I knock on Elsie’s door and wait, and I hear the light sound of music in the background. I knock again, louder this time, and the door swings open. She pulls a face and tries to slam it in my face, but my foot kicks out enough to stop it closing on me.
“What’s your problem?” I say to her back.
“You!” she spits, turning to face me.
“I didn’t do anything to you.”
“Exactly, Amelie! Baxter and I were the only ones, and Baxter won’t give a shit. His reputation will keep him safe. They think I helped you! You don’t understand what happens here when people turn on you, because you have the protection of the Knox guys...me? I have no one.”
“You have me!” I yell back.
“How was I supposed to know you were coming back? You left me here to deal with this on my own! You have no idea what they have been doing to me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I will fix this. I don’t have the protection of the guys, I told them I didn’t want their help.”
“Big mistake, Amelie. Crimes here get swept under the rug, especially those linked to the Knox boys. Look at how much crap Baxter gets away with when he should be in jail. He isn’t a good person.”
“Baxter is misunderstood, he isn’t that bad.”
“He’s a killer, Amelie.”
“So am I and so are you. What makes us any different?”
“Get out!” she screams. “You have no idea about my life.”
“No, I don’t, because you haven't told me. You want to know about me to make it even? I drugged a teacher, thought it was hilarious, and he fucking died! Who dies from eating baked goods, even with hash in them? Well, he did and it’s all my fault.”
“Oh, poor you, cry me a river. I killed my family on purpose, and I loved watching every second of it.” She falls to the floor and tears flow down her face. I race to her side and take her in my arms. “They hurt me, they deserved to die,” she cries.
“I believe you,” I whisper into her hair.
“It’s why I’m here; the court felt my actions were justified considering their crimes. I’m messed up, Amelie, and headmaster Knox saved me from life in jail. I don’t know how, but he did, and that tells me that he is more powerful thanwe know. Who has that kind of influence over a whole justice system?”
“I know. I plan to find out exactly what is going on.”
“You can’t. People don’t leave here, Amelie. We all know the rumours of the girl that ‘left’ here last year. Funny how no one has heard from her since, and there are others over the years who just vanished and have never been heard from again.”
“I doubt my stepfather would let anything happen to me. Look, I broke the main rule and he still had me shipped back. He gave me more privileges and I have my phone.”
“If you’re digging, then count me in, because if you leave, I have no one, and I hate being alone. Amelie? Don’t leave me again.”
“I won’t,” I promise. Finally, she sits up and smiles.
“So, what do you have so far?”
“Not much,” I admit. “I just have this feeling something's going on. The guys all have the same tattoo, and when I went home I found a necklace that I’ve always had. I thought it was kind of similar, but now I’m convinced it’s exactly the same. Sawyer saw my necklace today and he lied when I asked him about it; spewing some crap about his brothers and being a family...but that doesn’t explain why Baxter has the same one.”
“You know, there are a few others with the same tattoos, mainly third and fourth years. I figured since the twins and Kalen had the tattoos, that the others had copied.”
“Baxter doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to follow anyone else like a sheep though,” I point out, and Elsie agrees.
We talk about our theories for a few hours, going over everything we’ve found suspicious. Our best idea is that they have formed some sort of hot guy cult and they plan to sacrifice us to the gods of sex. We will never get to leave here alive. Death by multiple orgasms.
I’ll admit, we may have had a few drinks by the time we came up with that theory.
Close to dinner time I tell Elsie I will message Baxter and see if he’ll have dinner with us. She has been too scared to go alone and usually waits until just before the dining hall closes to eat. He answers on the first ring.
“What's happened? Are you okay?”
