What Happens In The Shadows

October Ninth

"What did the man look like?" was their first question.

"Boy," Sebastian said quietly. He was still shaken from what he had seen.

"What?"

"It wasn't a man. It was a boy. Or girl, I don't know. Definitely a kid. Around 5'5, 5'6, somewhere in there. Couldn't be more than 100 pounds, probably 90. They were wearing a mask, gloves- all black except for the rope. They were clearly inexperienced, it took nothing for me to knock the gun out of their hands."

"But they shot you."

Sebastian shook his head. "They tried to, but I knocked the gun out of their hands before they could fire it. It hit the ground and fired, and that bullet hit me. I doubt they knew how to work a gun."

"You mentioned a rope?"

"Sophia Sterling. Aaron Duval. Cody Wavers. All written off as suicides. All hung in the exact same way, with identical ropes, identical to the one they were holding. They're all related to Dalton Academy, and all bisexual. Hunter- my boyfriend- is also bisexual, so he was always on edge. I never left his side, I stayed with him in his dorm so he could actually sleep at night. And I'm so glad I did."

"Why do you think they targeted him?"

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Aaron Duval and Sophia Sterling both have younger siblings. Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling. They're my best friends- Hunter's best friends- and they go to Dalton. Cody was a friend of Jeff's. Everyone who's been targeted has been close to them. I don't know why, but I know that."