Principal's Office, 9:00 AM
"Sit."
Officer Huang leaned back in the principal's swivel chair, ankles crossed. His clasped hands rested on his stomach – relaxed yet imposing, like he owned the room.
William sat stiffly opposite him, silent.
"Relax." Huang smiled. "Just routine questions."
Easy for you to say, William thought. Alone with a cop is when I should panic.
"That cut on your face?"
"Bug bite." William brushed it casually.
Officer Huang opened a notepad. "Relationship to Vivian Li?"
"Childhood friends since kindergarten."
"You were together yesterday afternoon?"
"Watched a movie at the mall, had dinner. Stayed out late."
"When did you part ways?"
"Around 11 PM." Vague is safer than precise.
"You didn't walk her home?"
"I did partway. She insisted on going alone the last stretch." William paused. "Check the cameras if you doubt me."
Huang's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Cameras were down on that block."
"What?" William feigned shock.
"Suggests premeditation. No weapon, no witnesses... just dead ends." The officer studied William's face. "Anyone hold a grudge against her?"
"Everyone loved her."
"Jealous rivals? Anyone?"
"No."
Huang leaned forward. "You were in love with her."
William hesitated. "...Yeah."
"Text logs show she accepted your confession. Yesterday was your first date."
"And last." William's voice cracked – this grief wasn't fake.
Huang stood abruptly. "We're done." He clapped William's shoulder. "My condolences."
Hallway
William exhaled. Close call.
"William!"
A muscular arm locked around his throat. "Cough…!"
"HA! Weakling!" Kevin released him, grinning. His dyed-blond hair and lip ring glinted under fluorescent lights.
Rich kid. Expelled last week for smashing a guy's head over "being looked at wrong." Strangely, he'd declared William his "only real friend" since freshman year.
"Why the funeral face?" Kevin asked.
"Vivian's dead. Robbery gone wrong."
"NO WAY!" Kevin blinked. "Damn... Wait, did she say yes to your lame-ass confession?"
William glared. Typical Kevin – zero tact.
"Look on the bright side!" Kevin punched his arm. "No rivals now!"
"I'm attending her memorial tonight."
"Creepy! Planning some Ghost love story?"
"Get lost!"
Kevin waved, jogging backward. "Call me for duo rank later! Silver tier awaits!"
Mountain Green Funeral Home, 7:00 PM
The memorial chapel smelled of lilies and grief. Vivian's photo smiled from an altar – radiant, frozen in time. Her body lay in a glass coffin surrounded by white roses. Parents in black accepted condolences with hollow eyes.
William trailed his homeroom teacher past the casket. Vivian wore a black dress, makeup perfect. Like sleeping. Yet his skin prickled remembering those bone-crushing hands.
Thirsty, he slipped into a side lounge – and froze.
Lynn stood by the water cooler.
"What did Huang ask?" Her voice cut the silence.
"Nothing important."
"Details. Now."
William scanned the empty room. "Done pretending? Your act today was Oscar-worthy."
Lynn's eyes sharpened. "You met her?"
"Who?"
"My other self."
"You mean… DID?" William whispered.
She locked the door. "Survival demands self-deception. Over time, Lynette emerged – my 'sister.' Vivian's death… unsettled her."
"Why should I believe you?"
"This reason enough?" A blade materialized at William's throat.
"Point taken." He recounted Huang's interrogation.
Lynn nodded. "You didn't slip up. Good."
"He's just a cop."
"You've no idea how dire this is." Her laugh chilled him. "Know the Beast-to-human ratio here?"
"1 in 10,000?"
"Reverse that."
"What?!" William's glass shook.
"10,000 Beasts for every human. Finding two at our school defies odds." She stepped closer. "Your neighbors? Friends? Family? All Beasts. Your whole life – a lie."
Ice slithered down William's spine. Twelve years surrounded by monsters. His stomach churned.
"You're my third human encounter." Lynn's voice turned grim. "The others died."
"Why am I alive?"
"Beasts spare the unaware. They only hunt Awakened like us."
"Why?!"
"Unknown. Their rules---"
The door swung open.
Officer Huang stood there, smiling.
"Did someone say... Beasts?"