Singing was my passion for as long as I could remember. It was a way to cope with bullying, losing my parents, and the everyday struggles of life. It was something fun, a way to express myself. It use to be so important to me. I was singing every chance I got. But something changed and suddenly I didn't feel motivated to sing anymore. My reason for singing vanished.

It reminded me of a bird. Birds love to sing, I woke up every morning to their joyful songs. However, when they're locked up, the singing ceases and you're left with a sad creature with empty eyes. Without the freedom they crave, without the ability to fly without limitations, they have nothing to sing about.

That was what befriending the girls did to me. The friendship was a cage disguised as an open sky. That wasn't how it was supposed to be.

On Monday, for the first time in a long time, I sang. It wasn't a song weaved of happiness. That would have betrayed how I felt. It was a song of loneliness. Still, it contained all of the passion and emotion that allowed a song to be a song.

So, in the empty school hallway that held my locker, I let my soul leak out. I sang softly to myself as I shuffled through my notebooks.

"What would I give to live where you are?

What would I pay to stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk? Where would we run if we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, then I could be, part of your world."

I did not remember the name of the song or who sung it. All I knew was that it played on my grandmother's radio every so often and captured my feelings perfectly. It was a bouncy yet soulful song that sounded like it belonged in a musical. I went on singing, so lost in the words that I didn't realize I was singing them aloud. So lost, I didn't realize the figure behind me.

"Wow. I had no idea you could sing."

I jumped, dropping a couple of books. The mirror in my locker reflected Norah who stood behind me looking like she just saw Santa Claus.

"Oh. I . . . I don't sing often."

She blinked. Her eyes as wide as a doe's.

I cleared my throat. Singing was something I was shy about.

"You're really talented. And to think I thought Helen was the singer of the group! You better not let her hear you sing, she'll be incredibly jealous." Her voice hitched at the word 'group' and by the awkward shifting from one foot to the other, I could tell Hannah had told her about our conversation.

"I'm sorry."

She waved a hand, dismissively. "It's been a hard time for all of us. If you need some alone time, that's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to drop off the face of the earth. I'm here for you if you ever need a favor."

My eyebrows raised. She was respecting my decision yet still making herself available for me. I didn't expect it and I didn't deserve it. In fact, I was kind of expecting complete and utter exile from the girls and was nervous on what would happen when we were placed in the same building together.

"Thank you." I truly meant it.

She nodded and then started down the hallway, her pace steady and calculated. I stopped her, remembering that I might need her for something.

"Actually," I said loudly, causing her to turn back around, "Can I take you up on that favor?"

----------------------------------------

"I can't believe we're breaking into the boy's locker room." We were positioned right around the corner leading to the double doors. "Are you really this awkward? Why can't you just ask Zac for his number like a normal person?!"

I did some thinking on Zac and our encounter at the Halloween party. I decided I wanted to know more about his relationship with Victoria but obviously couldn't ask him about. I figured like almost every teenager in this school, he lived a lot of his life on his phone. Meaning, I could probably find something connecting him to Victoria on it. Whether that means pictures, texts, emails, calendar dates, or something else. Of course, I couldn't say any of this to Norah. I made up the excuse of being too shy to ask Zac for his number myself and wanted to take his phone and copy the number onto mines. Being a loyal friend, she agreed.

Norah glanced at her watch and then smirked. "It should be cleared out by now. Let's go."

We rushed over to the smelly space, slipping in seemily undetected. Though, I'm sure I heard the sound of Mrs.Roman's heels tapping towards us.

Once inside, we paused, listening for any changing boys but heard nothing. Norah was making her way through the maze of lockers, her eyes scanning over them. "The layout should be the same as the girls. His locker is that way. Just be careful. There are sweaty jockstraps everywhere!"

I heeded her warning, hurrying towards the locker while leaping over dirty socks and masking my face from the putrid stench of feet and armpits. The dark blue lockers contrast nicely with the light blue wall giving a cheery vibe. However, with Norah standing guard, a suspense full silence filled the air. Every step I took seemed to echo, my breathing the loudest noise in the room.

Zac's lock was the type made for a key. I almost pitied him. Combination was always the way to go if you didn't want someone to break in. Locks can easily be picked.

If the number of the locker I got from the school records wasn't enough to tell me the locker was Zac's, the Harry Potter stickers would. I sighed. He was such a geek. A really sweet one. What he did at the party was so out of character that I wanted to believe there was a better explanation. But I knew there wasn't and the chance of finding something even more horrible on his phone was high. Maybe I didn't know Zac as well as I thought I did.

The lock clicked open and I smiled in success.

His locker smelled like strawberries. The scent isn't artificial, it was organic and sweet and floated out to me. I gasped as I realized the scent was familiar. It smelled like Tori's shampoo.

My heart was thudding in my chest as I shuffled through the contents of the locker. It was his school clothes carefully folded and his backpack. There was a weird gap towards the end of the locker so I emptied it to get a better look.

"Arielle, hurry up!" Norah rushed.

Her words faded out as I came across Tori's dark purple scarf.

Then a darker truth hit me. The scarf went along with a specific outfit. That outfit was the dress she wore the day she died.

Tori was shifting through her wardrobe while we stood around her watching in anticipation. Tori had a very dark style compared to us and so she was going to get us to try it out. She picked a black mini skirt and tank top for Hannah, dark jeans and a skull tee for Norah, a simple black dress and boots for me, and a lace dress for Helen. The lacy dress was like gown. It was beautiful and elegant. However, it was obviously missing something. Victoria seemed to realize that.

"Hold on, Helen," she said digging deeper into her closet. She unhooked a velvet scarf from a hanger and then held it out in front of Helen. She tapped her chin and then nodded. "You need this."

She gently placed the scarf around Helen's neck and rearranged her long hair. Victoria was right. Without the scarf the dress looked boring and bland. The scarf gave it an extra perk, making it pop.

"That is by far my favorite combo. I am never again wearing that dress without the scarf," she said, obviously proud of her work.

I felt sick. I thought I would start to throw up then and there.

What did it mean? Zac seeing Victoria romantically was one thing but having the scarf she wore when she died? Did that mean he was there when she died? Did the police know this? He could be hiding evidence.

A locker slammed a few rows down from me and echoed throughout the space. I jumped.

"Norah, is that you?"

No answer. It was so quiet I could hear the hum of the air conditioner above me.

"Norah?" I looked around and decided it was time to go. I had a bad feeling about sticking around any longer.

I took a picture of the things in Zac's locker and reached for the rectangular phone in his bag pouch. I was scanning through the phone as fast as I could when I heard footsteps coming my way, too heavy to belong to Norah.

I reloaded the locker and shut it, forgetting I had Zac's phone in my hand. Soon, another distraction was in action. The footsteps were coming even closer, like they were intent on getting to me.

I began to run, trying to make my steps light and undetected. I slid down another row of lockers and risked glancing back. My foot caught on the strap of an athletic brace causing me to fall on my face with a loud thud.

I groaned as my head collided with the floor, on the spot that was previously wounded from my trip over the cliff.

Still, I rushed to get up with Zac's phone in hand. I knew I didn't want to find out who the person who was following me was. If it was Zac, I was in severe danger. I had no idea who he was anymore and in the back of my head, I was thinking the worst.

To my relief, the footsteps disappeared. Maybe they had fotte tired or weren't really after me at all. With all the trauma I've experienced lately I wouldn't be surprised if I had imagined it. With a sigh, I rounded a corner headed towards the door.

"What are you doing?"

I screamed and fell back against the wall.

A shirtless Pete was standing in front of me, giving me a look of wonder and annoyance.

"Oh." With the fear of being discovered by Zac slipping away, I became more aware to Pete's exposed chest. It was toned and muscular causing a blush to form on my cheeks.

"I was changing and thought I heard a girl. Never imagined you as a peeper . . ." He nodded at the phone and I felt myself turn 3 shades darker.

"No! No, no, no. It's not like that at all! I was just - this guy friend I have - he had my phone in his locker so I was getting it back. I didn't mean to invade your privacy. I'm so sorry."

He chuckled and began to slip his black t-shirt over his head.

I decided to make my exit before I could embarrass myself further. "I'll be going now. Sorry, again."

"Wait!" He chased after me. "You're bleeding."

I span around. "Yea?"

He motioned to his head. I grazed the spot that ached and my fingers came back red. I trembled, remembering how the blood floated around me under water when I was certain I was going to die.

"That looks bad." He came closer in concern. "How'd it happen?"

"I tripped." The double doors were open a tad and I could see Norah watching curiously just out of sight. She lifted an eyebrow at me and mouthed, "What about Zac?"

"I got it," I mouthed back.

"Let me walk you to the nurse," he offered. I agreed and slipped Zac's phone into my pocket as Norah scurried off, well aware that I just stole from Zac.

__________________________

"That bandage looks like a bandana. Like you're about to join a gang," Pete commented, making me laugh.

"I actually just left one." I stroked my hair as I remembered my argument with Hannah and the deal.

"Oh, really?"

"Hannah's." Her name was a bitter taste in my mouth. She betrayed me. She threatened to ruin me and then tangled me in a deal I couldn't meet. The anxiety of what was bound to happen in the next month was maddening and kept me up at night. It followed me like a cloud over my head, the thought silencing suffocating me more and more each day.

Pete's face became serious. "Wow. That's big."

I nodded. Now that I was no longer on their side, they were free to torture me like they did with the other students. She'd probably be even worse to me. She didn't mean to show it but my choosing to break away from the group hurt her. I wasn't sure why. She doesn't care for me so she won't miss me. Maybe the thought of losing another member of her posse bothered her. Either way, I was dead. Hannah hit the hardest when she was hurt.

"Can I ask why?" He sat down next to me on the bench, giving me his full attention.

"I guess . . . " I tried to simplify the truth knowing I couldn't tell Pete the whole truth. "I realized how toxic our friendship was."

He put a hand on my knee. "I think you made the right decision."

I smiled, recognizing that my list of allies had drastically shortened but having Pete softened the blow. "Thanks."

Once the bell rang we were off to our next classes and then the period I feared most of all: Lunch.

For as long as I could remember, I sat at the center table next to the girls. We would gossip and chat about the simple things and there was never a day I felt out of place. But now that I was no longer a part of their group, I had no idea what to do or where to go. Not only that but people would realize I wasn't sitting with the girls and spread rumors about that. The social consequences of my choice were tiring to think about.

Instead of facing all of that head on, I decided to go to the library where I could search Zac's phone in peace. I took a seat between two bookshelves in the back and pulled it out.

It was a small smartphone, nothing fancy. The wallpaper was a plain blue and seemed to have only the necessary apps downloaded. I decided to go through his images first. I tapped the photo icon and was shocked at the intricate organization. It was divided into photo albums. One of them catching my eye. It was titled "Tori." I clicked it in the blink of an eye and out came four photos.

One was of me and Tori at a town fair from last year, hugging our prizes to our chest and smiling big for the camera. Tori's mom took this picture. I remembered her telling me that I was the sister Tori never got to have.

I swiped to see the rest of the photos only to realize they had been recently deleted and the trash can icon wasn't giving them back.

I wanted to find out where he got the photo of Tori and I and found it was linked back to a message. From Tori. I went to the messages and read the conversation between them with my heart skipping beats.

_________<1/6/2017>_________

Tori: This is us from last year. Talk to her. Get to know her and let her get to know you

Me: she looks nice 🤔

Tori: yea but there's a lot hiding behind that smile

________<6/27/2017>_________

Tori: You promised me. I've given you the money. I've given you everything! Get rid of her!

Zac: IDK if i want to do this anymore

Tori: You can't be having second thoughts now

Tori: come on, Zac!

Tori: If you've ever cared about me or any of us you will do this! She needs to disappear

Zac: I've grown attached to her and I want what's best for her.

Zac: I can't do it

I put the phone down on the ground and squeezed my eyelids together. I rubbed my temples and tried to concentrate on the text. The dark side of me, the part I was trying to shut out, thought it sounded a lot like Tori was trying to hire Zac as a hit man. But I couldn't bring myself to believe that. Tori wasn't like that. That would be too evil for her.

Maybe it didn't have to do with me. Maybe Tori was trying to get rid of her tormentor, in which I would understand. The one she was talking about in her diary entry. The first text could have been Tori trying to hook Zac and I up. They didn't have to be related.

I was more confused than ever and didn't want to think about it anymore. I sent screenshots of the texts to myself and decided I would bring this all to the police. It was there job to figure this out. Besides, they'd be way better at it than me.

I left the phone on a shelf, hoping someone would find it and bring it to the lost and found. That way Zac wouldn't know I stole it.

I was heading out when I was stopped by the librarian, Mrs. Rowan. She had short black hair that stopped at her shoulders and light skin. She had a delicate frame and warm brown eyes. I always thought she looked like Snow White and much too young to spend her days cooped up in a school library.

"Reading, are we? Never fancied you a reader. You and the girls always seemed a bit too busy for that." Her voice was so sweet it made me want to stay and converse with her all day.

"Usually."

"Well, I just remembered that I have something for you." She walked over to her desk and pulled out a book with an aged cover. "Your friend Mrs.Barely wasn't much of a reader either but she did have one book she came back to again and again during her last year here."

She handed it to me and with her words it felt like I was holding a piece of Victoria.

"You can keep it and give it a read. I figured it might give you comfort to know where her mind was at before . . ." Her face grew uncomfortable. "Before the tragic incident."

"Thank you." I bowed my head and exited knowing that I would spend the night reading this book. I needed more than ever to understand who Victoria was leading up to her death.
____________________

My hands were shaking. The police station,was only a block ahead of me. I had the evidence on my phone and had rehearsed what I was going to say and how all the way there. I knew the police had a target painted on my back. Norah was sure they thought we had something to do with Victoria's murder. I prepared myself for their skepticism and questions that could turn on me and make me look guilty. I had to risk digging myself into deeper trouble in order to find the truth about what happened to Tori.

I pulled out my phone, reviewing the messages one last time and the pictures of what was in Zac's locker. No doubt I was going to get in trouble for that.

That's when my phone started to vibrate. It wasn't the normal "You got a message" vibration. It was almost like the phone was having a seizure. The screen started to distort. The pictures blurred and glitched, colors flashing from the screen.

"No! You can't break now!" My phone was fairly new. It shouldn't have been glitching out.

It all stopped leaving a blank screen. I stared at it for a moment and then tapped the on button, praying it would work. When I did a video started to play. One I didn't recognize. It was a video of sand sliding through the hands of a stranger. It stopped and giant bolded words ran across the screen.

Keep searching in the sand and soon you'll be buried in it. Stop looking.

The message flashed away leaving me with an empty gallery and no evidence.

Author's Note- The song Arielle sings towards the beginning is the reprise to Part of Your World from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid.