[hr][center][img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLmY4YzE1OS5RbWxzYkhrZ1RHRjNjMjl1LjA,/playtime.regular.png[/img]
[img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLjkyM2Y2MC5VR1Z1Ym5rZ1RHRjNjMjl1LjA,/youth-and-beauty.regular.png[/img]
[img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLmJmYzRjNS5VbWwwWVNCV2IzSnZibUUsLjA,/divat.regular.png[/img]
[@Surtr Inc]
[/center]
[code]Grand Ridge Academy - Conference Room.[/code]
[hr]

The questioning had been long but relatively painless. Between his parents and the waitress at the diner, Billy’s time frame did not match up with the estimated time of death, no DNA evidence pointed his way, and it really seemed like the detective questioning him did not want to be there super long. He was commended for calling the cops, given a firm handshake, told not to mention anything about this as it might hinder the investigation, given a small snack and a cup of joe, and then sent merrily on his way. Overall, not a bad experience outside of the mental image of Karma’s twisted body burned on to the inside of his eyelids. Still, he had managed to keep the details under wraps for an entire twenty four hours before he had ran into Penny outside of Grand Ridge Academy. 

Penny had taken to staying in the dorms, even though they only lived a few minutes away. Physically, she looked healthier than yesterday, but the scowl on her face offset the warmness of her orange dress and Billy knew that she was glaring at him from beneath her sunglasses. Possibly she was judging him for still wearing cargo shorts—not just because it was fall, but because he even owned them at all—or, also very likely, she was just upset that he was approaching her in public. Although, she would’ve been just as upset if he had approached her in private. 

“Penny, am I glad to see you,” said Billy.

“Really?” she said, the word dragging its way out of her mouth as if even acknowledging him was a great struggle.

“Well, maybe not glad. You’re going to the meeting right?”

Penny sighed. She was, thanks to Lynette and Aliana, although she had been mulling over the idea of ditching the thing entirely. Yes, she needed to know more about these bizarre, terrifying abilities, but the idea that they would all be gathered together in one place filled her with trepidation. She just knew things would turn rotten. Or, even worse, maybe it would turn into an actual support group, and they would sit around and talk about their feelings for an hour and cry together and then go get ice cream afterwards and—Penny shook her head. No way was she going to have a bonding session with a bunch of assholes. 

“I think I’m gonna…” She didn’t get a chance to finish before Billy cut her off.

“That one chick, Carmen? Camilla? Karma? Karma. She was at the camp, right? Somebody totally Jack the Rippered her yesterday. It was nuts, dude. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but—”

It was Penny’s turn to interrupt. “It’s not.” She bit her lip. As far as she knew, there had been no reports or even rumors about Karma’s death at all. Looks like she was going to the meeting after all. “Do you know who did it?”

“My first guess would be Scott Reese.”

“Yeah.” Penny’s eyes narrowed. Maybe. Maybe not. “Don’t say anything about this, okay? At least not right away. We don’t want to...start a panic,” she said, changing what she was going to say halfway through the sentence. 

“Sure, I get that, man, but maybe we should warn people that that asshole is out picking off survivors.”

“We will, we will,” said Penny, frowning. “Just let’s be thoughtful about it, okay? I know it’s tough for you to use your brain, but trust me, this is the best way to go about it.”

They continued to bicker back and forth as they walked together to the meeting room, their voices hushed and hurried. Their conversation faded away when they made it to the door, Penny feeling as if she had won the argument, and the siblings split apart. Billy seized the moment to take the chair at the end opposite of the table from Britney, giving her a wink before he kicked up his feet and leaned back, balancing the chair on two legs. There was something powerful about sitting at the head of a big table. Maybe he should grab a clipboard, make himself look official as well. 

Penny had planned to grab three seats for Lynette, Aliana, and herself, but the sight of Britney boiled her blood so much that she refused to even sit at the same table as that woman. She stood away from the table, her arms folded across her chest as she leaned on the ledge of a window sill. Her sunglasses were pushed up, and anyone who looked her way would see the daggers she was shooting at Britney. 

Seated near the middle of the table was Rita, her head hung and her phone out as she pretended to text someone that wasn’t there. She wore a crisp, collared shirt with the sleeves completely buttoned down, and her left hand was sandwiched between her overlapped knees. It was clear that she was uncomfortable being in that room, and she sunk even further into her chair as their host began to speak. She didn’t even notice that the girl who had rescued her from Scott Reese or the guy she had stolen skunk weed from had entered the room. Billy, however, had noticed her; an amused smirk appeared on his face.

"Let's give everyone a bit of time to get here," Britney said, "Then... I guess we'll start?"

“Oh, really?” said Penny with a snip. “Shit! That’s a brilliant plan. I’m really glad you’re running this. Seriously, like, I thought for sure we were all just gonna hang around looking at each other like a bunch of assholes for an hour and then go home. Gosh, clearly you put a lot of thought into this. I [i]cannot[/i] wait to see how it goes.”