POTENTIAL: TWENTY-FIVE

**ALEX POV**

I was on my way toward Quinn's location, and as I got closer, I felt more of the energy she was emitting. When I saw the door leading to the rear part of the school, I immediately slowed down my pace and started walking quickly. I gradually reduced my speed as I approached the door to avoid startling her. It might make things worse.

When I reached the actual door, I paused and assessed whether it was okay to show up. To make sure, I decided to use my clairaudience to check if she was still crying. I heard her sobbing, which brought back my sympathy.

I moved my way towards Quinn but I stopped when I heard her laughter. I squinted out of confusion. "Those idiots are quite smart. They almost caught me. Luckily, they don't have proofs." She laughed for the second time. "And they will never have." My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Quinn. Sky was right all along. She was not what we think she was.

Suddenly, anger enveloped me but not directed at Quinn, but rather at myself. I'm too soft-hearted, and I almost got deceived by this woman.

"Hey? Are you okay?" a familiar voice interrupted but I'm unsure where it came from.

Quinn pretended to cry again irritating me. "I'm fine. I just couldn't bear their accusations. They accused me of killing those five students!" Quinn lied.

"Really? They're so mean. Well, karma will deal with them," the familiar voice responds. I'm on the tip of my tongue to recall her name, but I couldn't seem to get it right.

"You're right."

"I'm Trisha, by the way." My eyes widen upon hearing the name. No wonder the voice was so familiar. But I became more afraid when I realized that Trisha was with the perpetrator who killed our five classmates.

I was about to approach them but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to look and Sky was stoically gazing at me. He shakes his head, telling me to stop whatever I'm planning to do.

"Let's go," Sky invited confusing me.

"Quinn is with Trisha! We can't just leave her talking to the killer."

"So, you already know?"

"Yes, and I..." I paused in my speech and reconsidered Sky's words from yesterday. "Tell me, Sky. Did you know that Quinn is the killer?"

"I will tell you once we leave."

"But, Trisha-"

"Relax, Alex. There are CCTVs installed in that area so you don't need to worry," Sky stated and then left. I hesitated at first to leave Trisha but it seemed nothing bad will happen with cameras around. A Quantum Zeno Effect.

Sky and I reached the canteen and I was surprised to see Maica sitting at one of the tables. We approached her, and immediately took a seat.

"How's the plan?" Maica asked puzzling me.

"What plan?" I ask. Sky handed me his tablet. There were images listed on the screen. I tapped one of them and I'm shocked to see Quinn's figure. Based on the camera's perspective, I could tell that this photo was taken inside a car. But something caught my eye that surprised me. It's the plushies hanging on the car's rear-view mirror similar to Trisha's plushies.

"Is this-"

"Trisha's car? Yes," Sky answered but was still puzzled about how Trisha's car ended up in the photo. "I tasked Trisha to follow Quinn yesterday and take a photo." I'm surprised by Sky's explanation. How come I didn't know about this?

"And you didn't bother to tell me about this?" I angrily asked. I had the right to be angry because, for the first time, they hid something from me.

"We wanted to tell you, Alex, but we were concerned about how you'd feel knowing that we were investigating Quinn." Maica has a point. They wanted to respect my belief, so they kept their investigation to themselves.

"I understand. So, what did you find?"

"We found out that Quinn lives in an apartment a few blocks from here," Sky reported. "And guess what?"

"The alley where our classmates' bodies were found is right next to Quinn's apartment," Maica added.

"Then what's Trisha doing there?" I pointed in the direction of where our friends were.

"Fooling the suspect and acting as bait." I couldn't believe what Sky just said.

"Bait? You let Trisha act as bait?" I clarified.

"She insisted. She wanted to help," Maica replied. I wiped my face in disbelief when I learned about their actions. I never thought they would do this.

"Yes, Trisha," Sky said prompting us to look at him. He nodded approvingly while talking through an earbud with Trisha. "Thank you, Trisha."

"What did she say?"

"She invited Quinn to her house for a girl's night, and she wants Maica to join."

"I'm in," Maica responded with determination.

******

It was almost midnight when we reached Trisha's house. We informed her aunt that we would be having a sleepover at Trisha's, and thankfully, she agreed. It was our first time entering her house, so Maica was particularly excited. Sky brought his necessities for the night, especially the gun he used when we rescued Maica.

We entered the back part of their house and went straight to her mom's room. It was adjacent to Trisha's room so that, in case of an emergency, we could assist them quickly.

While waiting for Quinn, Sky installed hidden CCTV cameras in Trisha's room. I, on the other hand, awaited the connection from the CCTV cameras to synchronize them to my laptop. Meanwhile, Trisha and Maica were in the kitchen, making cookies for their "pretend" girls' night party.

"All cameras turned on," Sky announced through my earbuds. I looked at the laptop, and six camera names appeared one by one. I pressed the "SYNCHRONIZE" button, and soon, six boxes with pictures of Trisha's room appeared. I could see Sky, meticulously inspecting each camera. He looked handsome.

"Cameras synchronized and perfectly working," I announced.

"Copy that."

I stood up and walked around the room. This room was enormous, like a combination of Sky's, Maica's, and my rooms. The design and furniture were fancy.

"Alex?" Trisha called from the door, carrying a bowl of freshly baked cookies, a pitcher of juice, and two glasses. "Snack time for you guys," she offered, placing the food on the table. I took a quick glance at a picture frame next to the bowl, realizing that Rick was her husband. Next to it was a family picture. They were once so happy, and yet, I ruined it.

"Forget about it, Alex," Trisha suddenly said. I smiled, reciprocating hers. "What is done is done," she added, but I furrowed my brows when her words sounded familiar.

"You sounded like her," I teased, making her laugh.

"I'll go ahead. We still have a lot to cook," she said. "And don't hesitate to lie down on the bed if you want. No one uses it anyway," she invited, and I nodded.

"Sure." Trisha left the room just as Sky entered. I grabbed a cookie and took a bite. Sky went straight to the laptop, checking the camera footage.

"What's next?" I asked, sitting beside him.

"We wait," he replied.

I decided to lie down on the bed. I sank into its softness, feeling its comfort. "So, Sky. What's your guess about Quinn?"

"A witch?" he quickly answered.

"Really? Do you actually believe our classmate's words?"

"How about you?" he asked, taking a bite of the cookie.

"More sinister than that... a demon," I guessed and swallowed the last part of the cookie that I had been chewing.

"Demons don't have physical bodies. They're just malevolent spirits that possess the human body."

"Whatever she is, it's for her to know and for us to find out."

"Especially the way she kills," Sky added, which I agreed with. We didn't know Quinn's behavior, so we needed to be alert once she arrived. She could be anything.

******

**MAICA POV**

We are in the kitchen now, busy baking cookies. I never thought that this mission would be this fun. But despite all the excitement and joy, the fear Trisha and I felt couldn't be denied, thinking that the killer was on her way here. But with Alex and Sky by our side, no one could harm Trisha and me. Not even Quinn.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, causing Trisha and me to stop and exchange glances.

"I'll get it," volunteered Trisha, leaving her work to open the door for whoever was outside. We had no other visitors but the potential killer, Quinn. "She's here," Trisha alerted through the earbud. My heart began to race, accompanied by the trembling of my entire body due to nervousness. Maica, relax! Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...

"Hey, Maica! Quinn's here!" Trisha called, pretending to be excited, beckoning me. Quinn stepped out from the corner and smiled at me as if she hadn't killed five guys.

"Hi, Quinn!" she greeted.

"Wait... we're classmates, right?" she asked joyfully.

"Yes. I'm Maica, Alex and Trisha's friend," I introduced. "By the way, are you okay now? I apologize to our classmates. They're just judgmental."

Quinn smiled, sending shivers down my spine. I didn't know pretending could be this chilling. "Oh, it's okay. I can't blame them. They barely know me, so they jump to conclusions."

"It's so nice that you made it, though early. We're not finished baking cookies yet," Trisha interrupted, returning to her work.

"Sorry, I got too excited. I'll help," Quinn suggested.

"Really?" Trisha confirmed while still wearing the fake mask. Quinn nodded in response. "Okay. I'll get an apron." Trisha quickly left the room, leaving me alone with Quinn... the killer. Come on, Trisha!

"So, Maica," she called, almost stopping me in my tracks. My heartbeat intensified as Quinn walked toward me. "I found out you and Alex have been friends for a long time."

Relax, Maica. Relax. Don't show it. "Yes, for a long time. We've been friends since the first day of school," I replied while busily mixing cookie dough to hide my trembling hands.

"What was your reaction when you found out he killed someone?" she asked. Where are you, Trisha? This girl is killing me with her questions!

"You know, Quinn, everyone has their flaws and imperfections. All we have to do is accept those imperfections, instead of letting them ruin someone's reputation," I lectured. Surprisingly, I managed to say that without stuttering.

"You're right," the criminal agreed.

"It seems like you're already having a good chat over there," Trisha suddenly chimed in, slightly startling me. She brought an apron and handed it to Quinn. "Here, Quinn."

She quickly put it on. "What should I do?" she asked as she stood next to me. Annoying! Why did she have to stand next to me?

"If it's okay with you, you can put the cookie dough on the baking pan," Trisha instructed, to which Quinn nodded.

"Okay." Quinn grabbed the pastry bag filled with cookie dough and placed a sufficient amount on the baking pan. When one pan was full, she handed it to Trisha, who was waiting by the oven. It took us an hour to bake everything. We made two bowls of cookies and a jar of punch. We washed the utensils we used for cooking and returned them to their original places.

"Shall we?" Trisha invited.

"Lead the way, Trisha," I responded.

"This way, ladies," she teased and led the way with one bowl of cookies. Quinn carried the other bowl, while I held the jar and glasses. In no time, we reached Trisha's room. We entered and pretended to marvel at Trisha's room. But, of course, it was just acting.

"Your room is quite spacious, Trisha," I pretended to comment, looking around the room.

"Is it your first time entering, Maica?" Quinn asked in amazement.

"Not in the house, but in her room, yes." Quinn and I set down our loads on the table that Trisha had prepared. "So, what do you want to do first?" I asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Maica, because I prepared for this." Trisha held out a piece of paper, showing it to us. It contained a list of activities we would do, and it looked like we would be exhausted due to the variety of tasks. I hope I have enough energy later. Who knows what Quinn might do to us? "Shall we start?"