The day had started like any other.
The sky was bright, the campus alive with laughter — until a scream shattered everything.
Students looked up toward the science building in confusion, gasps rippling through the crowd as they saw Nikki standing on the edge of the roof.
"Nikki!" someone shouted.
But she didn't move.
Her hair whipped in the wind, her eyes empty, her face pale as tears traced down her cheeks.
And before anyone could reach her—
she stepped forward.
The sound that followed was one no one would ever forget.
Anastasia was the closest. She didn't even have time to move before it happened — Nikki's body hit the ground beside her, and a warm splash of crimson streaked across her skin.
She froze. Then screamed.
The sound tore through the courtyard, sharp and broken. Students scattered, some fainting, some crying, others shouting for help.
Patricia stood rooted to the spot, trembling, unable to process what she'd just seen.
"Anastasia!" she cried, running toward her friend, but Anastasia only kept screaming, trying to wipe the blood off her arms, her face, her hair.
"Get it off me! Get it off me!" she sobbed hysterically.
Elise fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as Davon rushed to pull her close. "No, no, no—why would she—why would she do that?" Elise cried, her voice breaking.
Davon could only hold her tighter, his own face tight with grief and anger.
Someone called the police.
The sirens echoed through the campus, but no one really heard them — not over the crying, the gasps, the whispers.
When the officers arrived, one of them found a folded note clenched in Nikki's hand.
He read it silently, then his face hardened as he passed it to the others.
The paper trembled in the officer's hand as he read aloud:
> "I never wanted this. She made me do it. I'm so sorry."
The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Elise covered her mouth, shaking. Patricia turned pale, her heart pounding as she looked at Anastasia, who was still sobbing in Devin's arms, her body trembling violently.
No one knew who "she" was.
But in that moment, they all felt the same chill — like someone was still watching, still waiting, still planning the next move.
And somewhere, far away, Ellie smiled coldly.