Chapter 3

I was in a forest running from something or someone—why am I running? I saw a light in front of me, which distracted me until I heard something. I turned my head to the right and thought I saw a person. I ignore it and run to the light. As I get closer to the light, I smell smoke. I soon realized that's not just some random light but a fire. I stop running and see in front of me a big house set on fire. I walk to the house and realize it's not just any house but an orphanage. I started running in the opposite direction.

"This can't be. I'm dreaming. I must be. Right?" I asked myself and continued running. As I ran, I saw someone in a hoodie running as well.

We both ran into each other, making me fall to the ground. When I hit my head, everything goes black.

I wake up in a classroom. I take a stretch and see everyone looking at me.

"Ms. Johnson, you know sleeping while a person is talking is disrespectful," Ms. Bernard says, and I yawn.

"Oh really? "I didn't know, sorry." I said sarcastically

After ELA class, I go past a shrine that has Elizabeth and a few of her crew members. I was surprised when I first saw this because who would've killed them and what would motivate them? The only thing that stuck in my head was the way they looked. Eyes gauged out, or they had heads missing, and all of them had some kind of weird star symbol carved on their skin. The only place I've actually seen that was in the Bible. But I also saw pieces of their skin burned off at the same spot where the symbol was.

It was so weird, not only because something like this never happens at this school, but because it's the symbol that really stands out the most. Well, it was lunchtime, and since I wanted to sneak out, I thought it would be a great time to see brothers and sisters at the orphanage. I walked there since it's near the school. I walked over there only to see a burned orphanage surrounded by police and ambulances.

"What the hell happened?" I asked and saw a riot at the orphanage.

I walked towards the crowd of people to listen.

YOU HAD ONE FUCKING JOB, AND THAT WAS TO CATCH A CRIMINAL!

Yeah, if you can't keep children safe, you can't keep us safe!

People were yelling at the police, which surprised me, but then I saw a kid on a stroller being rolled away with their foot sticking out. Even though their foot was burned, it had a visible mark, and it was the same mark I saw on Elizabeth before she was taken away. I go up to a guy and ask them

"Yo, did any of them survive?" I was worried.

"They said only one kid survived, even though the adults were burnt to a crisp," a guy answered.

Great, so basically they are all dead great. Just great.

I could've cried right then and there, but nope, I have to learn more about what happened because I have to avenge them and get that killer because they messed with the wrong person.

"These dumbasses told us they caught a certain criminal, but then it turns out this specific criminal goes and sets this entire orphanage on fire," the guy explained.

"How do you know this criminal is the one you're thinking of?" I asked him, trying to learn more about the crime.

"I heard the criminal's name is Burn, which makes sense since it's their main way of killing people besides leaving a mark on their victim," the guy said.

"A mark, as in that weird star with a circle around it?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"It's called a pentagram, but yeah, that's exactly what Burn draws on them before burning their victim," the guy explained.

Those stars on the victims were the same ones on Elizabeth; they must be the same person. But the problem is: why? God, it's just overwhelming. I mean, my second home just got burnt, and now I know Burn killed these people.

"Feel so bad for the boy. "She has to go to another orphanage miles away," someone whispered.

"Unless he gets adopted," Someone else whispered.

"Who wouldn't adopt that boy after finding out what happened?" Another lady asked.

"He's thirteen; that's pretty old," another said, and I went to the cops.

"Hey, do you know the survivor of the fire?" "I want to speak to him."

I went back to school hungry, traumatized, and depressed. not only that but also late.

"Ms. Johnson, where were you? You are five minutes late." Mr. Jackson, my science teacher, said

"I went to visit my second family, found out they were dead, and was trying to find out the mystery of their murder," I told him, but all he did was shake his head.

"The lies you tell are ridiculous. Go to your seat and don't expect me to repeat what I said," Mr. Jackson said to me.

I didn't expect him to believe me. I mean, no one would. Not only do I lie a lot, but I'm never serious. So whenever something bad actually happens to me, they're not going to believe me.

I go to my seat, and the only thing on my mind is the pentagram. Why would someone carve something like that on a person's body?

I take out my notebook and just draw exactly what I remember about the pentagram. I even drew fire behind it.

"So you're an artist?" A guy asked, and it made me jump.

It was Conner, and he was my partner, I guess. So Mr. Jackson assigns partners; now what would we need each other for anyway?

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked him with attitude to continue the drawing.

"Not only that I've seen you in the art club, but I've seen you draw in the art room, and basically right now," Conner says with a smirk.

That white-skinned stare is messing with me too much.

"Look at that, you have a brain." "Now why don't you be a good kid and listen to the teacher?" I said to him, and he stopped talking.

As I continued to draw, I noticed he was staring at me, which made me hesitate. God, why does he have to stare at me while I'm drawing?

"May the young couple in the back explain to us what this week's lesson is about?" Mr. Jackson asked, and Conner wasn't listening at all, so he didn't respond.

"We're learning about chemistry, which is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter," I said, finishing up my drawing and looking at his impressed face.

"Finally, Conner, you found someone who could teach you basic science; she's staying as your partner," Mr. Jackson says, and my face was one of terror.

"Well, you heard that we were going to be partners, princess," Conner teased, and I was just terrified to hear this because he's a distraction and he's going to try to hit on me.

After science came math, and the math teacher wasn't here today, so we had a substitute. We got to use the computers since no one cared. Luckily, Calculus was one of the two classes I had with Anya, so I got to vent towards her.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to survive this school year," I said, putting my feet on the desk and leaning back.

Anya chuckles as she looks at my shoes.

"What's the problem with these adorable shoes?" I asked sarcastically.

I'm wearing monster slippers, and it turns out the school could care less what shoes I wear.

"It's not just the fact that Conner has a crush on you," Anya said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, I don't believe that. Instead, he's probably trying to make fun of me," I said to her, and she rolls her eyes now.

"You do you," Anya says.

I take out my art book and analyze the picture I drew. Suddenly the PA goes off: "May Anya Forbes and Star Johnson please go down to the main office, Star Johnson and Anya Forbes?"

Everybody looks at us and says, "Ooh."

"Y'all need to grow the hell up," Anya said to the class.

"Language!" The teacher said while on her phone

We left the classrooms with our bookbags and just walked out.

As we walked to the main office, we saw Conner waiting there as well.

"Oh great, he also stalks me—well, he already did since he stalks me to my art club, watches me when I draw, and when I—" I was interrupted.

"Hey Anya "Why don't you tell your b*tch to shut up?" Conner said this to Anya's face, then I slapped him.

Right afterward, I kick him in the balls, making him fall to the ground. I thought he was going to cry, but I smiled in my victory.

"Okay, you-..." The principal stopped when he saw Conner on the floor.

"You three are going to get questioned in my office, don't worry, it's nothing. The cops just need to learn more about the murder." The principal said, making me sigh

Okay, to be honest, I wouldn't even be surprised if Anya was the murderer, cause, I mean, first, I somehow had a vision that my orphanage was set on fire, which was true; second, I found out that these bullies got killed; and third, I found out more evidence about the murder and that the murder victim was a potential suspect named Burn. But who is that?

The principal helped Conner up, and we all entered the main office. Inside the main office were the principal offices, where we all saw a policeman.

"Okay, I will try to learn more about the murders one by one." The policeman said and looked at a note.

"Anya Forbes? "Your first," the policeman says, and Anya walks into the room while the policeman closes the door behind them.

Conner and I sat near the door. Conner was waiting to be called while I was trying to listen.

"The walls are soundproof, so there's no proof," Conner said while crossing his arms.

"Soundproof?" I said that and started knocking on the walls.

"No way, but it sounds so hollow, how is this possible?" I said I was shocked by the news, but Conner just rolled his eyes.

"Maybe if you weren't here, you wouldn't have to care because you'll be somewhere else," Conner says, and I was confused not only by his words but the way he's acting.

"Conner, what is this about?" Is it because I kicked and slapped you? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad; I just didn't want you to call me a bitch again." I apologized to him while sitting next to him.

"No, it's not—it's just—fuck, I don't know how to say this." Conner curses

"You don't have to if you're mad at me, and I shouldn't make it worse by talking even more," I said while holding his hand.

I saw the way his eyes kind of went big, but he looked away from me.

"God, why do you have to be so annoying?" Conner said to himself, taking his hand away from my grasp.

Damn, why you gotta be so rude—I mean, I try to make things better, and this is how you react? Now you wonder why you're single.

"Okay, bitch, you do you," I said to him, and the doors opened.

Anya comes out of the room looking drunk, which makes me wonder what really happened in there.

"He's so hot and amazing," Anya says, fantasizing about someone.

"Oh my gosh, Anya, what happened?" I asked Anya, but the officer responded

"She saw a picture of my son, and now she wants to, as you kids say, "get with him"," The officer says using his fingers as quotation marks.

The officer looks at a note and then at me.

"Start Johnson up next," the officer says.

Damn, he sounds like those announcers on game shows. I need to go to a black neighborhood, because, to be honest, they are too white for me.

I followed him inside the principal's office and closed the door behind me.

"Sit down, Ms. Johnson," The officer said it almost as if he was demanding that

I sat down worried.

"I am-" I interrupted the officer because of how scared I was.

"Okay, here's what I know. The killer is a guy or girl named Burn, who can't remember the gender, and who killed people at the orphanage I used to go to because I saw the marks on the dead body. Not only that, but I have a feeling it could've been someone who either used to go here or to the orphanage," I explained to him, and he was shocked.

"Wait, you know who Burn is?" The officer asked, surprised, and I looked at him like, "Huh?"

"I was just going to tell you my name, but I guess you could read Gomez, but what does Burn have to do with that recent fire?" Officer Gomez asked

"I just saw the mark on both of their bodies and heard the rumors, okay?" "I didn't want to get involved, but I guess I am," I said to him, and now Gomez just sighed while looking at me.

"Where were they on the night of the murder?" Officer Gomez asked me

"Sleeping," I said to him straight up.

"Do you have any evidence to further your claim?" Officer Gomez asked

"What that I was sleepin? Why would I be sleeping?" I responded

"Okay, when did you see the body?" The officer asked

"On my way to school, everyone who died had a specific mark on their body or face," I answered, looking at him so confused.

"Did you see the person who could've killed them?" Officer Gomez asked

Why is he asking me these questions? I mean, they suck ass, like, what kind of person asks if I saw who killed them even if I just told them I was sleeping last night?

"Again, I was sleeping last night; I can't teleport from home to school," I said to him now with attitude.

" Okay... How do you know if the student was killed if this happened at 5:30 a.m. "What are you doing at school that early?" Officed Gomez said, and I still kept my sassy expression.

"I didn't say I was at school; I said I was on my way." Plus, I live close by, and don't you ever like to just leave your house to go out for—" I was interrupted.

"Show me what's in the bag." Officer Gomez demanded

"What?" I was surprised by his words.

I looked at my book bag, and I literally forgot I had it on in the first place.

"What's inside the damn bag?" Officer Gomez asked and snatched the bag from me.

"Whatever you think you're going to find in there, you're not," I reassured Officer Gomez.

As he looked through my bag, he found my art notebook, and that's when I realized I screwed up.

As he was flipping through the pages, I couldn't help but think to myself that I was going to jail.

"Well, if I was ever going to jail, I actually thought it was because of the fact that I was black, but not because of this," I told him, and he saw the page of the pentagram I drew.

Officer Gomez went white after what he saw.

"It was you?" Officer Gomez says, and I look at him.

"Nope," I said to him with no care in the world.

"Then what the hell is this?" Officer Gomez asked and showed the notebook with drawings, which I wasn't expecting.

As the drawings fell out of the book and onto the table, it was obvious they were ripped.

A vivid drawing of not only the pentagram but of how Elizabeth's dead bodies looked, especially the way she was Burned?

"Wait a damn minute." I drew the pentagram, but not this. "Someone obviously went through my bag to frame me," I said, looking at the way the drawing was torn.

Whoever did this had to have ripped it, probably had no time, and saud fuck it and ripped it in such a messy way.

"Put your hands up," Officer Gomez demanded, and he pointed a gun at me.

I didn't move but instead just stared at the gun. I swear my life flashed before my eyes when we both locked eyes.

I suddenly started turning my head in such an unhinged way and blinking rapidly.

The last thing I remember is falling out of the chair and closing my eyes.

I wake up... in my bedroom?

Was it all a dream? Why can't I get out of bed?

I lifted the covers and saw that my leg was wrapped up in a bandage.

What the hell is going on? Why was my leg bandaged?

I looked at the mirror that was next to me, and for some reason, I just sighed.

"Sometimes I always feel like somebody's watching me." "Or better yet, inside of me, like food," I said to myself.

I get out of bed and limp to my bathroom.

Or maybe someone has always been watching me because... that person was me.