Scene 1:
The school bell rang like any other Monday morning, but for the five friends, everything had changed.
Their shoes echoed down the hallway as they walked in silence, eyes tired, shoulders heavy. Just two weeks ago, they were laughing in these very halls with Grace by their side. Now... nothing felt the same.
As they reached their lockers, someone leaned against the wall, whispering and snickering.
It was THE GROUP.
"Hey, look who's back!" sneered Ethan, one of the school bullies. "Missing someone?"
Caleb clenched her jaw. Noah took a step forward but stopped himself.
Rebbeca smirked. "What happened to your little gang? Oh wait... one of you drowned, right?"
The other bullies burst out laughing.
"Was it suicide?" another one asked mockingly. "Or maybe she just got tired of your boring friendship?"
"Shut up!" yelled Jake.
The hallway buzzed with gasps as students began to turn their heads.
"Or what?" Nicole pushed. "You gonna cry again like at the police station?"
Suddenly, chaos erupted. Shouting. Pushing. Angry voices filled the corridor.
Then, just as suddenly...
"ENOUGH!" boomed Mrs. Linton, their homeroom teacher.
The hallway fell silent.
"All of you! To class. Now! If I see another scene like this, parents will be called. Understood?"
They scattered in different directions, but the fire in their hearts was still burning.
Something had changed inside the five friends. Grief was turning into something darker.
Scene 2:
Later that evening, Zoe's mother stood nervously at the door of Mrs. Brown's house holding a container of deliciously cooked chicken wrapped in a towel.
Knock knock.
The door opened slowly. Grace's mother stood there, eyes tired, face pale, her hands shaking just a little.
"Oh... hey," she said softly.
"I brought you some food," Zoe's mom smiled gently. "You haven't been eating well. Thought you might need it."
Grace's mother gave a small nod. "Come in."
The house was eerily quiet, filled with framed photos of Grace, still smiling, frozen in time.
They sat at the dining table. Zoe's mom placed the container down, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Grace's mother broke the silence.
"The police came this morning," she said. "They told me... they told me it might have been an animal. A wild one. But how could an animal do that to her?"
Zoe's mom said nothing. Just listened.
"Or," she continued, voice trembling, "they said it could have been a psycho. A stalker. Someone who'd been watching her."
Her lips quivered, and her eyes began to fill.
"She was just a child," she whispered. "Just a child…"
And then the tears came. Quiet, aching sobs.
Zoe's mother reached across the table and held her hand tightly. No words. Just warmth.
"I understand," Zoe's mother said softly. "I understand what you're going through right now. And I can't imagine how heavy this feels."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"But you need to take care of yourself too," she added gently. "I know it feels impossible. But your health… your strength… they matter now more than ever."
Grace's mother stayed quiet, staring blankly at the table.
Zoe's mom spoke slowly, not rushing a word. "You don't have to be okay today. Or tomorrow. But Grace would want you to breathe. To eat. To sleep at least a little. She loved you more than anything."
A tear slid down Grace's mother's cheek again.
"I brought food for you because I didn't know what else to do," Zoe's mom whispered. "But I want to be here, not just today, but through all of this. You're not alone."
There was a long silence.
Then, very faintly, Grace's mother whispered, "Thank you."
Scene 3:
Zoe's mother quietly closed the front door behind her, setting her purse on the counter with a heavy sigh.
Footsteps thudded on the staircase.
"Mom?" Zoe called, rushing downstairs. "Where were you?"
Zoe's mother looked at her daughter, her face tired but calm. "I went to see Grace's mom."
Zoe's expression changed. She moved closer, her voice softer. "How… how is she?"
Zoe's mom sat down on the couch, motioning Zoe to sit beside her.
"She's shattered. The police… they told her it could've been an animal, or…" she paused, "…someone. Someone who had been watching her."
Zoe's eyes widened.
"Someone?" she whispered.
Her mother nodded. "They aren't sure. But the idea that it wasn't an accident… it's haunting her."
Zoe didn't speak. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Her mother placed a hand gently on hers. "Be careful, Zoe."
Zoe nodded, slowly.
Scene 4:
The bell rang. The math teacher was scribbling on the whiteboard, her back to the class.
Zoe sat near the window, pretending to take notes. Then, one by one, as quietly and casually as she could, she passed tiny folded papers to each of her friends, Noah, Hannah, Jake and Caleb.
Each of them opened the paper in secret.
"Meet me at my house. 6 p.m. after school. I have to tell you guys something."
They all looked at Zoe from across the room.
She didn't say a word.
But her eyes told them enough.
Scene 5:
Zoe's House – 5:56 p.m.
The doorbell rang.
Zoe's mother wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked over to open the door.
There stood Hannah, slightly breathless, eyes shifting side to side.
"Hi, Hannah," Mrs. Clark smiled. "How are y-"
"Hi, Mrs. Clark," Hannah said quickly, not stopping. "Zoe's expecting me."
And just like that, she slipped past her and hurried up the stairs.
Zoe's mother blinked. That was… unusual.
A moment later, the doorbell rang again.
It was Caleb.
"Good evening, Mrs. Clark," he said politely.
She stepped aside. "Going to Zoe's too?"
"Yeah."
Up he went.
Then came Jake
Then Noah.
Each greeted politely... but never explained why they were all arriving at once.
Zoe's mother stood in the hallway, eyes fixed on the staircase now crowded with footsteps and hushed voices from above.
She narrowed her eyes.
Something wasn't right.
Not with Zoe.
Not with her friends.
And certainly not with the secret that brought them all here.
Scene 6:
The door was shut. Curtains drawn. The room was dimly lit, with the glow of fairy lights and a single desk lamp casting long shadows.
Zoe sat cross-legged on her bed, while the others found spots, on the beanbag, the floor, the edge of her chair. The room was unusually quiet for a group of teenagers.
Zoe looked at them, her voice low but steady.
"My mom went to Grace's house today. She talked to her mom…"
Everyone leaned in.
"She said the police told Grace's mom that… it could've been a wild animal. Or… or a psycho killer. Or someone who's been following her."
A cold silence filled the room.
Zoe swallowed. "Grace's mom almost cried. My mom told me she looked… broken."
Caleb said, "A wild animal!?! Doesn't make sense at all. We all saw the way Grace's body was found in such an extremely violent way. No way a wild animal could have done that."
"Yeah...I also agree with what Caleb said. How would a wild animal alone push her body into the lake." said Noah.
"And swen her mouth..." said Hannah.
Jake crossed his arms.
"Well, a physco killer or a stalker might be true. It might be a planned murder."
Everyone looked around at each other.
The realization was slowly sinking in.
Whatever happened to Grace…
was not an accident.
The room went silent.
Hannah's voice broke it. "So what do we do now?"
Caleb's eyes darkened. "We find out who did this. Before something worse happens."
Scene 7:
Later that night, Zoe lies in bed, eyes wide open. She's been trying to sleep for the past hour. The same thought keeps spinning in her mind, Grace didn't deserve that kind of death.
She turns to her side. Her eyes fall on the old group photo stuck on the pinboard across the room, the one with all of them at school, smiling. Grace is right in the middle.
The photo begins to fade. Not all at once, just Grace's face starts vanishing. First her smile, then her head... like ink being washed off paper.
Zoe sits up with a chill down her spine.
She turns around to look at her cupboard,
SLAM!
The cupboard door bursts open by itself.
Her phone buzzes.
TEXT NOTIFICATION:
She checks it, her hands shaking. It's a photo attachment from an unknown number.
It's the same group photo.
Only this time, Grace's eyes are scratched out. Her mouth is sewn shut.
Suddenly, the room temperature drops.
The wind begins to howl, even though the windows are closed. Her curtains start swaying.
She looks beside her.
GRACE IS STANDING THERE.
She's in the same outfit she wore the day she disappeared. Her body is dirty, torn, but glowing faintly. Her face is frozen in a desperate, pained expression.
Grace (whispers, voice broken):
"Help... help me..."
Zoe stares in frozen horror.
Zoe screams.
Her parents rush in her room.
Her mom grabs her and pulls her into her arms.
Zoe keeps shaking and crying, trying to say something...
Zoe:
"She... she was here..."
Scene 8:
The next day, Zoe went to school. Everything felt normal around her, students chatting, the teacher teaching, but Zoe wasn't really there. She quietly sat in her seat, staring out of the window. Her eyes were fixed far away, her mind still stuck on what had happened last night.
As she kept looking outside, she suddenly saw something. It was Grace.
Grace was far away near the school's ground, standing still....she looked the same as she did that night, her dress torn and dirty, her face pale, and her eyes empty.
Zoe froze. Her heart started pounding. She couldn't breathe.
Then, all of a sudden, she stood up from her chair.
Mr. Tyler asked,"What happened, Zoe?".
But Zoe didn't say a word. She just rushed out of the classroom, running straight to the washroom.
Inside the washroom, she splashed water on her face, trying to calm herself down. She looked at the mirror.
But as she looked in the mirror again, she saw something behind her.
Grace.
Standing silently, her eyes dark, her sewn mouth slightly open.
Zoe turned around quickly, but there was nothing there.
She looked back at the mirror.
The reflection was gone.
Something wasn't right.