THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SILVERLEAF SEVEN:

The Silverleaf Seven were seven murdered victims of the Silverleaf Gothic Literature Club's cruelty. The victims were Professor Henry Green, Scarlett Mako, Robert Reuters, Ivory Kee, Lizzy Connors, Fareeda Patel, and Bailey Preston. The murderers on the other hand were Samuel 'Sam' Finnegan, Professor Madeleine Xing, Stanley 'Stan' Crawford, and Thompson 'Tommy' Asterion, who each had a part in these killings.

First was Professor Green, a beloved English teacher who taught freshmen and sophomores. He was found hung with his wrists slit in his own classroom, the desks and floor dishevelled. A few minutes before being found by a student, Finnegan brutally beaten Green until he was dead. Finnegan was the school's groundskeeper and janitor, no one would have questioned if he had keys and why he was there, Green's class was on his cleaning roster. He set up Green's hanging, inspired by The Loose Noose, a gothic story.

Next was Scarlett Mako, whose head was chopped off and the rest of her corpse was left to be eaten by pigs. Unfortunately, her body was found by Silverleaf's headmaster and two professors. The pigs were stolen from Reid Farm by Finnegan, accompanied by Xing, and released on Mako after it was discovered Finnegan used an axe to match Mako's murder to Azure Eyes of Blood, another gothic literature story. Starting to see a pattern?

Robert Reuters was known for dating Bailey Preston, another victim, but decided to sleep with Ivory Kee, also another victim. His death was inspired by Still and it's described that an unfaithful man is stabbed, dragged from the bathroom and placed on his bed in his dorm. This horrible crime was committed by Crawford, who had had access to the dorm since they previously shared it.

Ivory Kee suffered major injuries to the head caused by constant beatings by Bailey Preston, which led to her death. Believe it or not, even the physical fight between the two was somewhat staged by the Silverleaf Gothic Literature Club. Preston was drinking from a drugged cup of coffee, planted by Madeleine Xing in the office room, and the drug—PCP—induced Preston in a furious frenzy once Xing sent her text explaining the affair. This was inspired by Human Anatomy, where two women fight to the death, one way or another. Preston actually died outside of school grounds, she was being driven by Officer Stuart Marshall for her arrest. The lone roads were spiked with sharp pins, popping the wheels, driving into a ditch. The impact killed Preston while the driving officer suffered injuries. After Officer Marshall made a full recovery, he managed to fill the gaps in the car accident; it wasn't an accident at all. The sharp pins were planted by a Rook Asterion-McFadden, Miss Preston's ex-boyfriend and Thompson Asterion's older step-brother. Rook is now convicted of drug dealing and admitted that he was high on weed when Asterion 'asked for a favour.'

Second last was Lizzy Connors, discovered in the girls' washroom, overdosed. While police initially ruled it as a suicide, because traces of fentanyl were found in her Connors' system along with a suicide note, further investigation proved there was foul play provided by Xing. In the note, it stated Connors was the one who killed Robert Reuters when it was instead Crawford. Madeleine did her job well—obtained information from Connors about Kee's and Reuters' affair and later murdered her to keep her mouth shut. However, the fentanyl was given to Xing by Tommy Asterion, but Asterion was supplied by his step-brother. This fake suicide was titled as Flesh.

Finally, there is unfortunate Fareeda Patel, the last of the killed seven. Cast out from her previous high school for being bisexual, she met death with her flesh skinned and blood caked under her fingernails. Early in the morning, she went to Silverleaf Academy's greenhouse and shortly after, Asterion managed to get her corner and knocked her out. Asterion couldn't stomach doing the actual skinning, so Stanley Crawford was called to do it himself before they both fled.

No one knows why the gothic literature club did this. It's plain to see that they committed murder and God knows what else, but in their minds, it was "underdogs as the kings," according to Asterion. What's not to go unnoticed is that the "founder" of the Silverleaf Academy is a fraud, he unrightfully stole the land from Samuel Anders and Maya Bell, the ancestors of Sam Finnegan. It's worse when you realize that their descendants are janitors of the property that was rightfully theirs. It's reported that Sam Finnegan grew sick of it and decided that the gothic literature and grotesque acts of violence would be their last rebellion against Silverleaf after generations of lies.

From the start of the school year, large sums of money were vanishing from the academy's bank account. The money was stolen by Finnegan, and while he did not have a proper education, he managed to hack and steal by using an anonymous person's advanced technology. The cash was used by both Finnegan and Xing, some went to their personal accounts while the rest of the money was used to fund their heinous crimes. According to Thompson Asterion, "Sam said that stealing the money was karma coming back to bite Silverleaf in the back."

Now, the world isn't so black and white, it never will be—it'll always be shades of gray. Finnegan had to get by to support his family when Silverleaf's property technically belonged to him. His trial has already started, but what's wilder is that he has not uttered a single word. He seems to have no intent to defend himself.

Madeleine Xing was exceptionally intelligent, graduating from her university at a young age to join Silverleaf Academy as a history professor for juniors and seniors. Yet no one appreciated her, she was only seen as a beauty. It was said by Xing that she had romantic relations with Finnegan, and whether it was true or not, it's assumed it is the reason why she agreed to murder. Her court trial is starting in a few weeks, but the light's dim for her.

Stanley Crawford was mentioned before in an article, where it said he was expelled and sent home, but he never left school grounds. Professor Green was already suspicious of the gothic literature club, so he offered an easy way out for Crawford to join the club early. In the Cleaners' Quarters, there was a secret room that he stayed in, but Crawford had many unclear mental health issues. That's how he was coaxed into killing, the Silverleaf Gothic Literature Club droned down on his weakest point. It doesn't justify his actions, but he was in a dark place at the time. Some people agree that he's not going to jail, but a mental hospital for the criminally insane instead.

Finally, Tommy Asterion. Posing as a club member, it was a plot made by Xing for him to spy on actual members. He was lonely and wanted to be seen, so he accepted Finnegan's offer to be a "king" in his words. While he didn't exactly kill any of the victims, Asterion supplied both the fentanyl—to make it seem that Lizzy Connors overdosed–and PCP—that made Bailey Preston more aggressive— and knocked out Miss Patel. As of right now, Asterion is in police custody.

That's not to say the victims were completely innocent. While most considered Professor Henry Green to be a lovable teacher—I did myself too—no one should turn a blind eye to how he experimented with Stanley Crawford and the gothic literature club. He created a fake persona for Crawford, which was known as Jones Rossi, and when the club discovered that, they exploited it. Robert Reuters was a cheater, he had an affair, did he not? Most of the other victims—Ivory Kee, Lizzy Connors, Scarlett Mako—were vicious in their own right. Did they deserve to die? We can let karma decide for us.

Things are changing, they're not the same anymore. While the Silverleaf Seven's murders only took place over the course of two months, it felt like an everyday hell. Lots of rumours, gossip, and questions are floating around campus, but the main one is—why the exaggerated acts of murder inspired by gothic literature? Why make an actual club for it? Why did Sam Finnegan, despite all the good and bad about him, decide to kill? Maybe because gothic literature's endings are almost always tragic.

Almost.

—Xoxo, the Originals

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HEADMASTER ROUX EXPOSED FOR PAST LIES:

The aftermath of the Silverleaf Seven left the school spiralling with the police staying for several days. During that time, Detective Erin Hollison and Officer Roger North discovered hidden items in Headmaster Travis Roux's office. Hidden in a safe on his bookshelf were past deeds, wills, testimonies, and more. All of the paperwork was from the Anders/Bell/Finnegan family. Roux denied all accusations, but he was arrested last night and led into a cop car by Officer North. The Silverleaf Academy was originally founded by Samuel Anders and Maya Bell, but all rights were stolen by Bill Johnston, a famous gothic literature novelist and ancestor of Roux.

Stoll Anders came to Silverleaf to work as a janitor for the school when he realized the truth. It was a difficult time for black people back then, he could not afford to lose his job, so he changed his last name to his wife's, Violet Finnegan. For a long time, the Rouxes were headmasters while the Finnegans slacked away cleaning. All paperwork is being analyzed, but most agree that the academy will be handed over to the Finnegans. With Sam Finnegan locked away, he is not eligible for most legal talks. So everything goes to his younger brother who decided to remain anonymous in this article.

His lawyer, Blair Campbell, says they are confident that they will acquire Silverleaf's property and anything that was written in the paperwork. Secrets might be buried forever, but lies will come to light.

—Xoxo, the Originals