Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Nine


    It took Lila a minute or so to recall where she''d hidden the photos they''d printed all those weeks ago. As she pulled the envelope out of her desk drawer, she remembered that she hadn''t been Asher''s girlfriend when these were taken and printed. It felt like a lifetime ago now.


    Shaking her head, she opened the envelope and shuffled through the photos.


    Revisiting Marlene''s place in picture form stirred Lila''s mind yet again. Marlene was the strangest person she''d ever encountered, an enigma whose motivations were shrouded in the densest fog imaginable. She generally behaved normally – except… when you figure out two teenagers have broken into your house, do you really give them tips about locking doors behind them? Without a word of admonishment for invading your privacy?


    Lila couldn''t help but frown as she continued to flip through the photos, pausing at the picture showcasing the half-finished embroidery. She still had no idea what flower it was supposed to be, though something compelled her to take it to show Asher tomorrow. He might know.


    She continued on, pausing again at the pictures of Marlene''s corkboard filled with Piper-related photos and notes. Perhaps… she should take these, too. Something about it niggled at her. Its existence to begin with didn''t give her any answers as to who Marlene was, or her motivations – but it might give her some clues about Piper''s death.


    ''Either Marlene killed her, or someone else did – maybe someone else who was captured in these photos,'' Lila thought, moving on as quickly as she could. Though she collected it to refer to later with Asher, looking at it alone made her feel uneasy.


    Finally, she came across what she''d been looking for. Again, it didn''t make sense. Why would Marlene have these photos of employees at the Forestglade Private Hospital and pictures of Asher''s Dad and Lila''s Dad in and outside the hospital?


    Lila immediately recognised Evelyn amongst the collection of headshots—and her picture was circled. Lila brought the photo closer, squinting to see what else was there. None of the headshots looked to be of the doctor from the CCTV screenshot, but one picture stood out.


    It was blurred, but the man within it… could this be the mysterious doctor? He certainly looked to be a doctor, one with a similar build to the one from the CCTV screenshot. But… well, he wasn''t exactly a unique-looking man, and the quality of these photos didn''t show any features. If he wasn''t the doctor, then who was he?


    She placed the requisite photos on top of the ones she''d set aside and continued to flip through the rest. None looked to be important enough to bring to Asher''s attention tomorrow, but the absence of the farmhouse pictures puzzled her again. Why had Marlene – at least, she assumed it was Marlene – taken them? Especially the one of Asher at the farmhouse… Lila really would''ve liked that one.


    ''Well, maybe Asher can see if this guy looks like the one from the CCTV,'' Lila hoped, slipping the photos into her blazer''s breast pocket.


    Still, Marlene bothered Lila incessantly. Maybe… maybe they should talk to her. Ask her what her deal is. It was obvious she knew they''d poked around her place, so asking about what they saw – was that out of line?


    She knew that Asher really didn''t want to talk to Marlene about any of that – or at all, actually. But how else were they going to get the answers? If Marlene wasn''t the perpetrator of Piper or Jason''s murder, then she very well might know something about the person who was. And, if she did, maybe Lila could stop wondering.


    At the same time, there was a certain satisfaction Lila gained from piecing together the truth herself. If Marlene just laid everything out there, would she get the same satisfaction?


    ''Probably not, but I''ve got no ideas based on the information I have.''


    She sighed, draping her blazer over her school bag. She could propose the idea to Asher at least.


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    "Fuck no, you want me to get murdered in my sleep?!"


    That was probably to be expected.


    Lila sighed, taking a bite of her apple. She''d thought about asking him just before English, or even during English, but decided to hold her tongue until morning tea. It was quite a good move, apparently, owing to how loudly he said that. Though she had tried her best to avoid conversations that would likely stress Asher out, her want to talk about Marlene and the photos was too powerful to keep her mouth shut. She was definitely regretting it now, though, what with the terrified expression on his face.


    "Sorry," he said sheepishly, slowly sitting down after having stood up in reaction to her suggestion. "That was a bit more aggressive than I intended. But we did see her take down a guy in my library like it was nothing. The fact that she knows we were in our house – we''re on thin ice."


    "No, I get it," Lila replied with an understanding smile. "I know she freaks you out, and you live with her."


    It was Asher''s turn to sigh. "I wish she didn''t."


    "Freak you out or live with you?"


    "Well, if she didn''t freak me out, then she could live with me. So either? Both?"


    "Yeah, that''s fair enough."


    There was now an exceptionally awkward silence between them. Lila took another bite of her apple as Asher held his head in his hands.


    "There''s… something else, too."


    "Something else?" Lila repeated curiously, lowering her apple.


    "Yeah. Well. If it wasn''t Marlene, normally I''d go to Dad and ask him to look into her. But Marlene''s been with us for ages and… Mum hired her. Mum trusts her. So a part of me… thinks she''s got to be good, right? Like, she wouldn''t betray Mum, or the family, since Mum trusts her not to."


    "I wouldn''t say that''s an odd feeling to have, but what makes you say your Mum trusts her?"


    Asher looked up at Lila. "She clearly does, otherwise she wouldn''t have Marlene live on the same property, nor would she have kept her around for so many years."


    "That''s all?"


    "No, but it''s hard to explain. I mean, when Mum''s home, Marlene has dinner with us every night and they talk, actually. Mum''s so lively that it just draws everyone else in to have a conversation. It''s in the way that they talk, though. It''s… friendly. Familiar. More like Marlene is family than just a maid, you know. It''s the same with Gabriel. When Marlene and I talk, though, she''s more like a robot."


    Lila privately thought that it was more on Asher''s part that Marlene spoke to him like a robot, given the interactions she''d seen them have up to this point, but she didn''t say anything to that effect.


    "As much as I think she''s crazy, and she''s just a big mystery, and… maybe she did something to my Mum-" Asher swallowed like he''d swallowed an impending panic attack before continuing, "-but a part of me thinks I shouldn''t rock the boat too much until Mum comes back. I mean, what if I ended up getting Marlene fired? I don''t think Mum would be happy with that."


    "Well, if Marlene got fired, I think that would be because of her, rather than you," Lila responded sensibly.


    "Sure, but… I dunno, I just don''t want to talk to Dad about her. It probably doesn''t make sense to you." He drew his shoulders forward in apparent shame. "I''m being a bit of a wimp, but this is the hill I''ll die on. Wimpishly."


    Lila held back her first instinct to laugh and instead vehemently shook her head. "Asher, you''re not being a wimp. I think anyone would feel the same way. I know I would. You don''t need to be ashamed of that. I guess… it would be like thinking Clare''s the serial killer."


    "Serial killer? Wasn''t it just Piper and Jason who were murdered?"


    Lila glanced at him. She was definitely not going to tell Asher that she thought his Mum might''ve been the first victim – she needed to be firm on that, at least.


    "A murder like Piper''s definitely isn''t someone''s first."


    "Sure, but if Jason''s was a copycat, then that would''ve been that person''s first and therefore there isn''t a serial killer running around," Asher said, his tone logical and his face betraying the anxiety behind his words.


    "I know what Theo said, but is that really more likely than one person committing both?"


    "At this point, I''d say they''re both as likely. I mean, Jason''s murder did have a difference, after all."


    "Is that not just ''cause he''s a guy?"


    "Well, I guess you can''t really do that to a girl… but at the same time, it was different."


    "Murders don''t have to be the same for each victim even though they share the same killer."


    "I suppose so. So, what, you reckon there''s a third victim floating around somewhere?"


    "Possibly. Either way, going back to Marlene, I get what you mean. I just wish we could find the answers to all of our questions."


    Asher surveyed her for a couple of moments. "Sorry to keep disappointing you," he said finally, the remorse ringing in his voice. "Even though I want to help you get the answers you''re curious about, I just… can''t talk to her."


    "I''m guessing you''re not going to say yes to us breaking into her place again?"


    "Hell no."


    "Well, at least I asked."


    Asher looked conflicted, so she gave him a smile.


    "I was only joking," she said reassuringly. "Anyway, that''s not all I wanted to talk about."


    She pulled out the pictures that she''d placed in her breast pocket and scooted them towards Asher. He picked them up with interest before quickly putting them face-down on the table.


    "Why''d you bring these?" he asked anxiously, looking around the otherwise empty room as if it had filled with a bunch of people without their notice.


    "It was bothering me," Lila replied, now checking the room as well. "Remember yesterday? About Marlene''s notebook?"


    "Right… but you didn''t want to just take a picture on your phone? What if you lose these?"


    "I won''t lose them," Lila said, slightly affronted. She nudged them towards him again. "I didn''t want to take a picture for the same reason we took these on disposables. While I hope no one''s going to get into our phones, there''s no guarantee."


    He reluctantly turned them over again with one last glance around the room. "Yeah, okay. Sorry, I guess I''m a bit spooked after talking about Marlene." He spread them out across the table. "There''s a bit more here than just her notebook."


    "Yeah, well, I kinda wanted to revisit the others, too. There''s just something that bothers me about them."


    He nodded, though it seemed like he''d only half-heard her. His hands lingered on the photos of the corkboard and he shuddered, pushing these slightly further away from the rest. He tapped on the one of the embroidery.


    "Why''s this one here?" he asked.


    "Do you know what this flower is?"


    He blinked at her before smiling. "So that intrigues you?"


    She blushed, remembering his comments from yesterday. "Yeah. It does."


    He smiled at her again. Then he lifted the photo of the embroidery to his eyes.


    "I might be wrong… but this looks like wolfsbane."


    "Wolfsbane?"


    He pulled out his phone and rapidly tapped on it before passing it over to Lila.


    "Yeah. It looks like it to me."


    Lila compared the image he''d located and the embroidery before nodding. "Yeah, that''s definitely the same. I''m glad you knew."


    He beamed. "I came across the term in some of Shakespeare''s work when I was younger so I looked it up to see if it was real. It''s a highly poisonous flower that contains aconitine. They used it to tip arrows and weapons back then."


    "Huh, that''s pretty cool."


    "In Ancient Greece, they used it to poison their bait to kill wolves – the Greek name for the plant translates to ''wolf''s bane'' because of it."


    Lila placed the photo back into her blazer, her mind racing with new questions. Was this embroidery simply an idle pastime? Or was there something else to it? It didn''t seem as though this was from a kit, so Marlene would have to have looked up the flower and traced it onto the cloth herself.


    ''Quite the conscious choice…''


    "I completely forgot about this notebook," Asher said, picking up one of the photos of Marlene''s notebook and inspecting it. "Well, that''s certainly Evelyn."


    Lila quickly opened her phone and pulled up the CCTV screenshot and placed it between them.


    "I had a brief look, and I think this guy-" she shuffled the photos over and tapped the relevant one, "-could be Hunter. I can''t see that any of these headshots look like him, though."


    "Hmm…"


    Asher zoomed in on the screenshot on Lila''s phone, his lips pursed in concentration.


    "Can''t really see much," he murmured, squinting at both photos. "It could be… but it also could not be."


    Lila deflated in her chair. He was right, of course – there wasn''t much that could be seen. His eyes flickered to her before he chewed his bottom lip.


    "I mean, it does look like the same guy. If you squint-"


    "You don''t need to force it. It''s fine if it''s not the same guy. I was just hopeful that maybe they were connected, and that maybe it was Hunter."


    "Do you still have pictures of that employee list?"


    Lila drew a sharp breath, her sudden excitement taking even her by surprise. "I do."


    She eagerly retrieved her phone and flipped through her gallery.


    "Here," she said, placing it back between them. She leaned on the table, looking upside-down at the list as Asher zoomed in and moved the image around. From what she could see, ''Hunter'' was not among any of the names, but she waited for Asher to finish looking through it in case he found it.


    He looked up at her after a few seconds, his speed once again impressing her.


    "I can''t find anyone named ''Hunter'', but there are redacted names. Weren''t there ID photos in your Dad''s file, too?"


    Lila promptly slid to the next photo. He inspected this a lot more slowly before shaking his head.


    "There''s a few guys that could match, but none of them are named Hunter. They look pretty generic, which is why they could match," he said, pointing them out to her. She picked up her phone and sighed.


    "Yeah, you''re right. That''s annoying."


    She crossed her arms in frustration, staring down at the ID photos as though Hunter would emerge amongst them. Then, a strange question began to form in her mind.


    "… Asher, what if Hunter didn''t actually work at the Hospital?"


    "What?"


    "I mean, he''s not in this list of names, and there''s no ID photos that match."


    "I doubt this is exhaustive, and the list of names is for those at the corporate level. It''s not impossible that he was a doctor who happened to work at the corporate level, but to be able to access and sign off on morphine, I would''ve thought he''d be a general medical professional instead."


    Lila tapped her index fingers on the side of the table, thinking hard. Her sister had mentioned a while ago that psychologists needed to be registered nationally, since ''psychologist'' was a protected term – whereas ''counsellor'' was not. It was part of Clare''s consideration about her future prospects after Uni, whether or not she wanted to be registered since that added more time to her qualification.


    ''Surely doctors need to be registered too. It''d be dangerous to just be able to claim that you''re a doctor and not have anything to certify that you are…'' Lila thought, sitting up straight.


    "Asher, doctors need to be registered, right?"


    "Of course," Asher nodded. Then, a glimmer passed through his eyes – like he''d been struck with an idea. "The register is publicly available."


    They both immediately scrambled for their phones.


    "What''s the register called?" Lila asked, opening Google.


    "Ahpra."


    "Ah-what?"


    "Ahpra – the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency."


    She eagerly typed it in and opened the register. She selected their state to narrow it down and searched ''Hunter''. Then –


    "Not a single person with the first name ''Hunter''," Asher said with a frown. "I searched the whole of Australia too."


    "Yeah. All last names – not even a middle name."


    "Jason definitely said it was a first name, right?"


    "Definitely."


    "… What does it mean?"


    "It means that… either the guy gave Jason and his Mum a fake name, or… he''s a fake doctor."


    A wave of goosebumps caused her to bunch her shoulders up, the eeriness of that statement almost making her teeth chatter. "A fake doctor running around your Dad''s hospital?"


    Asher himself looked pale, as though the statement terrified him, too. "Maybe."


    "But wouldn''t Evelyn have known that?"


    Asher shook his head. "There''s so many employees at the hospital. Plus, she''s only supposed to access records for business purposes – she can''t just search databases to check that he works there. But… I guess if she was in on the whole morphine ring, maybe that kind of thing isn''t something she abides by either."


    "I doubt Jason would''ve known that," Lila murmured, pulling her arms closer to her body. It felt as though there was a gust of wind blowing directly on her – an impossibility since they were quite insulated in this meeting room.


    "Yeah."


    The silence was oppressive, the undeniably sinister nature of a masquerading doctor pressing down on Lila''s throat, preventing her from speaking. She took a sip of her water bottle, which relieved her enough to consider a new angle of approach.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Do you know how long it takes for a doctor to deregister or change their address on this Ahpra thing?" she asked quietly.


    "No idea."


    She tried to find the answer via a couple of Google searches before sighing and locking her phone. "Can''t find it."


    "Neither."


    "So he might not be fake, at least not then," Lila sighed.


    "Well, it looks like you can''t really ''deregister'' or cancel your registration, only a Court or Tribunal can do that. He could''ve moved to a new state or something."


    "That''d be pretty sudden, though. Surely if you were just moving for a job opportunity or something, you''d tell your partner, right? And if he told Evelyn he was moving, she wouldn''t have told Alice that he ''abandoned'' her. Plus, changing states wouldn''t take you off the register and you searched the whole country."


    "That''s probably true."


    "Wonder where this Hunter guy is," Lila said after another pause. "I mean, it seems like he fled, right? Since Jason was caught dealing the morphine Hunter stole. But if Evelyn doesn''t know much about the morphine ring, then of course she''d think he abandoned her."


    "Wherever he is, I hope he doesn''t have any other connection to my Dad''s hospital," Asher replied gravely.


    "Same here."


    More silence.


    "… Do you reckon he murdered Jason?" Lila whispered. She met Asher''s wide eyes and watched as he swallowed.


    "Maybe, if he''s a copycat killer. I can''t see a reason why he''d want to murder Piper, at least," he finally responded tentatively.


    Lila''s eyes flashed to the pictures of the corkboard and Asher seemed to get where she was going with that.


    "… Unless this corkboard shows a connection," he said reluctantly.


    He slowly moved the pictures between them and they picked up one each.


    "Isn''t it creepy looking at this stuff now that Piper''s dead?" Asher asked, his voice wavering as he stared intently at the photo in his hands.


    "I guess," Lila replied, "I just try not to think about it."


    "… Yeah. I''ll try that."


    The picture that Lila held was of the right side of the corkboard. It was all devoted to Piper and her activities before her death. It was strange seeing her in a Mulberry Heights uniform, and stranger still to consider that she''d hardly worn that uniform before her murder. Asher was right – it was creepy.


    Shuddering, she instead focused on what she was actually seeing.


    Of course, nothing had changed from the last time she laid eyes on this photo. There were photos of Piper acting suspiciously, tailing Asher and even standing outside Lila''s house. The post-it notes were the same – Piper''s date of birth, her parent''s names, and the words ''OBSESSED'' and ''Why?''.


    Lila scanned the rest of the photo, looking for anything that she missed the last time she looked at these – over the school holidays, in fact – that could be relevant now. Maybe there was a photo of Piper with Jason or something.


    Alas, there wasn''t anything different. Nothing that jumped out at Lila, at least. It really didn''t seem like Piper knew she had been followed by someone – either Marlene or Piper''s killer. It reminded Lila of the fact that someone had secretly taken pictures of Lila and Asher at Beans & Biscuits without their notice, too.


    "Well, I can''t see anything besides the fact that Piper was creepy as fuck," Asher said frankly. "All I can say is whoever killed her kinda did me a favour." He winced. "That sounds terrible."


    "Don''t worry, I get what you mean and I feel the same."


    "Let''s swap pictures, just in case."


    They followed Asher''s suggestion, sitting in silence for a few more moments before Asher hissed. She looked up at him to find that he was glaring at the photo, as though willing it to wither away.


    "That''s an intense look," she commented. He blinked rapidly, his glare melting in the same instant.


    "Was it? Sorry. I just noticed that she''d been outside your house."


    "Sure was. I''ll just say it''s something else we have in common."


    "You… you''re a bit blasé about it."


    "What am I supposed to do? Confront her about it in the graveyard?"


    "I… guess not." He frowned as he cast his eyes down to the photo again and murmured, "I hate that I''m not blasé about it."


    She grasped his hands. "Asher, it''s fine not to be fine about it. She did far worse to you, which I guess is why I don''t care so much. It''s not like she can do it anymore, and she didn''t end up harming me or anything. If she did the same stuff to me as she did to you, I''d still be freaked out about it."


    "That''s… well, that does bother me, the fact that she stalked me for years like a creep and I had no idea. But it''s more the fact that she stalked you because of me that I''m annoyed about. I mean, we weren''t even dating then. She could''ve done something to you. Just looking at this makes me feel like I led you into danger or… something that sounds a lot stupider than I intended."


    "It would''ve been a lot different if you knew she was doing whatever she was doing and asked her to target me," Lila replied tersely. "You don''t need to feel guilty about something you had no control over."


    "Easier said than done."


    "I know."


    He exhaled heavily, flipping the photo face down again. "It''s hard not to feel guilty, but I get what you''re saying."


    "At least she can''t do it again."


    "At least there''s that."


    Silence prevailed for a few moments, with Lila unsure what to say to help him feel better.


    Eventually, he said, "Sorry, I can''t look at these anymore."


    She promptly started putting them back into her blazer pocket. "No worries. Sorry for bringing them."


    "Don''t be sorry about that. It was good to think about something else for a change. Plus, you always like theorising."


    "I do, but not at the expense of you."


    He shook his head with a small smile. "I see how I made you feel just now. I''m serious, though."


    "I guess I can believe you."


    "That doesn''t sound very convincing."


    "I wasn''t trying to convince you of anything."


    He gazed into her eyes, as though searching for something in them. He tilted his head to the side, a cheeky smile slowly stretching across his face.


    "If you''re going to continue feeling guilty, then you may as well come over here for a kiss."


    Had she misheard? The way that he looked at her expectantly, with that smile, made her think that she hadn''t.


    With a smile of her own, she asked, "Do you mean that?"


    "''Course I do."


    There was no way she''d miss such an opportunity. She was by his side in an instant, her fingers in his hair. He chuckled as he remained in his seat and wrapped his arms around her hips. His sparkling eyes drew her down to his lips as an enticing invitation. They locked together and her heart started to race as tingles emanated from their lips to the rest of her face.


    It had been a while since she''d had a kiss outside of their regular goodbye ones and Lila desperately clutched Asher close to her, unwilling to let him go before she was satisfied. To her surprise, he let her do exactly that.


    She kept herself in check, though the feeling of him against her was making this task more difficult the longer they kissed. His arms were still firmly around her hips before she gently touched them, which signalled to him to let her go. She took a step back, grinning.


    "Wow," she breathed, "that… was longer than usual."


    He brushed his fingers across her lips before trailing them up to her cheeks, his own grin widening in time to the blush deepening on her face.


    "Yeah," he confirmed, intertwining their hands. "It was."


    Then, as if saying that made him realise something, he quickly checked his phone. "Actually, it was a bit too long – we''ve gotta go."


    Once they were sure there was nothing left behind, they hurried out of the meeting room and headed straight to the locker room.


    She wanted to ask about him – about why he seemed different. She still wasn''t sure about what it was exactly, but there was something. Was he more confident somehow? If so, why? What changed?


    But, with the way he was tugging her hand in an effort to speed up their journey, there was no room to. Perhaps PE would give her the opportunity.


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    Lila was about to sling her PE bag across her shoulder when, as if the act had summoned him, Asher plucked it from her hands.


    "Ready for PE?" he asked conversationally like he hadn''t just stolen her bag.


    "Sure," Lila grinned. "Let''s go."


    Off they went, with Lila clutching his arm and basking in the warmth of his mood and body heat. She glanced up at him and he met her gaze, a bemused smile on his lips.


    "You look like you want to say something," he said.


    She looked ahead at the path, suddenly feeling shy. His eyes – they were intense today.


    "Um, just… that something seems different about you lately."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah."


    She could feel his eyes on her still and she folded her arms. "Like… you''re more confident?"


    He was silent for long enough that she lifted her eyes to meet his again.


    As if in reaction, he smiled at her. "You reckon?"


    "I… I did."


    "You did?"


    "Well, um, now I''m not sure."


    "That doesn''t sound very confident of you."


    "I guess not."


    He laughed and she felt herself relax a little.


    "What changed?" she asked.


    "With what?"


    "Well… your confidence."


    "I''m not quite sure what you mean, actually. I feel the same as I always have."


    She scrutinised him to determine whether he meant that or not. She couldn''t tell.


    "I guess I mean… with us."


    "Now I really don''t know what you mean."


    Lila sighed. "I can''t explain it, it''s just a vibe I''ve been getting."


    He was silent once more and he looked deep in thought. She wasn''t sure whether to break it, but he did so himself.


    "If you''re talking about our kissing, all I can say is that I''ve had an epiphany."


    "An epiphany?"


    "Yup. One of those."


    His lack of elaboration made Lila purse her lips in dissatisfaction.


    "What-"


    "It''s an epiphany that I… I''ll tell you about later."


    "Your list of things to tell me about later just keeps growing," Lila replied with a pout. "I want to know now."


    "I know you do. I just don''t want to shoot myself in the foot and tell you something before-" he cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Look, I''ll tell you when I can."


    She wanted to press the point, but instead let the quiet between them lapse.


    Neither spoke until they reached the hallway leading to the changing rooms in the Gymnasium and he passed her bag to her.


    "See you in a sec," he said, his tone indicating that he wasn''t upset, at least. That was good.


    "Yeah. A-Actually, I''ve got one more question."


    He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "Yeah?"


    "You will tell me, right? All the things you''ve promised to tell me, I mean."


    A bright blush pooled across his cheeks as he nodded and said, "Definitely."


    Then, he turned on his heel and practically sprinted to the changing room – or, at least, as much of a sprint as he could muster amongst all their classmates who were now crowding the hallway.


    ''Strange reaction,'' Lila pondered as she headed into the girls'' changing room. ''Guess I can''t ask about it now – aside from the fact that he''s vanished.''


    When she met him in the hallway once more, he was certainly far calmer than when he''d disappeared.


    "What do you reckon today''s sport will be?" he asked, completely ignoring his weird behaviour. She decided to ignore it too as she shrugged.


    "Netball?"


    "And badminton," Ms Wright said from behind them. They jolted and turned, only to see her smile as she handed them both bundles of vests.


    "I can trust you with these, yes?" she asked.


    "Yes, ma''am," Lila and Asher said in unison.


    "Great. I''ve got to get the racquets."


    Ms Wright doubled back towards the office. Lila and Asher exchanged a look.


    "Well… I guess we should put these down," Lila suggested.


    "Before the smell singes my nose hairs," Asher replied, wrinkling his nose.


    They placed the vests on the floor where Ms Wright usually put them before sitting down. Lila leaned back on her hands, stretching her neck with her eyes on the ceiling. Just as it was the last time she took notice, it was incredibly dusty.


    "Yup, that spot over there still looks like Isaac with a moustache," Asher said, also leaning back on his hands. Lila giggled.


    "Sure does. He still wouldn''t suit a moustache, and I don''t think Elise likes ''em anyway."


    "I''ll have to tell him."


    "Good."


    They grinned at each other before Lila sighed, looking back up at the ceiling.


    "They were weird yesterday, weren''t they? Elise and Isaac," she murmured.


    "Yup. Incredibly."


    "You reckon they''ve talked about, well, them?"


    "I''ve asked Isaac, but he shut down the conversation."


    "That''s weird in itself, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, but what can I do?"


    "I guess we just need to keep hanging out with them as a group. Eventually, they''ll relax and get comfortable again, right? More time together might get them to realise that they should push past whatever it was that happened between them, or at least the idea that they like other people."


    "Yeah. Besides, Isaac looked happy enough yesterday, so it''s not like I want to take that away from him either."


    "Yeah."


    "Alrighty, students," Ms Wright called as she strolled to the front of the class, bundles of racquets and shuttlecocks in her arms. "Netball and badminton today."


    There were some groans mingled with cheers, which Ms Wright expertly ignored. Once they were set up, Lila was glad to see that Ms Wright hadn''t separated her from Asher.


    They found themselves face-to-face against Ayla and Justin in badminton. Ayla gave Lila a small, fleeting smile before their match began.


    Lila recalled that Ayla had been away for at least a couple of days since the news of Jason''s murder broke out. Looking at Ayla, Lila couldn''t tell whether she''d been away because she''d been sick or because of the visceral reminder of Piper''s murder…


    Donk.


    "Are you okay?" Ayla squeaked as Lila instinctively held her head where the shuttlecock had bounced off.


    "Yeah," Lila replied, meeting Asher''s concerned eyes. "It''s just a shuttlecock. Hardly noticed a thing."


    He reached out to touch her head and she let him. It really was fine, and she smiled reassuringly at him.


    "You sure?" he asked.


    "Surer than I''ve ever been. Seriously."


    "Sorry," Ayla said, twirling her racquet between her hands with nervousness. "I didn''t mean to."


    "It''s fine, I wasn''t paying attention."


    Ayla continued to look apprehensive until Asher picked up the shuttlecock.


    "Let''s resume play," he said with another glance at Lila.


    They did so, with Lila now paying attention. Eventually, they cycled over to netball and, soon enough, PE was over.


    "Lunchtime," Asher grinned as they shuffled off towards the changing rooms.


    Lila''s heart flopped in a strange way. Could… there be another kiss in store?


    "Y-Yeah. See you in a bit," she responded. He jogged down the hallway to the boys'' changing room. She took a moment to collect herself before heading into the girls'' changing room. It was empty since Lila and Asher had been roped into helping Ms Wright pack up as well.


    ''You''re getting greedy,'' she chastised herself as she changed. ''Stop it.''


    "I''m really sorry, Lila," Ayla said quietly to Lila''s left, causing Lila to jump.


    "About what?" Lila asked as her heartbeat slowed back down to its normal pace. "And where did you come from, anyway?"


    "About hitting you. Uh, I was washing my hands. You didn''t see me come in?"


    Lila laughed, relaxing considerably. "Sorry, no. I was in my own world. You don''t need to worry, really. Things like that happen."


    "You sure? You were frowning really hard over there, I thought you were mad at me."


    "Was I?" Lila faltered, feeling her face burn.


    Ayla nodded solemnly. Lila touched her cheeks and abruptly turned away from Ayla.


    "I-I was thinking about something else."


    "Oh," Ayla sounded relieved. "I''m glad. See you later."


    "Actually," Lila said, turning around again. Ayla had slung her bag over her shoulder and was now looking curiously at Lila, her head ever-so-slightly tilted.


    "Yeah?"


    "Uh, I noticed you weren''t in class for a couple of days after, well, Jason''s death."


    Ayla blinked at Lila before nodding. "Yeah… it, um, reminded me of Piper, and not in a good way. I wish it had been good."


    Her eyes glistened and she hastened to wipe at them with the sleeves of her jumper.


    "Sorry," Lila said sympathetically. "I just wanted to check in. You''re okay now?"


    "Thanks. Yeah, I am. It- well. I couldn''t believe it happened again. It''s terrifying," Ayla grimaced, tightening her hold on the strap of her bag. "Who could''ve guessed that Jason would be next? He always seemed so responsible."


    Lila held her tongue, opting for a nod. "Yeah. It is terrifying."


    "I mean, who''s next?"


    "No one, I hope."


    Ayla sighed deeply. "I hope so too, but the way things are going, it''s guaranteed that someone else is next. Maybe it''ll be me. If it is… then maybe I''ll feel happy. Since I''ll get to see Piper again."


    Lila''s heart dropped. She swiftly held on to Ayla''s arms, her grasp firm yet gentle.


    "Ayla, are you seriously okay?"


    She gave Lila a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. As okay as I can be after losing her. Sorry, I didn''t mean to get so dark."


    "Ayla, have you seen a school counsellor?"


    Ayla shook her head. "No. What''re they going to say? That I''m sad? Of course I''m sad."


    "Ayla," Lila said softly, "they can help you with these feelings."


    Ayla''s lip trembled. "Nothing can help me. Nothing except… waking up from this nightmare and seeing Piper again."


    Lila brought Ayla into a hug, feeling that the rest of her trembled much like her lip had. "Have you told your friends about everything?"


    "No," Ayla sniffled. "Not even that I''m still sad."


    "I think you should at least start with that."


    "It feels like they''ve forgotten about her," Ayla whispered, her shoulders shaking as though a chill was rushing through her. "They haven''t said a word about her since I came back to school the first time."


    "Could that not just be because they know you two were close? They might not want to upset you by talking about her."


    Ayla''s body felt heavy with defeat. "I don''t know."


    "You should talk to someone at least."


    "… But the person that I would''ve talked to is gone."


    "I know."


    Ayla stepped back from Lila, wiping her eyes once again. "I… I get what you''re saying, really. But I just… can''t handle losing anyone else. What if my friends reject me?"


    "Then they weren''t your friends."


    "But then I''ll be alone."


    Lila smiled reassuringly. "You won''t be. I''ll be here. Even if they don''t reject you and you just want to talk. I still think you should try, even if it''s baby steps, since you''ve been friends with them for ages and they know you better than I do."


    Ayla''s eyes widened before shimmering with unshed tears. "Thanks, Lila. I know you didn''t like Piper, but you''re here, checking on me when you know I''m falling apart over her."


    Lila gave her another comforting smile. "It''s no problem at all. Look, I still remember when you shielded me from Harrison earlier this year, even though we''d hardly talked up to that point. I''m seriously grateful for that. Of course I''ll be here for you, too – no matter what I thought about Piper. I do think you should talk to a counsellor though. It worries me that you feel like that."


    Ayla scrunched her nose in distaste. "He was such a creep." Then, she bit her lower lip, her eyes distant. "I''d like to say I was joking about how I''m feeling, but… I think you''d be able to tell that it would be a lie."


    "Do you want me to walk you there now?"


    "No," Ayla said firmly. "I''ll need to think about it still."


    "Alright."


    A tentative knock sounded on the door, which caused both Lila and Ayla to stare at it.


    "Lila?" Asher''s voice called.


    "Coming," Lila replied, placing her bag on her shoulder. "Unless you want me to stay?" she asked Ayla.


    "No, no. Let''s get out of here."


    They both left, with Ayla giving Lila one last smile before squeezing past Asher and disappearing down the hallway towards the exit. Asher watched her go for a moment before turning to Lila.


    "I was starting to get- whoa. That''s certainly an expression," he remarked, reaching out to lightly brush her face. She clutched the hand that was still on her face and gave him a small smile.


    "Sure is."


    "Everything okay?"


    Lila glanced at where Ayla had left before looking back at Asher with a sigh.


    "With me, yeah. I''ll… tell you at lunch."


    "Alright. As long as you''re okay."


    Lila contemplated what Ayla had said on the way to the locker room, a slight frown across her face. It was, honestly, incredibly heartbreaking. It made sense, given everything Ayla had told Lila at camp, but that only made it worse.


    "Alright, I can''t take it anymore," Asher declared once they sat down in their usual meeting room. "I don''t think I''ve seen you look so serious and so sad at the same time. It''s usually one or the other."


    "Is it?" Lila asked, genuinely surprised by this observation.


    "Well, yeah. What happened?"


    Lila slowly unwrapped the deli sandwich that Gabriel had packed in her lunchbox as she tried to find the words.


    "I checked in on Ayla."


    "Ah," Asher nodded in understanding. "I''m guessing she''s still affected by everything?"


    "You could say that. Except… I''m really worried about her. The feelings she has, they''re really, really depressing."


    "Depressing how?"


    "Depressing like ''I''ve got to tell a teacher'' depressing."


    "Shit, really?"


    "Yeah. I mean, she said if she was targeted next by the killer, she might feel happy since she''d get to see Piper again."


    "Holy shit," Asher''s face paled. "Maybe you should tell a teacher. That''s intense."


    "I said she should see a counsellor and she said she doesn''t really see the point. I''m hoping I convinced her to change her mind on that one, but I don''t know if she will. I also don''t want to betray her trust, you know. She''s struggling with talking to her friends about it – about even the fact that she''s still sad, let alone that she was in love with Piper and everything else. I told her she should try with baby steps, y''know, by telling them that she''s still sad about Piper."


    "I get you." Asher frowned as though he was thinking incredibly deeply. "I… I think you should just keep an eye on her for now. If she doesn''t feel like she has the support of her friends, if you go behind her back and talk to a teacher about it, you might make it worse."


    "That''s what I''m afraid of."


    "Damn. No wonder you looked so serious and sad."


    "It… it''s also weird, talking to Ayla about her feelings after just looking at Marlene''s corkboard full of Piper-related pictures. I feel sorry for Ayla, that she''s going through that, but at the same time, I don''t know. I can''t ignore what Piper was doing to you."


    "And to you."


    "And to me, I guess."


    Lila exhaled heavily, placing her head in her hands. "I think I''m getting a headache after all that."


    "You might be dehydrated from PE. Drink some water," Asher said kindly, pushing her water bottle towards her. "Then eat. You can''t solve Ayla''s problems for her, especially right now. You''re doing well, letting her talk to you and supporting her, but you need to take care of yourself, too. I''m sure her friends will support her when she tells them how she''s feeling."


    "You''re right," Lila replied, pressing her lips together. Then, with a resigned sigh, she did exactly as Asher suggested. He eyed her carefully for a few moments before he nodded, seeming satisfied that she would continue eating, and unearthed his own food.


    The rest of lunch passed by with much lighter conversation. Lila could tell, with the exaggerated way Asher was talking, that he was trying to make her forget about Ayla''s plight and instead laugh with him. She let herself fall into this, eventually letting out genuine, loud laughs at his jokes which made them even sillier, his smile brighter and his demeanour far more relaxed.


    Her spirits were high as they walked back to the locker room at the end of lunch, hand-in-hand. His knack for making her happier was insane. Did she make him feel the same?


    "See you in a bit," he smiled, gently letting go of her hand. "You''ve got Modern History, yeah?"


    "Yeah."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Finally, after nothing of interest due to how busy Lila''s remaining classes were, the end of the school day was upon them. Lila placed her hat on her head, looking around for Asher.


    Instead, she found Isaac hovering at the other end of the aisle, his head swivelling between the exit and where Elise''s locker was.


    "Isaac," Lila called, waving him over. He stiffened, as though he hadn''t expected to be caught by Lila, and shuffled to her.


    "Yeah?" he asked, folding his arms.


    "Why''re you just… standing over there like a weirdo?"


    He looked affronted. "I wasn''t just standing over there, I was lurking."


    "Either way, you''re suspicious as hell. What''re you looking for?"


    "Nothin''."


    "Then stop lurking."


    "No."


    Lila sighed. "You''re waiting for Elise, aren''t you? You don''t have to be so strange about it."


    Isaac''s face turned red. "N-No."


    "That''s not a confident ''no''."


    It was at that second, as Lila folded her arms in disapproval, that Asher appeared behind Isaac.


    "Sorry for the delay, I was making sure I had all my maths stuff and my Chem draft- oh, hey, dude," Asher said, stepping back from Isaac. "Why''re you here?"


    "He''s lurking, apparently," Lila replied.


    "Lurking?"


    "I was trying to be funny," Isaac huffed.


    "It wasn''t funny," Lila insisted.


    "I thought I saw you chuckle."


    "Lies."


    "I don''t lie," Isaac mumbled, looking behind him. It was like he sensed Elise''s approach and he stood aside, allowing her to pass the three of them.


    "Hey, Elise," Lila greeted.


    "Hey, guys," Elise replied, looking puzzled. "Normally you and Asher are gone by now."


    "Yeah, well, I was making sure I had my stuff," Asher responded, as though he were in trouble.


    "I''m not telling you off," Elise laughed, rummaging through her locker.


    Asher took the opportunity to smirk at Isaac. "So, just staying behind to say goodbye to your girl-"


    "No," Isaac interrupted him, his face red again, "we just have a shift. It makes sense to go together."


    "That''s sweet," Lila nodded, a smirk on her own face. "Maybe you should tell-"


    "Shhh," Isaac shushed. "She''s right there."


    "Isaac-"


    "Ready to go, Isaac?" Elise called, locking her locker.


    "Yes!" Isaac affirmed. "Gotta go, guys. See you tomorrow."


    With that, he legged it to the exit, though he waited at the door, looking back at Elise. Elise, Lila and Asher said their goodbyes as Elise hurried along, her expression confused.


    Lila and Asher watched as Elise and Isaac left before glancing at each other.


    "Well, let''s head to the bus station before you miss your bus," Asher said, giving her his hand. She accepted it and off they went, with Lila thinking about their interaction with Isaac.


    "Do you think Isaac was weird just now?" Lila asked after a minute or so of silence.


    "Nah. He seemed pretty normal to me."


    Lila frowned. There was something that bothered her about Isaac''s demeanour, but perhaps it was because of how he was at lunch yesterday with Elise.


    "It''s no wonder Elise doesn''t know Isaac likes her," Lila said simply.


    "Huh?" Asher looked at her in surprise. "How do you figure?"


    "Yesterday, they hardly talked at lunch, but he waited for her this afternoon to go to their shift together?"


    "I guess that is weird."


    "Maybe you should talk to him about it."


    "He keeps avoiding any topic related to Elise," Asher sighed.


    "He''s gotta confront it if he wants her to be his," Lila frowned. "I mean, she might just give up and go for someone else."


    "Yeah, I''m not going to tell him that."


    "It''s true though."


    "I know, but I don''t want to incite panic in him. I mean, that''s not a good start to a relationship."


    "I guess…"


    "Isn''t that your bus?" Asher suddenly asked, pointing at said bus idling at her stop.


    "Shit, it is-"


    "Here''s your bags," Asher swiftly gave them to her.


    "Thanks!"


    She reached up for a quick peck, not caring that the teacher on duty was looking in their direction, before sprinting off to the bus. She made it just as the doors were closing, almost tripping up the steps in her haste. With a heaving chest, she craned her neck to try and see Asher out the window, but the bus departed faster than she could find him.


    She slowly sat down, kicking herself over the fact that she didn''t suggest having Asher''s driver take her home. It would''ve been a rude request, but that way they could''ve had a much better goodbye.


    Bzzz.


    Lila pulled her phone out of her pocket, seeing a text message from Asher.


    Next time, I''ll ask if George can take you home. The rush isn''t worth missing a good kiss from you


    Lila''s butterflies swirled inside her stomach as she smiled.


    Agreed, she replied. Then, after a beat, she sent, I miss you already.


    I miss you too, Lila


    See you tomorrow. Good luck with your studies


    See you then – good luck for yours, too


    She smiled again. She had considered loafing when she got home, but with a good luck message like that, there was no way she could. She needed to do well so she could tell him, after all. He''d surely be happy for her if she got good grades. Maybe they''d even celebrate.