The curtains were pulled back, and sunlight flooded the dark room. In her bed, Lenore groaned and pulled the purple comforter over her head.

"Lenore," Amelia said, crossing the room. She yanked open another curtain, letting in even more light. "You have to get up."

"Why?" Lenore groaned from beneath the covers.

Her mother marched over to her bedside and pulled off the comforter, exposing her daughter's hunched form. Lenore rolled over and shielded her eyes with a hiss.

"Did you just hiss at me like some kind of vampire?" her mother said with a sigh. "Okay, you've been in your room for too long. You're definitely going today."

"Going where?" Lenore groaned, propping herself up. The dark shadows under her eyes really could have her mistaken for one of the undead.

"School," her mom said, sounding exasperated. She dropped the balled-up comforter at the foot of the bed. "Obviously."

School? That sent a jolt through Lenore, and she shot up. "No!"

It had been over a week since Lenore had arrived in Eden, and she had so far avoided school. She had been making excuses, claiming that she needed more time to adjust to the new situation before she dove into classes.

In reality, she was still hoping that her dad would find a last-minute solution and save her from that hell. But that hadn't happened. And Lenore was finally starting to realize that it might not.

That didn't mean she was ready to give up, however.

"I-I n-need—" Lenore sputtered, clearing her rough throat. "I need a bit more time to settle in."

"You've had a week."

"I need more."

"Lenore," Amelia said, frowning and crossing her arms. "I can't keep making excuses for you with the school administration. If you don't start today, you risk failing."

Lenore rolled her eyes and shrugged. Failing no longer sounded like the worst thing in the world. Nothing could be worse than actually going to that school.

Her mother's frown deepened. "What is this?" she said, motioning to the sad little lump of a girl sitting on the bed. "What are you doing? Your dad said your school was academically advanced. You even skipped a grade! And what, now you're just going to give up?"

Lenore just shrugged again.

Her mother's pale skin began to redden like it did when she got really angry. "Oh, I see. So, you're going to tank your future, to, what—get back at me?" her mother snapped. "That's so stupid. Ruining your future will not hurt me, Lenore. It will only hurt you."

Lenore turned away as if she could pretend her mother wasn't there, as if not seeing the problem could make it go away.

"You know, if you fail, they're not going to ship you off to your dad," her mother continued, her voice sharper. "They're gonna make you stay here and take the year again. Is that what you want? Another year? Here?"

Lenore shivered. She wrapped her arms around her middle. She didn't care about disappointing her mother, but the threat of another year here was... Well, that could be worse.

"I know you're not happy being here, with me," Amelia added, her voice shaking. "You've made that perfectly clear. Fine. Whatever. But if you really want to get out of here as soon as possible?"

Lenore finally turned to look at her mother. She raised her eyebrows in silent question, waiting for her mother's response.

Her mother's face was really trembling now. She glared back at her daughter, her frustration plain. "Then go to school."

And then she swept out of the room.

Lenore swore under her breath, sighed, and got out of bed.

Lenore sank into the passenger seat of her mother's SUV, wishing she was anywhere but here. As they drove towards the school, Lenore clutched her back backpack to her chest. She was dressed as if she was attending another funeral, with a black hoodie and black jeans, in addition to her black bag. The bag had been a gift from her dad, specially chosen to carry her new laptop for her internship. It was more functional than stylish, but Lenore had planned to dress it up and make it her own with a bunch of bright patches and pins.

But that never happened, and now she didn't think there was a point. Now her plan was to be as nondescript as possible, fade into the background, and hope that no one noticed her. If she was fortunate, no one would notice her enough to remember who she was.

But as they arrived at the high school, she knew her plan was hopeless.

The school, a newer building built on the edge of town, had a new name. Before she had moved, it had been the namesake of some dusty old politician, but now a new line of shiny chrome letters ran along the roof line, reading:

NICHOLAS & NATHANIEL HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL

Something cold took hold of Lenore's stomach. She swallowed hard.

There was no way she could lie low now.

Not after the town had renamed the school in honour of her aunt's victims.

She whipped around to look at her mother. Her eyes were wide in desperation, a silent plead. Don't make me go.

Her mother just shook her head. "You have to."

Heat flooded through Lenore. Seriously?! She had to press her lips together to keep all the angry words at bay. Instead, she hopped out of the SUV, slammed the door behind her, and glared at her through the window.

Her mother didn't seem to notice. She didn't even wait for Lenore to make her way to the front door before she took off, leaving Lenore standing there, alone.

Lenore turned and stared at the school, at the dead grass that surrounded it, at the ugly grey clouds overhead. She wanted to cry. But tears would solve nothing, so she swallowed them down and marched forwards.

As she made it to the front doors, Lenore pushed one open a crack and looked around to check if anyone was nearby. Thankfully, the halls were empty. It appeared class was already in session. A small win. Lenore let out a breath and slipped in...

And then stopped dead.

Nicholas and Nathaniel were staring at her.

Their oversized portraits were hung on the wall, the first thing you saw when you walked in. Not only did they rename the school, but they had put up a memorial. Their perfect, identical faces, with their green eyes and sandy-blonde hair, grinned from each picture. They had been so young. They had been around her age—maybe a year or so older—when they had gone missing, and now... Their memory was frozen in youth.

Lenore averted her eyes and hurried on.

The school wasn't exactly large, so it was easy enough to find the front office. Lenore lingered at the threshold for a moment, gathering her courage before she stepped inside.

The office administrator, a soft-faced woman with oversized glasses that magnified her eyes, looked up. As soon as she laid eyes on Lenore, her eyes went wide—well, wider—and Lenore knew instantly that she recognized her. But, to the woman's credit, she didn't mention it, not even after Lenore gave her name. She carried on, business as usual, as she had her to fill out forms and explained how her school day would be structured—her day was split into five blocks which would rotate daily—without even a jab, or a hint, or even a lingering stare.

Once the forms were filled, the administrator dropped a heavy stack of papers on the counter and pushed them at Lenore. Lenore thumbed through a few pages, giving the contents a quick glance. There was a timetable for her classes, a school handbook, and, on top, a map of the school.

"The school isn't big or anything," the administrator said, pointing out the obvious, "so I doubt you'll get lost, but just in case." She tapped on a corner of the map with one of her heavily-ringed fingers. "Your locker is here. 405. You're joining us a little late, so we've only got the far lockers left." She gave Lenore an apologetic smile that Lenore did not return.

"It can be a bit of a dash between classes, but you can make it if you don't dawdle," she continued, unbothered. "And since you've already missed most of the first period, don't bother with it. I'll make a note to tell your teacher. Why don't you go and get your locker ready before you head to your next class?"

"Sounds good," Lenore said. She put her arm on the counter and unceremoniously swept the papers into her backpack, keeping only the map. She turned to leave but stopped, then turned back to the woman at the desk. She forced a smile. "And, uh, t-thanks."

"Anytime, dear," the administrator said with a wave. Her smile weakened, and her eyes tightened, her expression becoming more of a wince. "And good luck."

Lenore's own smile fell.

The administrator knew exactly what she was in for.

Shaking slightly, Lenore ventured back out into the empty hall. She only made it a few steps further before she had to stop and lean against the wall. Her heart was racing. She pulled out the map to distract herself and tried to make sense of exactly where everything was.

It turned out her locker was over by the woodshop. The administrator had been right about the distance—the woodshop was off in the far corner of the school, significantly farther from the other classrooms. She hurried off.

When she got there, she was expecting some grimy corner, but it didn't look too bad. A row of lockers was on one side, and a big window and side door were on the other, overlooking the parking lot. The door that led to the woodshop was at the end, and the whole hall smelled faintly of wood dust. It was all rather boring, and it didn't look like many people came through here.

That could be a good thing, Lenore thought. If no one really came here, it could be a good hiding spot.

The lockers were marked with oversized numbers so Lenore could spot hers—405—from afar. It still looked in good shape, almost new. Another bonus of being put in some forgotten corner. As she opened it, the locker door didn't stick or whine, and none of the hooks inside had been pulled off.

Lenore shrugged off her bag and hung it on one of the hooks. She figured she couldn't be expected to take any real notes on the first day, well, her first day. After her advanced school, she already expected to be bored.

She dug her crumpled timetable out of her bag and referenced it against her map. Her first class, which she had missed, had been English. Biology was next. Fortunately, according to the map, the labs didn't look like they were far from here. She could take her time getting there. She tried the lock, using the combo from the map—

"Ho-ly shit."

Lenore spun around.

A teenage boy was staring at her, standing by the doors that led to the woodshop. He was tall and thick, with his sweat-stained ball cap pulled low over his beady eyes. His camo t-shirt was pulled tight over his wide chest.

"Well, well, well." He grinned at her, showing all his teeth. "The rumours were true."

The way he stared at Lenore, like a predator, sent chills crawling up her neck. She racked her brain for a response, but all her precious book smarts seemed to drain away. Maybe playing stupid was probably her best option.

"What rumours?" she said, but her trembling voice gave her away.

"Oh, come on. You know." The guy narrowed his already small eyes, making his wide smile even more sinister. "The killer's come home."

The chills had spread through her whole body now, freezing her in place. She recognized the guy now. It was Reese Lupton. Of course, it was.

Before she had left town, he had been one of her worst bullies... If not the worst.

So much for good luck.

Reese started towards her. Even at a distance, she could tell that he towered over her. He moved slowly, confidently, like a hunter closing in on wounded game. Reese was a hunter. Many people in Eden were, though his family, the Luptons, had had a reputation of being a little... distasteful about it. People said they enjoyed the kills a bit too much.

Reese certainly did. He had chased that grim thrill in every part of his life, even from a young age. He was the predator, she was the prey. Lenore had been his prey before, and it looked like he was pleased to have her back.

"You have some nerve showing up here," he grumbled, his voice going low. He was right in front of her now. His breath stank like he'd eaten a fistful of Slim Jims for breakfast. Lenore shrank against her locker. "Did you think you could waltz back into town, like we'd just forget about what your family did?" His grin grew wider. "Or is it something else that brought you back? Maybe you're looking for some—"

His fist shot out, slamming into the neighbouring locker right next to her head, making her jump.

"Fresh meat?" Reese finished, sneering and leaning in close.

Lenore couldn't think of anything else to do but squeeze her eyes shut.

"Hey!" someone shouted. "Leave her alone!"