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I put my cat back on my bed. My blanket with blue stars is under him, he loves it. He kneads it whenever he wants to sleep, so I leave it with him when I go out.

“What do we have this morning?” I ask Hayzel, and the shocked look she gives me irritates me.

“Mireya Vitelli? You don't know what we have this morning? I can't believe it.”

“I didn't sleep much, and I'm tired, it happens, okay?”

“We have Mr. Caldwell and then shooting practice.”

“Oh fun…" I say sarcastically.

After this morning’s little encounter with him, I feel weird about having to face him again. Why does he even think I’m smart enough to help him? If I was, I’d be out of this town so fast. Instead I’m still here trying to find a way out.

I wish I could work on it. The case is intriguing. Years of murders, same profile for the victims, but never caught the killer? Feels odd.

But if I do so, I’d be too unfocused on everything I have to achieve.

I can’t… I can’t risk it all even if it would prove to everyone that I can do more than this with my life. I’m capable of it.

Hayzel and I walk toward our first class. It’s 7:45am and the cold slaps us in the face when we head toward the principal building. Students rushed past, backpacks bouncing, and conversations were loud around us.

“Gosh, it’s so cold,” she mutters, rubbing her hands together.

I shrug, letting the chill hit me. “Yeah… but it’s waking us up.”

She rolls her eyes before replying, “I’m wide awake. No need for this.”

“You’re weak,” I tease, and she pokes my shoulder.

We turn a corner and run into Ethan. “My two favorite girls,” he says, all smiling and starting walking with us.

“Don’t you have other friends?” I ask and it makes him laugh.

“I do, but I prefer my childhood ones,” he replies before pointing at the second building. “I’m with Ms Green this morning. They sent a text to tell us that the schedule had changed.”

Hayzel pulls out her phone and squints at a new message as Ethan was talking. “Oh… wait. The administration just texted me too, they changed my class this morning.”

“What? Don’t you have Mister Caldwell?” I ask, confused.

And she shakes her head. “Apparently I’m with Miss Green too, check your phone Reya, maybe they changed yours too.” She looks back at Ethan who is just laughing and she sighs, “Oh fuck, no,” she muttered.

And he just grinned. “Yeah, you’re with me.”

I pull out my phone, hoping for a text too. Nothing. Not a single message. I frown and tuck it away, a little disappointed. “I’m still with Mister Caldwell this morning…”

“Are you nervous to go there alone, Reya?” Ethan asks in a weird, worried voice.

"No, I'm just disappointed.”

Hayzel gives me a quick hug before smiling, “I’ll text you when it’s done so we can grab something to eat and then head to training,” she says, bouncing off to her classroom.

“See you during lunch break, Reya!!" Ethan screams as he follows her.

I wave them off, watching them disappear into the stream of students.

I like moving through the hall unnoticed, observing, cataloging small details about the people around me. But now, for some reason, the thought of walking into class alone makes me want to throw up. I never minded disappearing into the crowd before. It only works when someone knows you’re there to disappear in the first place.

Funny how one person can make disappearing less lonely.