text: Redhead16 MLM Mysterious To everyone with a secret. 
   
   
   Mysterious 
     
   Prologue 
   No one understood why she had changed her look. Kennedy Harding had changed her look from Popular to Goth. Only Trian Laurents knew why, but it was a secret between him and her. Trian was a drop dead gorgeous Heath Ledger look-alike. Kennedy had dyed her long blond curly hair to black with bubblegum pink stripes. She wore dark blue eyeshadow, something she never did outside of dates or Halloween. She wore black lipstick and red blush, another thing she never did outside of dances or Halloween. Her outfits were risque. Like her secrets.________________________________________________________________________ 
   Chapter 1: 
   Right Now Trian walked down the hall, black backpack slung over his shoulder. He was sure everyone was staring at him. After all, he'd been accused of raping Kennedy Harding, the most popular girl in school. Truth be told, that was a false report. Kennedy had been so afraid of losing her status, she told a false report to the police. Trian made his way to his favorite class, Literature and Language Arts. He felt like he could actually speak his mind in that class. The downside was, it was a class with Alison Hastings, the new Popular girl. Indeed, she was sitting in the center, surrounded by a gaggle of girls with Dooney & Bourke bags. Her boyfriend Sam was surrounded by his own cronies. Samuel Youher, Trian's longtime arch rival. The only other man Kennedy had ever cared about. Trian tried to ignore him as he sat in his seat in the back corner. He ran his hand through his long, wavy brown hair. Like said before, a drop-dead gorgeous Heath Ledger look-alike. Trian knew this, but he didn't use it to his advantage like some men would. He was sure that Mr. Gammer was staring at him. Mr. Gammer had recently come out and admitted he was attracted to several male students. 
   Trian knew he was one of them. He just knew. It was true that Matthew Gammer was attracted to his students, Trian especially. Thirty three years old, and in love with a sixteen year old, Matthew thought gloomily. Whether Trian felt the same way or not was anybody's guess. Trian had a mysterious vibe to him; like he was full of secrets. Important secrets. 
   Matthew watched Trian as he leaned back and stretched his arms. He looked tired. His abdomen muscles were noticeable when he stretched his back. His eyebrows were perfect; eyelashes long and dark. He was the epitome of "hot and mysterious". Trian glanced over at Matthew, who quickly looked away. Elena Uniper walked through the door at that moment, looking as slutty as ever. Her dress was way too short, way too low cut. It was the type of dress meant to be worn with a tank top or undershirt underneath. Her wedge heels were super high as usual. Cylan Everly followed close behind. 
   Trian quickly looked away. Elena was typical, but Cylan was something else. She was a gorgeous Native American, hair long, shiny, and black. Her voice was like bells chiming through a hollow room. Her lips were naturally like Angelina Jolie's, her eyes a gorgeous emerald green. She wore blue denim shorts with the middle bleached. It was a nice contrast against her smooth, tanned skin. Her tank top was blue with ruffles. She looked exquisite today. Her makeup was simple, black mascara and eyeliner with red lip gloss. Elena sat on Trian's desk. He didn't even notice her until she cleared her throat and moved his chin upward. "That's creepy." Trian said out loud. "Are you sure?" Elena said, batting her false eyelashes. Trian could see blond in those lashes. 
   "Yes, please go away." Trian said next. Elena frowned and moved onto Sam. Trian grabbed Cylan's arm just as she moved. 
   "Why do you hang out with her?"Cylan shrugged and popped her gum. 
   "I don't know, honestly. She flirts with all my crushes. She's tasteless, especially in music." 
   "Flirts with your crushes? Like who?" Trian urged her to go on. 
   "Like Andrew Wren." Trian's heart stopped."I know he was weird and he committed suicide, but there was something about him that intrigued me. Something...mysterious." she continued."What kind of music do you like?" Trian asked, desperate to change the subject. Cylan looked surprised, but quickly suppressed her shock. 
   "Ellie Goulding, Breaking Benjamin, 12 Stones, Alesandra, Blessthefall, bands like that. Evanescence."She looked desperate to get away now. Whoops. Trian hadn't meant to upset her. He touched her hand. "Look, I'm sorry. Would you like to eat lunch with me today?" he asked. Cylan looked surprised again, but hopefully the good kind this time. 
   "Sure." she said, adjusting her purse straps on her shoulder. She walked to her own desk. Trian felt his heart explode. He  bent forward a bit just as the bell rang and the last stragglers came in late. Bale, the biggest boy slut in school, gave Elena a "I want you to fuck me" look. 
   She proceeded to ignore him. Bale just shrugged, like he didn't understand why any girl wouldn't want him, and took his place beside Trian. "Hey, Goth-boy. Seen the moon lately? It's beautiful." "Fuck off, bastard." Bale made a face at that jab and turned toward Mr. Gammer. Gammer just frowned at Bale and started his lecture on similarities between Romeo & Juliet and The Scarlet Letter. He went onto YouTube for the Romeo & Juliet prologue. Trian paid close attention. He wanted to do something romantic for Cylan, and this was perfect. The ONLY reason why he had agreed to have sex with Kennedy was because he wanted to make Cylan envious. 
   It had turned out to be a terrible idea for five big reasons: 
   1. He didn't like Kennedy Harding that much as a person, let alone a lover. 
   2. Cylan didn't get jealous easily. 
   3. Cylan loved a man who had committed suicide. 
   4. Kennedy almost got him in legal trouble. 
   5. Trian loved  Cylan  like Romeo loved Juliet. ________________________________________________________________________ 
   Chapter 2: A Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers 
   Cylan glanced at Trian. It was strange. She'd always loved Andrew, but lately Trian Laurents occupied her fantasies. SHe wasn't sure if Andrew ever felt the same way about her, but she knew that Trian liked her. She'd seen the signs. She secretly didn't care what Elena thought. Well, not secretly, just really. Cylan knew she needed to get a thicker skin. She had to dump Elena. Not because of what everyone else thought, but because of what Cylan thought. Cylan was a girl who did things for herself. She cared about others, what others thought, but not as much as other girls cared about what others thought. That was one of her most likable traits. Elena was already questioning her friendship with Cylan. Which was a good thing, considering she was talking to her number one crush. Whore. Elena tried to ignore her feelings for now and focus on Mr. Gammer. Gammer continued chattering on and on about nothing, and Elena fell asleep. Adair, Andrew's twin, sat by himself in his own little world. 
   He was a curly-haired jock who never got in trouble no matter what he did. He wrote or doodled in his notebook, neither girl could tell. It didn't really matter. Elena, who was closer, saw that he was writing a mellow poem. About Andrew, no doubt. Mr. Gammer looked slightly intrigued, but he kept talking. He said nothing about it. Trian noticed it, too. He felt confused. 
   He'd never known Adair to be a poet or writer. Adair never wrote anything until Andrew died. Adair felt eyes on him, but he didn't care. He had read his brother's diary a bit, and suspected that he had been dating someone when he died. He didn't know who or what to think of it. He knew that his brother was the type that was either loved or hated. Most people didn't know what to think of him. Andrew was popular, with plenty of girls and boys crushing on him. He was deep, with secrets even Adair didn't know. He glanced up briefly and noticed Elena, Cylan, Trian, and Mr. Gammer glancing or looking at him. Mr. Gammer's eyebrows raised before he looked away. Adair immediately felt uncomfortable. 
     
   He could feel everyone glancing at him. After all, people were still talking about Andrew's death. This was a big school, but word got around fast. Trian knew this well. Everyone was also talking about Kennedy Harding and Trian Laurents. Adair used to be Trian's friend until last year, when they suddenly grew apart, and neither one knew why. Perhaps it was because they belonged to different cliques. 
   Trian caught Cylan when the bell rang. "I'm really sorry about earlier," he began. "Are we-" "Yes!" Cylan said sharply. Trian was caught off guard. He hadn't expected that. He was going to say "Are we still on for lunch?" and she had said yes without even knowing what he was going to say! Or did she? he watched her pick a book out of her locker with pink and green squiggly lines. Trian just turned to avoid catching her eye. He walked to his own locker and grabbed his Sociology book. He happened to have that class with Cylan, too. 
   In fact, every single class he had, he had Cylan in it. He pondered whether that meant they were meant to be and if she noticed it too when he saw Elena. She had snuck into the janitor's closet. She looked to see if anyone was watching her. Not seeing Trian, she ducked into the closet and closed it, leaving it a crack open. 
   I wonder what she's planning,  Trian said, going into the closet and doing the same thing. Not seeing  Adair  see him go into the closet, he went in, leaving it a knuckle open. He followed the sound of high heels clicking on a plastic tile floor. Soon, he realized he'd never been in this part of the school before. He was in a hidden tunnel. 
   Stomach churning, he made his way further into the tunnel. He wasn't sure what to do when he came across a pile of money on top of a card playing table. He turned at the sound of someone following him. He looked up, and saw Adair walking towards him. 
   "What the hell are you doing here?" Trian asked Adair. 
   "I was following  you.  What are you doing here?" 
   "I was following Elena. I saw her duck in here. She looked suspicious." 
   "What are you, a detective?" 
   Trian didn't say anything. 
   "Shit, you  are  a detective, aren't you?" Adair said. 
   Trian nodded. "I help the police force and the FBI. I have an extra sense that allows me to sense body heat, and to see recently dead bodies. I do get paid for it. I can project my soul out of my body as well. That's called astral projection. I shouldn't be telling you all of this, but as of now I have no choice. I do-" he was cut off by a loud noise heard by both boys. 
   Trian carefully walked towards the sound, trusting his instincts. He adjusted his eyesight. Using heat vision, he saw a female figure and a male figure that appeared to be arguing. Indeed, the closer he got, the more he heard them. 
   "It's not my fault!" 
   "Fuck that! It is too!" the female figure screamed. She made a quick hand movement towards the male. 
     
   
   
   
   Twisted Organs 
   Trian hurried up to the figures. He hid behind a curtain, peering over at them. Adair followed close behind, placing his hand on Trian's side. 
     
   "I'm not to blame for Andrew's death. I swear, I loved him. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. He was The One, he was going to be mine." the male figure said. The female figure raised her hand to slap him. 
     
   "Stop!" Trian said. "What's going on?" To his surprise, it was Elena...and Mr. Gammer. 
     
   "You're his secret lover?" Adair asked, inching forward. Mr. Gammer looked stunned. 
     
   "How did you know?" he asked. 
     
   "He was so secretive before he died. He talked about loving someone, but he wouldn't say who." Adair raised his eyebrow. "Or even if it was a guy; a guy teacher at that." 
     
   Matthew stepped back, feeling his stomach acid swirl around inside him. He felt like he was going to throw up. 
     
   "The only reason Elena is here is because she knows. I've been paying her to keep it a secret," he blurted. Adair raised both his eyebrows at Elena. 
     
   "Is this true?" he asked, offense in his voice. Elena smiled an evil smile. 
     
   "Yes, it's true. My parents think I found a part-time job at Macy's. They don't have a clue what's really going on!" 
   What a...I'm not gonna say it. At least my parents know about my job and they trust me,  Trian thought. Elena raised an eyebrow. 
     
   "I heard that, Trian." she said. Trian was shocked. 
     
   "You can read minds?" he asked. Elena nodded. "It has benefits." 
   "So does finding dead bodies," Tri muttered under his breath. Now it was Elena's turn to be shocked. " You're  the one who found that dead girl a few months ago?" Trian nodded. 
   "I'm also the one that found Andrew dead," he said. "I'm sorry, Adair. I messed things up and made them seem like a bigger deal than they were." Adair's face turned red. 
   "Are you freaking kidding me? My twin brother is dead and you're saying it's no big deal?" Adair got so close to Trian he could tell that Adair had recently eaten a chocolate donut. "It's a big deal to me. Andrew didn't deserve to die. He had plenty of reason to live. No, it wasn't suicide. It was homicide. Andrew has enemies, and one of them killed him. You and Elena are going to help me find his killer. You need to get the autopsy report. The police are not being forthcoming. My brother needs justice. You have no idea what it's like without him." 
   Trian just stared at him. Finally he said, "You're right, I don't. I'm an only child. I was a baby when my sister died, and I never knew her. I don't even remember her. I don't know what it's like to lose someone you love, but I know what it's like to lose someone you could have known if they hadn't passed. You're absolutely right, something  isn't  right. I don't know what it is. I wish I did, I wish I could sense it, but I can't. I'm already in trouble because of Kennedy, and I could lose my job. If I'm found not guilty, I will help you. If I am, then I'll still do what I can. I'll talk to some friends and do some research. I promise you this." 
   Adair stared at him. "I trust you." he told Trian. "I don't trust  her. " he added, gesturing toward Elena with his head. Trian nodded his head, and the pact was made between them. 
     
     
   Trian walked into the lab with a heavy heart. Andrew's pale body lay on a slab. His wound was still visible. He knew inside that it wasn't a good idea to bring Adair here, but he had anyway. Adair had insisted on it, plus he gave him $200 to see his brother's body. It was a good amount as any. Trian's stomach took a dive as Adair looked at his brother. Andrew's handsome face was pale with death and scarred. 
   His hair stuck up and was messed up. Adair laid his head on his brother's clean chest and cried. Trian let him do his thing until he was done. Trian looked for medical files while Adair finished. He held them close to his chest, hidden under his lab coat so Adair would not see them. 
   "What the hell happened?" Adair demanded. 
   "We know that he was poisoned. We're still not sure if it was by him, accidental, or a homicide." 
   "What does your instinct tell you? What does your gut say?" 
   "My gut tells me to be patient and to let the M.E. do her business. Ava Emerson is very reliant, Adair. Her novice Yosha is doing his best, too. I'm doing all I can. I need more evidence to figure out who killed your brother." 
     
   "What kind of poison was in him?" 
     
   "A mix of nitroglycerin and bleach. Not household bleach, hair bleach." 
     
   "Hair bleach? He was dying his hair?" Trian nodded. 
     
   "He also was full of blood. Not his blood, someone else's. And we found more chemicals and body fluids in him." 
     
   "Body fluids? Like urine?" 
     
   "Not urine, thank God. But sperm. And vaginal secretions. Like he'd had sex with both a man and a woman the night he died." 
     
     
   
   
   Publication Date: February 11th 2014 https://www.bookrix.com/-redhead16