Dancing to the Answers

Chapter 12 || Another Murder

Kenzie awoke to the sound of a bloodcurdling scream. She bolted upright, frightened by the sudden noise. Had they taken too long? Was someone taking the game into their own hands?

Sighing, Kenzie remembered that it was Friday. The girls had arrived on Monday, and they had a week to play Gianna's twisted little game and unravel the clues. Time was running out, and Kenzie didn't know about the others, but she was making little progress.

She shuddered thinking about what would happen if the girls ran out of time. Maybe they would end up like Abby, never to return to their families like they were expected to.

Remembering the scream, she jumped out of her plush sleeping bag and entered Studio A. What she saw was a sight that made her cringe and gasp at the same time.

Nia was dead.

The same person who had killed Abby, Kenzie assumed, had struck again. Poor, innocent Nia, she was too young, and far too smart. She would have gone far in life, if it wasn't for this stupid crime that brought all the former dancers together.

Tears rolled down Kenzie's face as she studied the girl's oddly bloodless, clean body when she noticed something written underneath her in red spray paint. It read, "She knew too much." The paint stained the worn floor that was far too familiar to Kenzie. She whipped around, seeing something else that gave her the same reaction as seeing Nia motionless on the floor.

The pyramid was still on the mirror. A picture of Abby was plastered far underneath the girls, covered in a large spray paint X, another messy phrase written underneath.

The only thing that baffled Kenzie was, the spray paint on the mirror looked dry, whereas the paint on the floor was wet.

Was it the same person?

Kenzie sighed, grief flooding her body. Not being able to look at her friend's body any longer, she darted to the bathroom where she threw up the little contents of her stomach.

Slinking back into the den, Kenzie noticed all the other girls were awake and alert as well. She hated to be the one to break the news to them, but it seemed none of them knew. They deserved to know.

"Nia's dead," Kenzie blurted out, tears streaming down her face. She pointed to the door that lead to Studio A, and the girls bolted into the room to see the fate for themselves.

Kenzie, unable to see her friend again, decided to pack up Nia's things. However, she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the corner of her suitcase.

Curiosity got the best of her as she discovered it wasn't a piece of paper, but an entire notebook. Hesitantly, she opened to the first page. She couldn't help but thinking maybe this is where Nia kept her knowledge and understanding of the clues. She obviously was close, and someone had to kill her because of it.

GROUP DANCES

1) Money is The Root of All Evil

2) The Last Text

3) Where Have All The Children Gone?

4) Snapshot

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CLUES

1) The clue led us outside, where we dug up the next clue and another envelope. Inside the envelope was a black piece of paper and a K key.

Crime-blackmailing

Girl-Unknown (Kenzie or Kendall, thus the K key, indicating the first letter of their name)

2) Paige dropped her phone, was hit by a car.

Crime-hitting someone with a car (but who?)