page. Thinly disguised, of course.

Don't people have brains these days? So easily fooled by pretty faces

With a click into comments on her most recent status, I could see sides being taken. Daphne Scepter had replied with: It's amazing what some people will go to keep the spotlight on themselves, isn't it? :)

From then on, the 286 comments either defended Maddison or Daphne. Or stood on neutral ground with rubbish like LOL!

I sighed.

Before I even realized, an hour passed while I combed through other profiles, putting names to faces of the students at Altswood High. My stomach rumbled, and I got up to search the fridge for leftovers to heat. Dad could feed himself at the station.

I chewed my pizza, intently reading through information people really shouldn't put online. I practically found every student at Altswood. Except the one I was looking for.

"What rock are you hiding under, Gabriel?" I muttered under my breath, searching Maddison's friends list. There were two Gabriels, but neither face in the picture matched up. I did, however find a Manny Angra.

Something scurried outside my window, and momentarily distracted, my gaze followed a possum darting from one side of the dirt road into the forest.