Aurora walked out of the room and her eyes trailed the bustling station. She could hear phones ringing and keyboard keys clacking. But everything else faded away when she saw her parents in the waiting room. Tears welled up in Aurora's eyes, and she started running between people to get to them. And as if her parents could sense her, they looked up and bolted to meet her. 

They met her with a bone crushing hug. They stayed in that embrace for a minute, then when they pulled away Aurora looked up into her parents eyes and they were filled with grief, relief, terror, and much more. Aurora's mom pulled her into another hug and mumbled, “I'm so glad you're safe.” Aurora nodded and looked at them again. She could tell they needed answers,  but they swallowed their questions and grabbed Aurora's hand and walked out of the station. 

Aurora walked outside and found her friends all gathered by their cars. They looked up when she opened the door. They all stood there in silence. Aurora felt a weird feeling settle in her stomach and knew something was different. They were near each other, but it felt as if they couldn't be further away. Everyone was processing their grief differently and Aurora felt they each just needed time. So Aurora cleared her throat and suggested, “We should all go home and rest. We can talk tomorrow.” 

They nodded their heads and slowly dispersed. Aurora stumbled to her family's car and they pulled out of the parking lot silently. But just as they were about to turn out, Aurora saw Hannah’s parent’s car pull into the lot. Aurora felt an overwhelming guilt, for it could have been anyone on that trip. Anyone could have volunteered to go, but it was Hannah. Sweet, nice, Hannah, who died way too young. It had only been 7 hours, yet the worst had happened. 

The scene continued to play in her head, the laughing and joy around the campfire. The moment where everything could have been prevented, when Hannah left, we had no clue what was about to come. It could only have taken about 10 minutes for everything to have happened, maybe less. Aurora thought about all the stories she read about tragedies happening, but that's all they felt like, stories she didn't even imagine would happen to them. 

She wasn't sure how she would be able to continue on with her life. So she ended up just staring at her hands the rest of the way home.

When he got home he made sure to discard the gloves he had hidden in his pocket. And he went over to the sink to wash his hands with the rusty water. The tainted orange of the water ran along his hands and he was transported to another memory from his childhood. 

One night when he was about 12 he was washing his dishes and he accidentally dropped a plate and it shattered on the floor. As he was trying to quickly clean it up he sliced his hand on a jagged piece. And that was when his parents got home. They took one look at the broken plate and started yelling at him. He tried to plead it was an accident and to show them his wounded hand which was now dripping with blood. But they continued to scold him for the plate and said to clean it up before they got back. 

They left without another word. He kept cleaning up the mess and getting bloody fingerprints on the plate. And as soon as the mess was cleaned up he ran to the bathroom to run his hand under the cool water. Tears blurred his eyes and he wiped away at his face. When he looked back at the mirror he saw a streak of blood across his cheek left by the cut. He grabbed a wet cloth and cleaned his face too. He went back to washing his hands and watched as the blood washed away and the water ran red.

Aurora let out a big sigh of relief as they turned on their street and their house was in view. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath, but just being back in a familiar place felt so much better. It took almost all her willpower not to bound up the stairs and flop on her bed, but instead she turned to her parents, expecting to be bombarded with questions. 

To her surprise, her dad tucked a strand of her hair from her face and advised, “You should get to bed, we'll talk in the morning.” Aurora tried to hide her shock as she trudged up the stairs. But she could still feel her parents' concerned eyes boring into her. When she got into her room, she was struck by just how little time had passed since she left this room ready and prepared for a fun trip. And now she returned with baggage she couldn't even process.  As she walked to her bed she caught a glance in the mirror and suddenly understood why her parents insisted she slept. Her shoulders were drooped, and her eyes had dark rims that cast eerie shadows on her face. She groaned and flopped on the bed. 

Aurora reached to grab her phone and saw it was already 5 am. A small knock came from her door and she answered, “Come in.” Her mom opened the door and sat by her side of the bed. 

“I can't even begin to understand what you're going through, and I have a million questions. But for now, I'm just going to sit here. I'm here if you need me.” She started to gently rub Auroras back until she drifted off in a restless sleep. 

It seemed as if only minutes had passed when Aurora woke up and yawned. But when she rubbed the sleep from her eyes she noticed a glaring light was sliding through her curtains. The memories of last night came crashing back to her and a heavy constricting feeling knotted in her chest. She reached for her phone and noticed that the time flashed 1 pm. Aurora squinted her eyes and rolled over to find both her parents asleep on her floor. Any hope that it was all a dream was gone now and reality sank back in. 

Aurora sat up from her bed and tip-toed past her parents. She slowly creaked open the door and went downstairs. The kitchen floor was flooded with golden light, and through the cracked window, Aurora could hear birds tweeting. But she couldn't help but feel this was the eye of the hurricane. And that more chaos was to come. 

Aurora walked over to the cabinets and poured a glass of Orange juice. She had just taken a sip of it when she heard a shrill scream come from outside. Aurora grew stiff and the cup slid out of her hands. The glass shattered across the floor as the cup impacted the hard kitchen tiles. 

Aurora felt like she was having an out of body experience, and her legs felt like glue. And her heart pounded in her chest. But she managed to snap herself out of her trance, and rush to the front door. She swung the door on its hinges, and was preparing to witness another tragic event. But when her eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight, all she saw was her neighbors kids squealing as they splashed each other with water. Aurora's heart rate slowly returned to normal. 

Aurora could hear her mom walking down the stairs and ask, “Honey? Are you alright? We thought we heard something, is everything okay?”

Aurora shut the door and hung her head. Her shoulders started to quake, and tears dripped down her face. For the first time since the trip Aurora admitted with a shaky voice, “No…. I'm not okay, nothing's alright!”

Aurora sniffled and in a heartbeat Aurora felt her parents' arms wrap around her and just hold her while she cried. They stayed that way for a few minutes, when her dad pulled back and looked over to the glass scattered across the floor. His eyes furrowed with concern and he glanced back to Aurora. 

“What happened?” The way he asked seemed like he meant more than just this morning. So once again, Aurora went over the details of the trip, and how it haunts her. It felt so good to be able to talk to her parents. For the remainder of the day, they stayed home with just eachothers company, Aurora's parents watched as Aurora aimlessly walked around in silence, her eyes looking far away. 

Around 6 o'clock someone knocked on the front door. Aurora sat up from the couch and walked to get it. When she opens the door, she sees a familiar bushy haired boy with a sad look on his face.

“Devin? What are you doing here?” Aurora suddenly got a little self conscious of her food stained T-shirt, lounge sweatpants, and messy hair. She didn't know why she was concerned with such petty matters right now. But she pushed the thought away and redirected her focus to Devin.

“Well, your mom called me earlier and said she thought you could use a friend right now, and I agreed to come over.” Devin paused and looked directly into Aurora's eyes, “You know, you can call me whenever you want… Even if you don't have a reason to. You shouldn't go through this alone.” 

Aurora didn't know if it was possible to be able to have such an awesome and supportive friend like Devin, yet here he was. She nodded her head and replied, “You shouldn't have to either, I'm glad you're here.” She stepped outside with him and closed the door. 

They walked around the neighborhood and talked about how they are processing everything. And honestly, Aurora thought it was perfect. Having someone who went through the struggles with her and being able to talk with them was more than she could ever ask for. 

They were rounding a corner when Devin stopped in his tracks and his face became downcast. Aurora was confused until she remembered, this is where her and Devin had met Hannah. Aurora looked at the cracked sidewalk as the memorie played in her head. 

Her and Devin were about 15 when they were walking around the neighborhood searching for his cat, Biscuit, who had escaped earlier. When they ran into a girl around their age, scratching the orange tabby between the ears. The girl had long red hair and a young round face. The girl looked up and gave a small smile to them. “Hello! What can I do for you?” She asked.

Devin breathed a sigh of relief, and pointed to the cat. “Well, we've been searching for my lost cat, but it turns out you found him! Thank you!” 

The girl stood up with the cat in her arms and made a pouting face. “You mean this cat is yours?! Darn it, I was hoping I could keep it!” She looked at the cat and mumbled, “Oh well, I guess your owner seems nice enough. Here you go.” She handed the cat to Devin and the cat purred as it snuggled into his arms. The girl looked longingly at the cat one last time and looked at Aurora. “What are your names?” She questioned.

Aurora held out her hand and announced, “I'm Aurora, and this is Devin. What's your name?” 

“My name is Hannah, nice to meet you guys!” She checked her watch. “I should probably go. Bye!” And just like that, she left and went home.

Aurora and Devin didn't actually become friends with Hannah until 2 years later, but her death still had a tremendous effect on them. 

“Aurora? Did you hear me?” 

Aurora was transported back to the present when she noticed Devin looking at her expectantly. Aurora shook her head, “Sorry, what did you ask?” 

He continued, “I asked if we should head back to your house. It's getting late.”

Aurora glanced one last time at the sidewalk and nodded. 

To her surprise she felt Devin’s hand on her shoulder. She looked into his soft eyes as he whispered, “I miss her too.” And with that they both walked back to her house in silence. But both knew they had each other to rely on.

He was waiting patiently, just waiting. Any day now the news would be out. Then everyone would know what happened. And while he loved the idea of basking the glory of what he accomplished, he had other matters to attend to. He directed his focus to the now empty wall. Before, there were many pictures of a red haired girl smiling and waving to people she knew, all the while she had no clue she was his first target. A small chuckle came from the man as he grabbed the one photo he saved. 

“Which lucky person will win today?” He grabbed a red marker and traced a slow circle around the person sitting next to the red head. A smile crept on him as he hung the picture back up on the wall. He felt invincible, nobody could ignore him now. He was just waiting for his chance. He has had to wait his whole life, so what's a little while longer? 

Aurora was sitting on her desk, watching the press release that was sent out by the town about Hannah. A chill was sent down her spine and a heavy sadness washed over her. She felt like she was suffocating on the realness of the situation. Even though she already knew what happened, it felt even more real.  She watched as the reporter read the last statement from the police.

No more than 5 minutes later, her phone started blowing up with texts from some of her other friends from school. And even some people she didn't know. She was just about to shut her phone off for a while, when a particular message caught her eye. It was from Harland. His message was short and brief, and lacking his usual playful tone when he asked that they all meet at the local coffee shop. Aurora replied within a couple minutes, saying she would be there in a few.  

She grabbed her red knitted sweater, and put her hair up in a messy bun. She walked downstairs to say goodbye to her parents, and got in her car. She drove down the quiet streets, and took a turn into the center of town. Left and right there were grave faces, and even some shops that had closed early. Hannah’s death had really affected everyone. Hannah had grown up here her whole life, and done so much for the town. She was always contributing to everything the town hosted. She was a social butterfly, drifting from person to person with lighthearted conversations. Now an emptiness seemed to settle with her absence.

Once Aurora got to the coffee shop called the “Oak Brewery,” she saw Sammy and Harland talking with downcast faces through the window. Aurora opened the door and bells jingled above. She looked around the practically empty room, but spotted her friends in the corner. Crossing over to them, she took a seat next to Sammy. Harland and Sammy gave their greeting and caught Aurora up with what they were saying.

“Me and Harland thought that talking about the good things about Hannah would help us cope, so we were just mentioning how we first met her.” Sammy said with a strained voice. “It’s actually kinda nice.” 

Harland cut in and added, “It still hurts though, and I think it always will.” His eyes were red and a red flush was on his face as he tried to hold in tears. Not in the entirety of 4 years of knowing him, did Aurora ever see him shed a tear. But if ever there was a time, it was now.  

Sammy and Aurora reached out and held his hand and Sammy whispered, “It's hard for all of us. You're not alone.” 

Harland nodded in appreciation, while Sammy let go to grab a tissue from her purse. But everyone turned to the jingling of the door opening, and saw Devin cross over to them. When he walked over, his face made a small frown as he stared at Harland’s and Aurora's intertwined hands. He flopped down next to Harland, and pretended not to notice. Aurora let go of Harlands hand and cleared her throat and asked, “Anyone want coffee?” 

“Yeah, I'll have chai tea please.” Sammy requested.

“Just black coffee for me.” Harland mumbled.

Everyone turned to Devin, waiting for his response. A small read flush came across his face as he whispered, “Ill habcbeocb hasjlet lateh witeth etrua cinyryfgm.” 

Harland looked confused and said, “Devin, you gotta speak up.” 

Aurora already knew the answer, and thought it was amusing that he was embarrassed by his drink. So she just continued and repeated back the orders to them.

 “So that's one chai tea, one black coffee, and one hazelnut latte with whip cream and extra cinnamon.”  

Everyone laughed as Devin sunk deeper into his seat. Aurora would feel bad, if it wasn't for Devin joining in with them. It felt good to laugh again. But everyone seemed to remember why they stopped laughing in the first place, and once again they fell quiet. Aurora didn't like the quiet, and she knew it would be like this for a while. But she longed for those moments when they were all happy, and nothing was wrong. 

Once Aurora bought their drinks, she came back to the table. Harland then looked at Sammy expectantly. Sammy turned to Aurora and asked, “So Aurora, when we were in the woods… You kinda seemed frantic? But that was to be expected with… everything… But you said something that caught us off guard.” 

Aurora nodded, because she did remember what she said. It's constantly in the back of her head, always clawing for her attention. When Aurora was younger she read about people who had talents that just seemed to click with them. And Auroras happened to be clicking evidence together. Even when she was a kid, she was able to see the connections to evidence where others didn't. But there were times she wished she could just ignore the strings. She wished she could just turn away from the evil possibilities that threatened to engulf her, drown her, but the possibilities were too tempting. So she would go back to that night, and when she should be mourning, she ended up questioning the scene. So she looked into her friend's wide eyes and replied, “Yes, I think Hannah was murdered.”

Sammy sucked in a breath, and Devin looked confused. But surprisingly Harland nodded his head in understandment, he looked straight into Aurora's eyes and challenged, “It's an understandable thing to think, and honestly, I can see where that would match much more than tripping on a rock. But the question I have is… Why?”  

Aurora was taken aback by Harlands readiness to her theory. “Well, as you said, the wound on her head was a little too deep from a tripping accident, and th-” Harland cut her off.

“No, I want to know why anyone would possibly want to murder Hannah,” he looked around to make sure no one was listening. “What is the motive for this murder?”

Aurora went to answer, but her throat caught and nothing came to mind. She couldn't think of any reasonable explanation. But she did know how this might look to others, so she replied, “I don't know why… But I do know this, the evidence isn't looking good for us. We don't have alibis, so we each had an opportunity to kill Hannah. Now, either this is a crazy coincidence, or we're being framed. 

What Aurora failed to mention, was that the only other possibility was one of them murdered Hannah…

He smiled at himself as he flicked off the old T.V, the news was finally out. Now everyone would know what had happened. He could feel a cheeky smile creep on his face. He walked over to his squeaky couch, and glanced at the camera on the coffee table. He grabbed his camera and admired it for a moment. He fondly remembered when he first got this camera. Sometime in early grade school, a peer of his, Timmy, was showing off this new camera he got from his parents for his birthday. He was always jealous of Timmy, Timmy always got what he wanted. So when Timmy's back was turned, he snatched the camera and stuffed it in his backpack. Practically no one knew who he was, so they never suspected it was him. He remembered Timmy crying and demanding to get it back. But he was sure Timmy would get another one in a couple days. Even if he didnt, he wouldn't care. So he proudly marched home and stashed it under his bed. And he took great care of it for many more years. 

Now its uses could be used for so much more than just simple meaningless photos. It was used to study his new targets. It would be used to stalk his next victim. With that, he slung a coat over his shoulders and walked outside with his camera in his hand.