Libby takes a deep breath as she walks down the hallway at school, everyone staring at her any less than before. If not, they are more so bow after the nightmare of a birthday party.
It wasn't Shelby's fault. She's alive, has woken up. Her parents are taking her and leaving Ender Falls, they don't want Libby to contact them, she'll never get to tell Shelby goodbye.
Libby herself was in the hospital for a few days to after the party, she got out two days ago, but still spent time recovering. She needs a new heart... She was picked up by 'her social worker', his name is Dewey. He took her to a unknown man and woman's house. They we're taking care of Becky before she went missing...
They're going to continue fostering her, but she's heard them whispering. It won't be for much longer, even if she's a different person.
"Hey."
"Libby?"
Sighing and turning around to see Casey and Ian there. Fine, she will entertain them. "Morning..."
"How are you feeling?" Ian asks, hands in pockets. "I feel better now, and I was happy when I got to leave the hospital to."
"What did they do with you?" Casey asks. "Called child services and apparently 'my' social worker came to see me, but it was pretty much meeting him for the first time to me. It was weird having to explain everything to him.
I insisted on the fact I'm Libby because I am and they accepted it without argument. He told me if I truly am insisting that I'm someone else, not Becky then I can live as Libby Biscuit.
Dr Mel had given me the exact same speech beforehand, it was nothing new.
What's annoying though is all my I.D and my birth certificate is going to still say, 'Becky Winters.'" I complain.
"I'm sorry you're unhappy about it." Ian responds. "So, what's your living situation?"
"I was placed with a man and a woman who we're originally caring for Becky as they said I have to have a guardian." I tell them.
"So, they're not sending you anywhere?" Kacey asks.
"Sending me away?" I ask, slightly alarmed. "Kacey!" Ian hisses.
"That's great, do you like the foster parents? Ian and me met them once in the past..." Kacey asks, changing the question. Libby shrugs.
"Doesn't mean much to me, but hey, I have a roof over my head and food so I can't complain. Don't expect me to make much effort to get to know them though.
I just feel really numb, confused inside right now, my friends have arrested, and believe me when I say this... I do love them, and I'm missing them badly right now. Mitchell and Veronica with kidnapping me apparently on account of I haven't offered up an alternative story.
No one is telling me much more and I'm not allowed to see them." I explain.
"Libby, are we friends?" Kacey asks.
I sigh. "I guess."
"Yay!" She squeals, hugging me. I don't feel anything, and out the corner of my eye, I see Maple with Gwen.
It feels like there is something massive I've forgotten. I remember bits and pieces of the party and other parts are a black.
The last few days have been like that too. It really feels like there is something I have forgotten...
"Libby?" I see Gwen mouth. She steps forward about to help, but Ian pulls his sister of me so Gwen turns away and proceeds on with her sister, Maple.
"So, Libby. We we're wondering..." Kacey begins, elbowing her brother. "Oh, r-right! If you want to go bowling and hang out?" He asks.
"Okay." I respond.
"Awesome. Call your social worker and ask for permission and we'll ask hours. The likelihood of no is very small. Tonight, 5:30 p.m.?" She asks.
"It's a date then." I respond and then smack my hand against my head. "Stupid!"
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"It's okay." She says, walking up to me and kisses me on the top of my head. "You're loveable too, Libby."
I'm sort of just dazed and she giggles, walking away. Ian waves goodbye as he leaves, following her. I clutch a hand to my head, feeling a headache and head to my locker as I need to get my books for class.
---
I finish shoving and swapping books between my backpack and locker, I hear a series of footsteps behind me and I quickly spin around, holding up my binder as a weapon. A girl and boy my age is there, dressed in trench coats and detective hats.
"What do you want?" I growl. "Lower the binder, we're not going to hurt you." The girl says.
"Yeah, I don't believe that. Shelby was pushed off the roof by your club and by the way, fuck you. I'm glad your club leaders dead, he got what he deserved." I say meanly. "So, you confess to murdering him because we tried to kill Shelby?" The guy says, raising his eyebrow.
"What?" I say shocked.
"You stabbed him, multiple times. You're lucky none of us at that party tipped you off to the police."
"Says more about you, how fucked up our generation is that we'd drink beer to the point of wasted, cover up murder and push a girl off the roof just because you likely didn't like her." I fire back.
"Touche." The guy repeats. "But you did stab our club leader as payback because we pushed your friend."
"So what do you want me to about it? Cause I remember only bits and pieces of the party. Turn myself in? Because I have no worries about doing so, but I'll bring everyone down with me, One way or another." I threaten. They look scared and slink off.
"Good, run you cowards." I add on, frustrated.
As I walk away with my books in bag, locker closed, a voice speaks up.
"Excuse me, can you come in here for moment? We won't take up much of your time, we promise."
It's Maple. She's holding the door to the student council office open. Did they hear every word I said? "What do you need me for?" I ask.
"Gwen just wants you to come inside. We all need to talk." She says and goes back into the room. I reluctantly go in after her and I'm immediately confronted by a large table in the centre with plenty of other students sitting around it and there's a board covered with photos and tape and stuff like you see in crime detective movies and off to the side is a desk with a laptop on it, Gwen on it.
Maple closes the door behind me and stands there. "Take a seat Libby." Gwen gestures to a seat near the desk she's at. I give a small and gently lower my bag and take a seat. "What is this?" I ask, worried.
"Scared? Don't be, we're not out to hurt you. I promise. All I want is to work out what is going on from start to end, and for the record, I'm nothing like Aiden in personality.
I'm hoping you've worked out I like investigative journalism and photography and know you can trust me-"
"Veronica said I could trust you a while ago. She seemed to have a gripe with Aiden, and didn't want him to come near me ever again."
"I- Okay, that's... interesting. She never told me that, I actually had her cell number, we texted a little..."
"Can we talk about what a few days ago, Libby?" She asks.
"I guess... Shelby's party?" I answer. "Yes." Is her answer and I see a girl flip to a fresh page of a notebook and ready the pen in her hand.
"Well, uh... Shelby invited me to her party so I asked Veronica and Mitchell if we could go and they were hesitant, but agreed and so we went.
Shelby invited us in, and I had pizza."
"You know what we need to hear. Skip the trial stuff, Libby. Most of the student council was there, myself and my sister included." Gwen snaps at me. "Sorry." I apologize.
"Well, I was with Shelby in her room, about 10 minutes after I arrived. Apparently we used to be best friends which all the photos of us together in room, she showed me her lava lamp.
Now I want a lava lamp."
"Libby!"
"Sorry!"
"And what happened between you and Aiden in Shelby's room? We don't know what went down up there. We just know he went up there and Shelby came running down and was then forced up the attic and pushed before any of us could stop the photography club..."
"I don't know... I just gained consciousness some point, I passed out I think and Aiden was dead, then Ian hit me in the head by accident with the bedroom door."
"Libby, this your phone. Well, it's Becky's actually and seems quite scuffed up. You left it behind, and the call logs show that 000 was dialed." Gwen tells me, placing a phone on the table, my phone.
"I don't remember calling anyone."
"Well, you did... Look, the police probably know you called, they would have the call log plus your details, your phone number. While they're out to find Aiden's stabber, they don't realize the person they're looking for is you.
You're just a side case."
"What I said in the hallway... I didn't mean it, they we're just annoying me. I sware."
"We know, they're infuriating. They will be easier to disband now. Libby, Aiden is on life support. His not dead, but he isn't conscious. Did anyone tell you?"
"No..."
"Okay. Well, don't go around saying his dead or you... Well, you know. You will become a suspect in an on-going investigation."
"Did I stab Aiden and I don't remember?"
"We don't know. Did you stab him?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, moving on. Graduation is in about two months, you will be turning 18 soon. Your birthday is quite late in the year. November 15th.
What are your plans for after graduation? You will be graduating regardless of what has happened..."
"I don't know."
"Okay..."
Fucking parasite! Parasites!
"Excuse me?" I say out loud, I can hear her... Now I remember. She... She is the one who did it, she's angry. "I have to go!" I cry, fleeing the room in a panic.
"Wait, Zekey's at the pound, Libby! Do you- Okay, I'll still go pay I guess to get him and drop him off at your home later." Says Gwen.
Can't we share this body? Please, please, please. I just can't go away now, Becky. It's not that simple and even then, I want to live. I beg, internally pleading with her. She's here, she's here.
She must have been here the whole time, but fairly stonewalled.
No, my body.
And this is my body too. I'm not just going to be going away, I know you know that so can't we try to get along? I don't know much about you.
Can we try to get along? You don't know my side of the story do you?
Don't care.
You can tell me you're side of the story? What Aiden, Veronica and Mitchell did to you...?
You stabbed Aiden for a reason. I haven't got a single clue what is really going on. All I know is waking up in a car, already in Ender Falls with them.
That's where my memory starts. I tell her.
Uh... It's foggy and I don't want to talk about it yet. I'm sorry for being rude to you, I'm not normally like this.
And what happened last night? I've never stabbed anyone before... It's...
I should change the subject...
Ian and Casey invited me- Well, us now? Bowling at 5:30 tonight. Do you want to go? I don't know if we can share control, but... I heard she was your girlfriend.
Yeah, she was. We'll go.
Cool-
But before I can continue, a text goes off, our phone. I see several texts, no one realizes we forgot our phone. Not Dewey, our fosters, the police.
There is a text, asking us to come down to the station from Dewey. Says it's partially about Veronica and Mitchell.
Can we go see Veronica and Mitchel at the station? I'll let you do the talking, but I want answers. Everything's kinda a blur...
But, bowling?
We'll still go to that. Libby, take us to the station, please. And don't mention us if you can help it.
Okay...
Thank you.
I text Dewey back.
---
Libby: I'll be there after school, it's 5 minutes from the school. I know where it is.
Dewey: Okay, I'll be there too at the station. I'm there to support you if you want me.
Libby: Dewey.
Dewey: Yes, Libby?
Libby: Kacey and Ian want to go bowling at 5:30 - Can I go?"
Dewey: Uh, sure. I can drop you off there after the station. It might take a while though, being at the station...
Libby: Thanks.
Dewey: No problem, Libby. Enjoy the rest of your classes. I have to go now, I have paperwork to file, phone-calls to make. Being a social worker is busy work.
Cya.
---
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