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Holly
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"Janet is dead."

My eyes widen as soon as those heart-wrenching words leave Juliet's mouth. Janet is dead. It doesn't make any sense. Last night she was dancing and having fun, healthy and perfectly fine. It just doesn't add up. You can't magically die. I know I shouldn't skip to conclusions, especially with such an extravagant topic like death, but I have a feeling Janet's death was definitely no accident.

"Dead?" I shake my head, "How?"

"We have no idea," Liz says, "all we know is apparently she was feeling really sick during the night... Then she just passed away."

"Just passed away? That doesn't make any sense!" I hesitate, "But she probably was just super sick. Maybe she was allergic to the food or something?"

The reason I hesitated was because I was going to bring up the chilling fact of a murderer in the Dollhouse, and how they, she, or he, could've planted a horrible strategy to kill Janet. Obviously I can't bring that up, I still don't know who I can trust.

"I don't know... It's just so sad." Liz says, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Without even saying bye to the girls, I run out of the kitchen. I can't bare to be around all the sadness. And plus, now is a great time to start searching for the murderous culprit... Harry's with Liam, the girls are busy with their grief. It's perfect.

I do feel bad that I'm not as saddened as the other girls are by Janet's death. Me and Janet were never really close, and I don't know... As scary and extremely psychotic this sounds, I've just been getting used to death.

I run upstairs and into the girls and I's bedroom. I look around for where I left my notebook and things for clues for when I try to find the murderer in The Dollhouse. It's in my drawer.

I get out everything I need; my notebook, a ziplock bag, and my Polaroid camera. I feel like I'm a detective or something.

I've been in The Dollhouse for over five months now, and I've really gotten no where to finding out who this murderer could be. I actually expected it to be less of a challenge than it is. These girls are too smart.

I start to try and think about what Janet told me at the Christmas party, what she'd done that day. I remember her telling me she and Liam had gone out into the city in the morning, but that doesn't mean anything.

All of a sudden, I hear a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in!" I yell.

The door slowly opens, and in comes Juliet. I quickly hide my notepad but am not in time to hide the ziplock bag and Polaroid camera.

"Hey, Holly," Juliet looks at the ziplock bag and Polaroid camera confused, "what's that?"

"Just being artsy. Wanted to try a photography thing" I lie.

"Oh," Juliet chuckles, "with a ziplock bag? You're a funny girl"

"So," I say, "how's everyone doing downstairs?"

"They're pretty sad. Macy and Dakota are the most sad, they were good friends with Janet. How are you coping?"

"Well," I sigh, "I was never really close with Janet, so I'm not feeling the same amount as grief as you and the girls. But still, I'm sad for everyone."

"Yeah, me too. Any death makes me sad, really" Juliet says, looking down.

"Uh," Juliet gets a out a card from her dress pocket, "I found this. I think it's from Harry."

Juliet hands me the card.

"Oh," I stare at the card, "thank you, Juliet."

"Alright," Juliet sighs, "I'm gonna go comfort the girls. See ya later"

It was quite a strange surprise when Juliet handed me the card from Harry. There's always been tension when it comes to me, Harry and Juliet. But Juliet's been more mature lately. Which I'm really glad to see.

I stare at the card. It's folded and on the side facing up, it reads 'Holly' in cursive hand writing.

I open the card, its short and reads:

'Hello Darling.

Meet me outside at midnight. We really need to talk.'

Just reading the words 'we really need to talk' sends cold shivers down my spine. I wonder what he has to urgently tell me.

I put the card on my bed before leaving my bedroom.

I go downstairs and the first thing I see is Lola, all alone in the big living room on the phone. With my notebook and ballpoint pen in my hands, I sneakily listen quietly to Lola and her conversation on the phone.

"Yes! I know! I'm the only one that knows. Well... Me and Harry know, obviously." Lola says, biting her nails. Who is she talking to?

"Why am I doing this?" Lola pauses, "Okay, yeah, whatever, Lauryn."

Lauryn.

"It's so soon." Lola says, a smirk painted across her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Holly doesn't, and will not, for hopefully till the right time, know."

The split second Lola mentions my name I feel my heart drop to the floor and break into a million pieces like sharp glass.

"Okay. Talk soon. Goodb-"

"Shit." I murmur as I accidentally drop my pen onto the marble floor.

"What the?" Lola stands up, "Who's there?"

Fuck. I'm an idiot.

Before I start running away, Lola catches me.

"Holly?! What the fuck are you doing eavesdropping, freak!" Lola screams at me.

"What are you talking about? I literally just came down the stairs now." I lie.

Lola quickly snatches my notebook from my hands and gives me a cold glare before looking through the pages. No. No. No.

As Lola starts flipping through the pages of the notebook, her cold expression turns into a cringe.

"What the fuck," Lola flips through all the pages, "why have you got Liz's artwork notebook?"

"Liz's? Art? What?" I snatch the notebook back and look through the pages. I must've accidentally gotten Liz's notebook instead of mine, this notebook has all of her drawings.

"Liz just asked me to give it to her, that's all" I lie to Lola.

Lola crosses her arms, "you're fucking weird. Bye"

When Lola walks away, a sigh of relief leaves my lips and I lean on the wall, feeling relaxed.

Not even a minute later, Lola comes back and hands me the phone.

"Oh yeah," Lola gives me the phone, "Harry wanted you to call him."

"Thanks."

Lola walks away.

I dial Harry's phone number, and I impatiently listen to beeping before he answers.

"Hello, Holly?" Harry says.

"Hey, Harry."

"I just wanted to call to tell you I might not be home till late tonight. Something just came up"

"Oh. What?"

"I love you, darling. Don't forget that."

"I love you, too... You're acting weird. Is everything alright?"

And with that, Harry hangs up. That was strange...

Today has been so full of conspiracy and it's not even two in the afternoon yet. First, Janet's sudden death. Second, Harry's mysterious card. Third, Lola's phone call with suspicious Lauryn. And finally, Harry's weird phone call and hang up. I have no idea what is going on.

I walk into the kitchen. I really need water. Too much has been going on today.

"Are you okay, Holly?" Dakota asks me, pouring me a glass of water.

"Thanks. I just feel overwhelmed."

Dakota rubs my back, "Have a rest?"

I sigh, "Rest is the last thing I need. I feel sick but I'm still energised."

"Me and the girls were just about to play volleyball outside. Wanna join?" Dakota asks me.

I look out the glass sliding door and see Liz waving at me, a volleyball in her hand.

"Yeah, alright. I'll meet you guys out there in a sec."

"Alright. See ya" Dakota says before going outside.

| 2 Hours Later |

The girls and I sit outside on the grass, eating fruit and having a chat. Liz is French braiding Dakota's long blond hair, Macy's telling us some lame dad jokes, and Juliet, Lola, and I are stuck into conversation.

I'm so glad I played volleyball with the girls. I know it's just a sport, but I feel whenever the girls and I do stuff altogether, we get a bit closer each time. Also, sport calms me down. The girls and I are much more calm now that we've had a bit of fun. The tears are replaced with laughter, even though in all our hearts we still feel grief for our friend Janet.

"Ew," I make a sour face, "I hate this orange juice."

Lola gets a cup of orange juice in her hand and throws the cup at my face.

"Funny, Lola. Real funny." I roll my eyes, wiping my face with my hands.

"You need to lighten up. I didn't even get your full face" Lola giggles.

"Yeah, lucky for you. I would've hated you if-"

And of course, Lola, being the most annoying bitch in the history of forever, throws another cup of orange juice directly at my face. This time, it goes on my dress and my face. The girls can't help but laugh.

"Lola!" I stand up, "You're so annoying."

"Haha!" Lola laughs.

"I'm gonna go clean up" I say, going back inside.

My face gets sticky and I think to myself, 'yuck, yuck, yuck.'

I go into the girls and I's bedroom and wash my face in the bathroom, I also change my dress.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I look down at my bed. The card Harry wrote to me that I left on my bed has been strangely replaced by an envelope that has my name written on the front.

Scared but curious, I sit down on my bed and examine the suspicious envelope. Who could this be from?

I rip open the envelope and read the chilling letter that is inside. My jaw drops, my heart stops beating, and my breathing is shortened as soon as I read the grimacing words written cursively on this wicked letter.

'One by one, Holly.

One by one.

They'll all be gone.

You'll be gone.

- V, L, J.'