The dorm room was silent, but the tension in the air was sensible. The six sat in a circle, their faces dimly lit by the lamp on Hazel's bedside table. No one spoke for a while. The weight of what had happened in the past few days was sinking in. Two students were dead. The school was brushing it off. And yet, no one seemed to be doing anything.
Evelyn exhaled sharply. "We can't just sit here and pretend nothing happened. We need to do something."
Hazel nodded. "Yeah. I mean, two students—two seniors—died under weird circumstances, and the school is just calling it bad luck? That's ridiculous."
Riley crossed her arms. "And what do you expect us to do? Solve the case ourselves?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Evelyn said, looking serious.
Autumn scoffed. "You're insane. This is a crime scene. We are not detectives."
"But we can be smart about it," Lemon finally spoke up. Her voice was calm but firm. "Look, we don't have to do anything reckless. We just need to ask questions. Someone in this school knows something."
Hazel tapped her fingers against her knee. "If we're doing this, we need a plan. And more importantly, a leader."
Scarlett smirked. "That's obvious. It has to be Lemon."
Lemon blinked. "What? No way."
"You're the one who always notices things the rest of us don't," Evelyn pointed out. "You figured out the teachers were more worried about their reputation than the deaths. You're the mastermind here."
Lemon shook her head. "I just think logically. That doesn't mean I should be in charge."
"But you should," Hazel insisted. "You think ahead. You analyze things. If anyone can figure this out, it's you."
Everyone nodded in agreement, making Lemon sigh. "Fine," she muttered after a pause. "I'll do it."
"Ok, ok but you'll have to order us to do what,when and how," Scarlett said.
"Agreed," Riley said.
Lemon sighed "OK,"
Lemon pulled out a notebook. "Tomorrow, after our lectures, we'll find some seniors and casually bring up the topic. Not directly—just small things like, 'Hey, where were you when it happened?' or 'Did you hear anything weird that night?'"
"And what if they refuse to answer?" Autumn asked.
"Then we move on to someone else," Evelyn said. "We'll start with the ones who seemed close to Sofia and the first victim."
"But as far as I know the first victim's friends didn't came to see her dead body," Scarlett pointed out.
"Exactly," Lemon said, flipping a pen between her fingers. "That's the most interesting part. If she wasn't close to anyone, then why is she targeted?"
Hazel glanced at the clock. It was getting late. "Alright, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start digging for answers."
No one knew what they would find, but one thing was clear—this wasn't just a coincidence. Something dark was buried in Maplewood, and they were about to uncover it.