The wind picked up, sending a chill through Mara's thin jacket. She kicked a rock down the hill, frustration written all over her face.
"This is so messed up." she muttered, glancing over at Evan. "Like, why would anyone kill someone and leave them here for us to find? It's like the killer wanted us to be involved."
"Maybe it's just a really bad prank," Evan offered, half-joking, though he wasn't so sure himself.
Mara raised an eyebrow. "A prank? Is that your theory? 'Oh hey, let's dress someone up, dump them on a hill, and leave a creepy note. April Fools!"
Evan grinned. "Well, it is Ashwick. Stranger things have happened. Remember when Matt Kline set his own house on fire because he thought it'd be funny to light fireworks in the kitchen?"
"Okay, yeah, that was pretty ridiculous." Mara admitted, folding her arms. "But this feels different. Too much like a story we'd read in class and then spend all semester trying to figure out."
As they stood there in uneasy silence, a familiar voice broke through the tension.
"You guys find a new dead body or something?" Ethan Blake, another classmate, approached with his usual cocky grin. He had a way of making every situation feel like he was the star of his own reality show.
"Go away, Ethan..." Mara snapped. "We're kind of in the middle of something."
Ethan didn't seem to notice. "So, what happened? Did someone trip into the bonfire and burn themselves to death? I swear, you can't have a proper Ashen Festival without at least one person doing something dumb."
"It's not a joke, Ethan." Evan said, trying to keep the situation from spiraling into one of Ethan's usual "pranks."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You guys always act like this. What's wrong with some fun? People die all the time in Ashwick, it's practically part of the tourist attractions."
Mara opened her mouth to retort, but Evan cut her off. "Listen, we just need to figure out who she is. We're not playing detective here. We don't need you messing it up."
Ethan shrugged. "Whatever. I'm gonna go tell my mom I found a dead body. See you losers later." He turned, his sneakers crunching on the ash-covered ground.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Mara let out a sigh of relief. "That guy is so annoying. Why do we let him hang out with us?"
"I don't even know." Evan said, checking his phone. "But I think we just got our first clue."
Mara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Evan showed her the message on his screen:
You're asking the wrong questions.
"Who even texts stuff like that?" Mara said, frowning.
"i don't know, maybe a psychopath or something." Evan muttered. "but I'm starting to get the feeling we're way in over our heads."
Mara narrowed her eyes. "And I'm starting to feel like we're next on the killer's list. So no pressure or anything, right?"
Evan rolled his eyes. "It's gonna be fine. Probably just another mystery to solve. And I'm really good at those."
Mara gave him a deadpan stare. "I'm pretty sure your greatest mystery is why you're so terrible at math."
"Ha ha. Very funny," Evan said, rubbing his neck. "Come on, let's go. I'm already dreading the awkward conversation with my parents when I tell them I was part of a murder investigation."