IT WAS 11:50 on New Year's Eve. Dorothea's place was silent, the only people there were Angelica, Evan, Willow, Jen, and Tyler. They were sitting in Angelica and Evan's usual booth, drinking milkshakes as the new year drew nearer. The place was almost dark, the only lights being those illuminating the large booth and the neon sign by the door that was flickering, showing that it was nearing the end of its time.

The table was mostly quiet, no one having much to say. It was comfortable, the time passing quickly as the group spent the transition into the new year together. Most of them couldn't have been more different, but with all that was unfolding in the town at the time, everyone seemed to be on the same side. Emotions were all out of whack with every person, whether they felt as though they lost something or not, and people made a unspoken decision not to test each other's limits for the time being.

Angelica took a drink of her milkshake as she looked around her, glad to be surrounded by people who she could trust in the current times of testing. She smiled, looking down into her cup before speaking out.

"Are you guys all ready for the new year?"

As Angelica spoke, part of her couldn't believe that 2017 was already there. In a matter of minutes, they would leave behind the year for another, but that certainly didn't mean the troubles of 2016 would vanish. Angelica would never forget the night when she lost her best friend, and she knew that Evan and Willow wouldn't either. And Christmas - Christmas felt empty without Keira. There was small talk, dinner, gifts - the usual - but there was a hole, an empty space on the couch and in the room where Keira used to be. Evan took quick notice to Angelica's hair when he saw her, but he didn't pick up on why she dyed it again, and Angelica left the topic alone. She didn't want to talk about it.

"Ready as I can be," Willow sighed, answering Angelica's question with a forced smile.

"Yeah," Evan added, "It's not like we can pause time."

Jen nodded, looking from Angelica to Evan to Willow and back, "Only three more minutes."

"This year has gone by so fast," Angelica commented, leading the conversation in a different direction.

A long collective silence was met with Angelica's words, and the feeling in the air shifted. Everyone agreed, but it was a tough agreement to face. With everything that had happened, life went on, and that was the undeniable truth. As this silent exchange unfolded, everyone exchanged knowing glances - all except for Tyler. He just sat there, staring blankly ahead of him. Once or twice, he would make a comment or an expression to contribute, but he hadn't said anything all night.

The clock on the wall changed as the group sat in silence, flashing 11:59 instead of 11:58. All eyes met the clock, anticipating the change to the next minute, the moment that would bring the new year. Excitement hung in the air as the minute stretched on, feeling like more than sixty seconds. When the clock changed, the collective sound of people letting out a breath they'd been holding filled the diner. A smile flashed on Angelica's face, slipping away as quick as it came, as Evan lifted his glass.

"To old times," He announced, grabbing the attention of everyone at the table, "Memories," Everyone raised their glasses as he glanced at Tyler, "And new friends."

Tyler forced a smile as the sound of five milkshake glasses clinking together filled the still air and five voices joyously sang out.

"Happy New Year!"

<<<<<<<

Melissa Walters paced through the house, tidying things up here and there to start off the new year. It was January first of 2017, something she wasn't too happy about, but life went on. She moved about like a corpse, her stare blank and gaze unfocused as she roamed the house. There was nothing to do, and the silence was killing her.

Just as Melissa was about to sit on the couch, the sound of her phone pinging cut through the silence of her home. She sighed in relief - she hadn't heard the sound in what felt like forever. Rushing to grab the phone, she grasped it with shaking hands, unlocking it and looking at the text with fast, eager movements.

Her moment of excitement was put to an abrupt stop when she read the text, scanning over it a couple of times before realizing the hidden meaning behind it.

Hello, this is Jeff Howard. Is this Melissa Walters? If so, I have some important information for you. Please call me when you get the chance. Thanks.

Why else would Jeff Howard - the Deputy - be requesting to call if it didn't have to do with her daughter? The so-called 'Important information' he apparently had for her couldn't be good in the slightest. Melissa sighed, her breath wavering as she exhaled. She couldn't face this news alone, and there were two other people that deserved to know: Angelica and Evan. Closing out the texting app, Melissa opened her contacts and pressed the call button by Angelica's name.

A voice sounded from the other end as Melissa put the phone by her ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Angel," Melissa spike into the phone, "Is Evan with you?"

"He is..." Angelica answered after a moment, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Melissa told her, "I just need you and Evan to come over here as soon as you can, alright? Deputy Howard said that he had some news to share."

"Oh," Angelica sounded confused as she replied, "We'll be there in fifteen. Is that soon enough?"

"Yep."

"Okay, we'll see you then."

"Alright," Melissa concluded, "Buh-bye."

Before Angelica could reply, Melissa ended the call, setting her phone on the table. She tapped her fingers on the surface of the wood, the feeling of lead weighing down in her stomach. For the next fifteen minutes, Melissa would have to ignore the sinking feeling of something terrible coming, and that fifteen minutes could very well be spent on pulling herself together. At the moment, her hair was disheveled, her shirt stained. She hadn't showered in days - she didn't really care about much after Keira's death, and that was becoming more apparent as time went on.

Rising from her seat at the table, the scraping of the chair across the tile floor cut through the silence of Melissa's empty home. She sauntered to the bathroom, entering the small space moments later. As she turned the lights on, she yawned. Her eyes met her reflection in the mirror as she looked up, and she noticed bags under her eyes, showing the lack of sleep she had acquired in the last few weeks. She blinked a couple of times before digging in a drawer for a hairbrush. She pulled it out, brushing through her tangled hair with great difficulty. Once she was done and brushed her teeth, she made her way into her room to change into a fresh shirt and pants. When she was done changing, there were only five minutes remaining until Angelica and Evan arrived at her house.

Melissa walked into the living room and sat on the couch, watching the clock. The five minutes passed in slow agony, and when a knock on the door finally sounded, Monica felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She scrambled to get the door, letting the pair in and leading them into the living room to sit down.

"You called us over?" Evan questioned as he sat next to Angelica on the couch across from Melissa.

Melissa nodded, "Deputy Howard told me to call when I had the chance."

"So you called us over here?" Angelica asked, jumping into the conversation with a look of confusion.

"I think it's about Keira," Melissa replied bluntly, sighing.

"Oh," Angelica and Evan expressed in sync.

"Yeah," Melissa commented, looking down at her hands, "Let's do this thing."

Melissa picked her phone from beside her, opening it and clicking the texting app as the duo across from her nodded. She pressed the message group from Jeff Howard, then went into the info section and pressed call. As she set the phone down on the coffee table between her, Angelica, and Evan, she put the call on speaker and listened to it ring. While the phone continued to ring, Melissa's heart rate hastened and an uncomfortable tension took hold of the air in the room.

When the sound of Deputy Howard answering the call from the other line rang in the air, Melissa shifted in her seat, her sense of dread only worsening.

The Deputy's voice sounded from the phone seconds later, "Is this Melissa Walters?"

Melissa answered immediately, "Yes, this is her."

"You received my text?" He asked.

"Yeah," Melissa replied, looking up at a nervous Angelica and a tense Evan, "What exactly is your important information?"

There was a long pause before Deputy Howard spoke again, "It's about Keira."

Melissa drew in a shaky breath as Angelica exhaled loudly and Evan shifted in his seat, trying to mentally prepare herself for what could come next.

"Yes?" Melissa inquired after a moment, not sure if she was ready for what she was about to hear as her voice broke and tears threatened to spill over.

Deputy Howard sighed, "Well, when we found her body, there was physical and societal evidence pertaining to the fact that she could have committed suicide, which presented itself in the most apparent of forms. The gun, everything that happened in the week before her death, and her secret, for instance. We made the decision that the cause of death was suicide quickly and left it there for a couple of days, but as we looked further into Keira's case, we saw a possibility for murder," There was a pause in which Melissa let out an inhuman noise and clutched her hand to heart, the tears spilling over. Angelica's expression was somber, her eyes shining as she leaned into a blank-faced Evan. "We tested the gun that Keira was holding and found fingerprints that weren't hers on it. We don't know whose they are at this moment, but I can assure you that my team is working very hard to find them."

Melissa let out a short sob, her heart hurting as she shook her head and wiped her eyes with a tissue. She looked up at Angelica and Evan with blurred eyes and saw that they was crying, too, and that there was a harsh reality looming in the living room.

"So you're saying..." Melissa started, swallowing another wave of tears, but couldn't bring herself to say the end of her sentence.

Thankfully, Deputy Howard finished for her.

"Yes. Keira was murdered."