<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Selene's POV The rumors are flying. "I heard she would hook up with Albert every Friday!" "She stole money from Evan!" "No, she stole his mom's diamond ring!" I walk through the halls, hearing the whispered gossip passed along every slight opportunity. Adeline is hated by everyone, even Albert. She sits in the cafeteria by herself, eyes downcast, shoulders slumped. I see a tear trickle down her face and a twinge of guilt runs through me. It's not my fault, I tell myself. You're doing it for your parents. No one can find out about what happened. Alyssa comes up beside me. "Are you alright?" She asks, her face wrinkled in concern. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answer hastily. "Come on, let's get to class." <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> "Okay, we're going to do a fun little project." My geography teacher, Mr. Dubois, announces, his faint French accent detectable. He runs a hand through his disheveled mahogany hair and glances down at his rumpled suit. "Ah, je dois repasser mes vêtements." I need to iron my clothes. I smile inwardly. Mr. Dubois is the most easygoing teacher at this school. "You are going to pair up," he continues. "And discuss what you're going to do. The project is to do a report on one place you visited over the summer. Here are the guidelines." He plops a sheet of paper on each desk. Alyssa turns to me. "What are you going to do?" She questions. I shrug. "I dunno." "Well, I'm going to do either Disneyland, or that beach in Autumnvale. What's that called?" My stomach drops abruptly and my mouth instantly goes dry. I clutch my desk for balance. The beach. That's where it happened. "They have these really wonderful cliffs, with a majestic view of the ocean. Isn't it really famous? Yeah, we were lucky to be able to live so close." The cliffs. It happened on the cliffs. My head starts spinning. My vision goes blurry. "Oh right! The Palm Cliffs beach!" "May… Maybe you should do Disneyland," I croak out faintly. "Ye-Are you sure you're okay? You're pale." "Yeah, I'm… fine." Alyssa keeps talking animatedly. The boys had clustered together and are smacking each other with rulers. Savannah is talking with her best friend, Alice Lepar. Cypress is narrowing her eyes at me while her partner, Lola Kellan, is jotting down ideas. Kelly and Ashley are discretely applying makeup in the back corner. Life goes on. But not for me. All I can think about is one secret. One secret I have to keep. And never tell. I have to protect it. With my life. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Amy's (Mrs. Fontana's) POV "This is nice," Derek commented, staring out at the crystal clear, cerulean waters. "A great place to relax." I glanced down at Selene, who was lying on her back in the silky white sand. The sweltering sun beat down on her serene expression, her eyes closed and mouth turned up in a smile. "Yes, it is," I agreed. "You know what would be wonderful? If we go to those beautiful cliffs." "Selene looks so peaceful, though. She'll be fine on her own for a little while, right?" "Of course she will. Come on, Derek." I smiled as we strode across the beach to where the grass began to grow. We pushed through the palm trees, arriving at the cliff. We began to trudge up the rocky, pebbly back, the surface beginning to slope gently upwards. One other family was here, the mom and dad a few paces behind us while their daughter, a toddler no older than two, raced up the cliff and disappeared to the top. The slope began to level out and we walked to the end. A few shoots of grass sprouted out here and there, but for the most part it was all dirt. The small girl was crouched at the edge, gazing out at the breathtaking view of the ocean. I quietly stood behind her, so I wouldn't disturb her. She slowly got to her feet and straightened out, unaware of my presence. I swiveled my head around and spotted Derek picking his way across the slightly uneven ground. He grinned at me. I returned the expression, but it quickly turned into a gasp of horror. Derek's foot hooked around a rock embedded in the ground and he toppled forward, crashing into me. I flailed my arms around wildly, desperately trying to regain my balance. I choked back a scream as my hand connected with the back of her head and sent her plummeting, almost in slow motion, off the edge. "Oh… my…" Derek whispered. His face was pale and drawn, mirroring the shock I felt. "God," I finished softly. "What did we just do?" He didn't reply. Probably couldn't choke out an answer. We slowly bent over and peered down at the ground, about ten feet away. The girl was lying limply on the sparse grass. Her head was hanging limply at her side, her hair matted with blood. A few crimson puddles pooled around her, and a sharp rock was stained with the same color. It was what we feared. Derek and I exchanged a wide-eyed, fearful glance. Then we were sprinting down the hill. I barely registered my surroundings. Just enough to notice that no one was around. All we wanted was to get away from the gruesome scene. To flee the awful truth. We had just committed a murder. And no one knew about it. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Sorry I can't notify my readers this time… I barely had enough time to update. Have to go
IT'S NOT OKAY. jkjkjk it's okay! I'll talk to mr. Good no problem!! Lol no but the French is due Monday and it's easyyy