Grave Girls.

II. Next In Line

Two, Next In Line

Louis hadn't seen the brunette he'd crashed into, just moments ago, for a while and made a mental note to check in and catch up with her as he was dragged away with the rest of his teammates. The sound of urgent footsteps approaching pricked his attention from their rowdy laughter as a blonde figure rounded the corner where they'd all been huddled.

"We need to talk."

Lilith Hyde. More commonly known as his ex-girlfriend. Or if he was being honest, it was the other way around and everyone knew it, he was her ex-boyfriend. She was the epitome of sophistication and class, smart as hell and she made sure everyone knew it. She was beautiful too, but that wasn't her priority, it just helped having good genes and even if she claimed to hate how much that would be all everyone saw her for, she knew how to use it to her advantage. But underneath all that, she was still human and she had a sweet, protective and caring soul that Louis had been lucky enough to catch glimpses of.

As they walked away from the group, childish teasing and loud hoots quietening as they reached a more secluded corner of the school, Lilith nervously picked at her nails before glancing around and letting out in one breath, "I'm next."

✸

"You're what-"

"I'm next. The next victim. The next Grave Girl. The next to die. The next to be slaughtered. The last one left."

"Lil-"

"Please just hear me out Lou, I'm begging you. I know I sound crazy but I promise, I have the evidence." The blonde nodded at her to go on and she told him everything from how she thought the victims were connected to how she figured out the pattern to the ultimate fact that it had to be her.

"Lil, you need to talk to someone about this, you can't just not tell anyone. We can protect you and work this out together."

"Babe, you can't protect me. It's going to happen and the police won't do anything either, they're a mess to begin with."

"Then what if we caught whoever this is- hypothetically speaking for now but what if we did it in the next five days. You say you've got nothing to lose so why don't we do this. Or at least you talk to my friend, she's super into this and can help us figure it out."

"If we're doing this, we have to do it alone. It's bad enough I'm letting you get dragged into it and putting yourself in danger for me-"

"We both know I'd do that regardless."

"Which is the only reason I came to you in the first place but I'm not bringing someone else into it and that's that."

✸

"I hope you know how terrible of an idea this is."

"Trust me, with the way you've not stopped complaining about it for the last twenty minutes, I know."

Louis rolls his eyes for what he supposes might be the millionth time in that minute and proceeds to sneak under the clumsily placed caution tape around the crime scene.

"You know when I told you my theory, I didn't expect you to take me to the exact place where it happ-"

He cuts her off with a tense shush glancing around the area as he turns off the flashlight on his phone.

"What are y-"

The slightest sound of a rustle causes them both to tense up, it sounding a lot closer than either of them expected it to be. And then a voice calls out, "You know, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now."

Louis turns on his flashlight recognising the familiar voice having just seen the brunette earlier in the day while Lilith stands in shock, posture relaxing slightly when he moves to embrace the girl. "Mattie, this is Lilith. Lil, this is Matilde." Matilde gives the blonde, who's still yet to recover, a sheepish wave as she apologises for frightening them.

"And what exactly are you doing here?"

"The same thing as you I'm guessing." Matilde counters, glancing at their attire and what little they brought with them, muttering a quiet 'amateurs' under her breath.

"Well we, don't want your help." Louis rolls his eyes at the childish exchange as Matilde sends Louis a sympathetic look in the shine of the phone light as she stands her ground, "I wasn't offering."

Matilde turns to bid Louis goodbye, prepared to walk off despite the scoff the blonde gave her when the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and a voice demanding who they were and why they were out so late breaking curfew sounds prompting the trio into a run towards Louis' van. They all buckle in and drive off as fast as they can, heavy panicked breaths as they begin to argue about who's house would be best to go to.

✸

As it turns out, Lilith's was the closest and the most ideal, considering she was the only person at home, so here they are, all gathered around the excessively large, and probably extremely expensive, dining room table with Matilde's notes strewn across the surface. The brunette could feel the blonde's eye twitching from where she sat, almost itching to complain about the messiness but Matilde payed her no mind as she began to explain everything she knew and everything she'd found tonight.