Kaya sat in the breakroom of the Avalon Springs police department, huddling on a small ugly brown couch. Jordan sat next to Kaya, arm draped across Kaya’s shoulders, crying quietly. Kaya cried too. It was Kaya’s father who was killed, after all. Kaya was scared, angry.

Savannah and Abby sat at a table in the breakroom, chairs turned so they could face Kaya. No one spoke. Savannah was crying. Abby just sat in stunned silence.

Kaya wanted to confront the woman who killed her father. But Kaya also wanted to run away. If the woman had been able to kill her father, a former military veteran and the chief of police, then what chance did Kaya really have? Nevertheless, a plan was forming in Kaya’s head.

Kaya’s plan involved fighting. But not because Kaya thought she could win. In the next room, the four girls could hear the police scanner. They’d heard a woman went to Avalon Springs High School with a gun. It was not public knowledge why the woman was at the high school. And somehow, miraculously, it was not public knowledge that the chief of police had been murdered.

But the police department knew the woman at the school was the same woman who killed the chief of police. And the police department knew the woman at the school was looking for Kaya. But they didn’t know why. And neither did Kaya.

What Kaya did know was that she was going to protect her friends. The only way she could protect her friends was to run away. If Kaya ran, the killer would come find her. If Kaya ran away she could face the killer alone. Would she win? Probably not. But at least her friends would survive.

The biggest obstacle to Kaya’s ‘run away and fight’ plan was Jordan. There was no way Jordan would just let Kaya go. Kaya needed a way to get rid of Jordan. Step one, get rid of Jordan. Step two, go home. Kaya’s home had lots of guns. Her dad was the chief of police. They owned handguns. Shotguns. Kaya could barricade herself in the basement. When the killer came for her, Kaya could get off five... maybe six good shots before the killer got to her.

A well-placed shot with a hollow point in the killer’s eye would be more than enough. Kaya was a good shot. But she questioned her ability versus a killer that had killed her father.

Either way Kaya was going to do this alone. Jordan, Savannah, Abby... they would be left behind. If Kaya was destined to die today, well, she was going to die alone. Abby and Savannah were good friends. But they wouldn’t be clingy in this moment. Jordan would be clingy.

If Kaya was going to leave the police department alone then she had to ditch Jordan. Just for a minute. And then Kaya could walk out of the police department. Run home. Load the guns, barricade the basement... and die in a blaze of glory. If Kaya was lucky, maybe she’d even avenge her father’s murder.

Kaya took a deep breath. The lie began to formulate in her head. She needed a simple yet believable lie to tell Jordan. Kaya exhaled slowly. She thought about the lie. Kaya needed to deliver it perfectly. Jordan was her best friend. This moment would save Jordan’s life if Kaya could tell the lie convincingly.

Kaya took another deep breath. Exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes.

Kaya needed the lie to work.

She calmed herself.

“Jordan,” Kaya said softly. “My stomach is not feeling good. Can you go ask someone if they have Tums or something?”

“Sure,” Jordan said. Jordan stood up.

Perfect! Oscar worthy performance. Next step, as soon as Jordan was out of the breakroom, Kaya would go to the bathroom. All she had to do was say she was going to the bathroom, and wanted to be alone. Savannah and Abby would let her go alone. No way Jordan would let Kaya go alone. But Savannah and Abby would not go with her if she asked them to wait.

“Wait,” Abby said. Abby leaned over, at her feet was her backpack. Something rattled in the bag. Abby pulled out a bottle of Tums. “My stomach is nervous because of tests. I take Tums a lot.” Abby held the bottle toward Kaya. “Here. Take as many as you need.”

Shit!

Kaya forced a smile, then said, “Thanks Abby.”

Abby handed Kaya the bottle.

Kaya needed to get rid of Jordan. Kaya slowly opened the bottle of Tums, her brain scrambling for another lie to tell.

“She’s HERE!” an officer shouted.

Yelling. Several people shouting. Crashing sounds of furniture, then screaming in the next room. All of it happened in two or three seconds that seemed impossibly long.

And then the shooting started.