Chapter 1

I had not imagined that voice!

My hair stood on end as I realized I had been murdered and seemingly regressed. The mysterious woman seemed to know something.

I turned and caught sight of her walking away. Then I heard Rosa hit the ground.

There was chaos all around me. The woman disappeared into the crowd, and I could not find her.

"Quiet! Everyone, quiet!"

"Everyone back to your dorms, now! No one leaves without permission! Anyone who doesn't follow instructions will face serious disciplinary action!"

The dean had found the body. He quickly called the police and an ambulance, then called the security guards to keep order.

Remembering my own death, I pushed toward the exit, desperate to get off campus before I was killed again. A security guard spotted me and forced me back to the dorm building.

The police arrived ten minutes later. By then, my three dorm mates and I had been confined to our room.

"Rosa is dead? How is that possible?"

"She was about to get a scholarship. She would've had the money for her mom's medical bills soon. Why would she kill herself?"

Fiona Gold, the most timid of us, nestled in a corner as she trembled with fear. Wendy Yates, who had always been somewhat of a free spirit, rolled her eyes at her and went back to her game.

Jaina, who was the person in charge of our shared dorm, walked over to Fiona's bed. She grabbed her by the collar and slapped her hard. "What the hell are you talking about?

"Listen up, Fiona. We barely knew Rosa. She was a loner and probably autistic. We never talked to her. We didn't know her mom was sick or that she was about to get a scholarship. Her death has nothing to do with us, got it?"

Fiona held her red, swollen cheek and stared at Jaina in terror, trembling even harder. "I… I hear you..."

Jaina turned to Wendy and me. "That goes for you two, too. If the police ask, watch what you say. All of us have skeletons in our closets! If this gets out, we're all going down together!"

Wendy kept playing her game on her phone, unconcerned. Meanwhile, I nodded, feeling frantic deep inside.

We all knew Jaina had driven Rosa to her death. The rest of us had helped her because we were afraid of her family's influence.

But right now, protecting myself mattered more than standing up for Rosa. I had less than ten hours before I would be killed.

Jaina had installed an electronic lock on our dorm room door. Without the code, no one could open it from outside.

I was certain it had been locked when I went to sleep the last time.

That meant the culprit had to be one of the other three!