• “You might have loved me, if you had known me. If you had ever known my mind. If you would have walked through my dreams and memories. Who knows what treasures you might have found. Yes, you might have loved me. If you had only taken the time.”
    - Unknown author

    Chapter One -


    It was a night she knew she’d never forget. A night she wished hadn’t happened. No, a night she knew shouldn’t have happened. But it did; and it was all her fault. She sat there, hands trembling as she re-read the letter she had received, and she remembered…

    It was an average day for St. Augustine’s High School. Kids hurried to class, bumping into other kids, scrambling left and right. Teachers yelled down the hallways “Get to class!” at some kids; others were standing there talking, ignoring the teachers completely. Jenny sighed. Yep, it was a normal day all right. Or so she thought. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that this very place, these very halls, would one day become a living nightmare.

    Jenny stared; face blank, at the board ahead as she sat in her desk, pencil in hand, in English IV AP. It’s been a long day. She looked at the clock and sighed. I wish something interesting would happen soon. School’s so booring!
    “Jenny!” someone whispered. She turned her head to see who the person was. She rolled her eyes at her best friends, Emily and Brie. Brie pointed to something next to her foot. Emily grinned like an idiot. Jenny picked up the note, looked at who it was from and rolled her eyes. Brie nodded eagerly as Jenny opened the note. She read it and smiled.
    “Psstt!” Jenny looked at Emily like she was insane.
    “What?!” Jenny mouthed.
    “What’s it say?” Brie whispered too loudly. Jenny inwardly groaned. Why me? she thought as she mouthed “Later” to her friends. Brie made a sad face and Emily mock-glared at her. Jenny smiled at them and turned to face the board again. Suddenly, the bell rang. Some students jumped out of their desks and raced to the door. Others stayed in their seats, talking to their friends. Jenny stood up and turned to face her friends. “Hey y’all, I have to go talk to Lisa about the party. I’ll talk to y’all later.” Jenny made a face that was interpreted as a groan. Brie and Emily laughed. “Good luck chicka!” Brie called as they walked off.
    “Tell us about that note later mk?” Emily called out.
    Jenny didn’t have to look far. Lisa found her as she was walking to the parking lot.
    “So, I was thinking, you know, for the party, that we should make it, like, totally awesome, like, the best party ever!” Jenny groaned. If anyone could get on her nerves, it was Lisa. Lisa. The girl who thought she was everyone’s “best friend” when in reality they all hated her. They just didn’t want to be mean and say it to her face. So, they stayed quiet about it. “Jenny, are you listening to me?” Lisa demanded.
    “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry Lisa, but I have to go. My ride’s here. Hope the party works out.” Jenny faked a smile before leaving. Ugh, how she hated Lisa. Lisa herself wasn’t a bad person; it’s just some of the things she did that were annoying; like getting all up in your face when she’s trying to talk to you, trying to be funny when she’s really not, and things like that. Jenny tried to be nice about it, but it was hard. She was a Christian, and she knew God would want her to do the right thing, even if she didn’t like it very much. Jenny sighed as she got into the front seat, next to Jake, and slammed the door.
    “Lisa?” Jake asked. Jenny nodded. Jake laughed as he started up the car’s engine. Jenny punched him in the arm. “Just shut up and drive.” Jake grinned.

    Jenny sighed as she slammed her books closed. Done, finally. She glanced at the clock. Two hours had passed. She checked her e-mail and found a message from Emily, Hey, call me. The message read. Jenny finished checking her e-mail and picked up the phone to call Emily. She got the answering machine, left a message, and hung up. Jenny sighed. What to do now? The phone rang. She checked the Caller I.D. It was Emily. She picked the phone up.
    “Hey, Em.” she said.
    “Hey, Jen. Sorry I didn’t pick up. Don’t forget about the party tonight.” Jenny looked at the clock. It was seven-thirty.
    “Yeah, I’m not.”
    “Are you going? I am.”
    “I don’t know. I might stay home.”
    “Oh, come on Jen!” Emily whined. “It’ll be fun. Yeah, I know it’s at school, but it’ll still be fun. There’s gonna be a lot of people there. You have to go. Please.” Jenny sighed.
    “What if I don’t feel like meeting lotsa people?”
    “You party pooper! Come on!”
    “I have nothing to wear.” Jenny protested.
    “Oh, puh-lease! Wear your blue dress. The really pretty one that you got for seven dollars!”
    “But-“ Jenny protested.
    “Anna’s still jealous of that.” Emily laughed. Jenny had to join in.
    “Fine, I’ll go.”
    “Yay!” Emily exclaimed. “Meet me at the party in thirty minutes, ok?” The line went dead. Jenny hung up the phone. Well, she might as well go considering she had nothing better to do at the moment. She got up and went to get changed.

    Prom Night
    February 1992
    St. Augustine’s High School
    Minneapolis, Michigan

    Loud music filed the air. It looked like the whole school had arrived. There were bright lights everywhere Jenny turned. She saw Jake Marstone, the guy who every girl had a crush on, standing next a group of his football friends. Then she saw Emily, Brie, Matt, and Annalise talking. She ran up to the group. “Hey, guys.” She said with a smile. Brie turned around to look at her. “Oh. My. Gosh. Jen you look great.” Jenny smiled. “Thanks.”
    “Hey, Jen.” Jake smiled at her as he passed by. Jenny smiled back at him. After he left, she blushed.
    “Jen, you have to tell him that you like him.” Brie said.
    “Yeah, just like Brie.” Matt chimed in as he looked at Brie. Brie smiled at Matt, who hugged her.
    “I don’t know…” Jenny said as she eyed Alex, who was talking with some of his friends.
    “Oh, come on Jen.” Emily pleaded. “You know you liiiikkkkeeee him.” She sang. Jenny sighed and shook her head.
    “Hey, there’s Paige.” Annalise said and gestured toward the oncoming crowd. Jenny turned around to look at Paige, who of course, was at Jake’s side. Jenny glared at Paige. “Don’t worry Jen. Jake still likes you the most.” Emily said.
    “Then why’s he hooking up with all these other girls?” Jenny asked as she eyed Paige.
    “Because he wants to make you jealous, duh.” Brie said. Jenny rolled her eyes.
    “Come on, let’s just enjoy the party, ok?” Emily asked. “We can deal with Jen’s love life problems later.” Jenny had to grin. She and the others agreed with Emily as they hit the dance floor.

    He excused himself and decided to take a “quick break” from the partying and took a walk around the school. He looked at his watch. It was eight-thirty. When is she gonna get here? He thought as he walked to the spot they were supposed to meet. She said right here, and I’m here but she’s not. He decided to wait a little while longer and sat down. Finally a black limo pulled up to where he was sitting. He grinned at the figure that stepped out. Or started too. As the limo drove away, Jake Marstone’s face went from a grin to pure horror.

    Music filled her ears. She looked around. There seemed to be a million people here. Towards the back of the room, she saw a stage, with a band that she didn’t know, was onstage. There were people dancing everywhere she turned. On the right of the room, she saw a row of tables with drinks and snacks on them. She looked around the crowd, searching for him. Deciding that the row of tables would be less crowded, she decided to go and get some punch. She pushed and shoved her way through the crowd. Once she was out, she sighed. That wasn’t fun… she thought as she grabbed some punch and scanned the crowd again. Where is he? Jenny thought. She saw some of her classmates like, Hailey Miranda, Lanie Fudriat, Savanna Guzzardo, Ali Anderson, Kayla Ivey, Jena McCain, Sean Walker, and Hunter Hennessey. She also saw Brie and Matt dancing. Jenny shook her head as they got swallowed up in the crowd. I wish Jake were here… she thought as she noted all of the couples who had shown up. Her mind thought back to the note she had received in English class…
    Something hit her, causing her to lose her balance. Instantly, she snapped out of her reverie, trying to get a grasp on her surroundings. On what had just happened as her punch spilled to the floor.
    “Sorry!” someone called from the crowd. Jenny looked around, searching for the person who had bumped into her. After a few seconds of searching, she decided it wasn’t worth it and saw Annalise walking towards her.
    “Hey, Anna! Have you seen Jake?” Jenny asked.
    “What?” Annalise asked, trying to hear over the blaring music.
    “Have you seen Jake?!” Jenny yelled.
    “No, sorry Jen!” Annalise shouted.
    She said something else that Jenny didn’t understand, then she walked off into the crowd.
    “Ugh!” she groaned. “If he’s not here, then he might be outside…” Jenny turned around and ran outside. She glanced at her watch; He’d better get here soon…

    Hailey Miranda watched the minutes tick by. Where is Jake? She thought as someone bumped into her, running, clutching her stomach. A few seconds later, the sound of a door slamming could be heard. Ugh! This is why I hate crowds and parties like this. Hailey thought as she stepped outside for some fresh air. She decided to take a walk, not wanting to freeze to death by the cold ice that pricked her skin. I knew I should have brought a sweater. Hailey thought as she kept walking. St. Augustine’s was an old place. Rumors said that the school was as old as St. Augustine herself. Hailey had never been one to be superstitious, but out here, the rumors came flooding back to her mind.
    She looked around. The trees seemed to full of leaves…as if trying to hide something. Their roots stuck up from the ground, as if trying to ward off any invaders from entering the forest. She saw a small path that led into the forest. She knew where it led to: the cemetery. Where St. Augustine’s most memorable residents rested in their graves. She shivered as the wind rushed past her, causing small chunks of ice to hit her bare arms. She walked up to the path and stopped in front of it. The oak trees moss hung down, turning gray in the moons glow. She looked around, peering into the darkness. She couldn’t see the trees but knew where they were by the moss that hung from them. She could make out the outline of the small path that she was deciding weather to take of not. She rubbed her bare arms as another blast of cold wind hit her. She heard the loud music playing, and turned to look at where the party was. She saw what seemed to be like a million people there; all dancing, the older one’s drinking, and everyone just having fun. To go or not to go… she thought as she looked back to where the path lay, then back to the party again. To go. With her mind set, she headed off down the small path, and towards the cemetery.

    She shivered and put her hands around her arms, trying to warm them up. Crack. Hailey gasped as she turned to her right, where she had heard the sound. Rustle. “Hello?” she called, hoping that this was some kind of joke. Rustle. Crack. “Lord, please help me get away from here and out alive and safe.” Hailey prayed as she turned to run. But she was stopped short by a figure. A figure she knew well. In the moonlight was Jake Marstone, his body pinned to a trunk of a contorted oak tree in front of what Hailey realized, was a cemetery. She couldn’t breathe. His face was as white as the snow that fell, his eyes wide with terror. A crimson stain covered the disheveled shirt of his tux, a big hole in its center. His head was bent at an impossible angle, crimson tears flowing from his body to make seemingly endless puddles on the ground. Hailey took a step back. “Oh my…no…. no…t-this…c-can’t be happening…no…no…” This was a dream. She was going to wake up, she had too…
    Jenny Owens, her hands covered in blood, her white dress splattered and stained, was crumpled at her feet; her hair had fallen down, curls curing at her shoulders. She lifted her head, eyes filled with tears.
    “Why?” she whispered. She looked at Hailey, at Jake, then back at Hailey.
    “Why, Hailey?” Jenny demanded, face breaking out into a mask of rage and pain.
    “Why did you kill him?”