DAY 9:

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The AEs, some of them feeling downtrodden and sorrowful, decided to go to the mini golf course together. Gem, who was concealing the fact that she was carrying the weight of her CBer's death on her shoulders, agreed immediately. So while Winter headed for the skateboard park again,  Icy buried herself in the library, Fireburst decided to try roller skating, and Gracia mumbled something about the beach, Thirty, Sam, Brian, Gem, and Byann trooped off for the mini golf course. Byann attempted to whack the other AEs with his club. Brian would have joined in, but he was highly dispirited and melancholy at the time. No one noticed, however; Byann had accidentally wapped Gem's nose, making it bleed and Gem swear.

~

Gracia sat cross-legged on the edge of the beach, water lapping gently at her heels. She closed her eyes, taking deep, steady breaths, trying to calm the raging monster of guilt roaring in her stomach.

She blamed herself for Viola's death. She blamed herself for Secret's death. She blamed herself for Sea Glass' death. She allowed misery to swallow her whole. She felt like she might throw up. Tears of regret poured out of her eyes. She feared the murderer. But at the same time...

She willed herself to be the murderer's next target.

~

Gem laughed at Thirty's poor preformance. "I've played this a billion times, I can do so well," she bragged. She hit the ball too hard, sending it rocketing off a rock and on to the sidewalk. Her cheeks flushed as Byann stuck his tounge out at her. Byann swung his club out, hitting it directly to where Sam hit hers, sending Sam's into the whole. Sam cheered. Byann huffed.

"I'll get it," Brian mumbled. 

"The usually atrocious AE shockingly volunteered to do a favor for the strange group gathered, playing a seemingly pointless game-"

"Yes, Thirty, please continue, we're all paying attention," Gem spat. Brian rolled his eyes.

As Brian stretched his hand down the whole, he groped around, finding nothing. Curious, he pushed his arm down further, and discovered a gaping whole. He gasped, then realized with a jolt that his arm was being pulled in, inching down further and further. He tugged at it, but to no avail. The other AEs gathered around him, trying to pull him out, but he was just sucked in deeper, his whole right arm and part of his chest now in the whole, which was steadily growing wider. He gave one last fearful look up at his fellow AEs before his head was yanked under, followed closely by his torso and legs. All the other AEs gasped.

~

Fireburst, who had decidedly stopped roller skating, glanced out of her window to see a very distressed Gracia sitting on the beach. Concerned, she trapsied outside and sat down beside her. Before she could even ask, Gracia was telling her everything, all the festering, horrible thoughts in her head. Wordlessly, Fireburst wrapped her arms around her broken CBer friend. Gracia clung on, falling into pieces in Fireburst's warm, loving arms, relishing the fact that someone cared enough to hug her and tell her it was all going to be okay.

It was a lie, of course, but it made Gracia feel better nonetheles.

Right that instant, however, Icy popped her head outside and announced that Brian was dead, breaking up the heartwarming moment. Gracia moaned and followed the other two CBers inside.

Gracia's gloom was infectous, spreading a cloud of depression over the humbled dinner table. Only eight remained of the original nineteen, the spirits of the dead haunting the living. To add to the effect, it also happened to be raining, but that didn't stop the group from giving Brian a funeral ceremony, their eyes gazing at the headstones of all who died.

When it was over, Gem glanced around nervously, then darted forward and placed a bundle of flowers by Lily's empty grave, wiping sadness from her unwilling eyes. Then she slipped in with the group and pretended like nothing had happened.

~

RIP, Brian. 

Hmm, I see you all have some theories? Here are some mysterious things to consider:

Nick doesn't know that Eva is working with the murderer. 

Something happened to Eva's mother that made her hesitate to work with the murderer.

The murderer has a goal... that they are trying to achieve in a very evil way.

Just some things to think about... they will all come together in the end, I assure you.  

DAY 10:

~~~~~~~~~~

The morning had a dreary, post-rain feel. The sand was soppy and muddy. For Byann, this meant throwing sand at all the windows exept Fireburst's room. For everyone else, however, this simply meant staying inside. Breakfast wasn't very interesting; the superior food had ceased to impress the group, seeing as they had had it for every meal.

Gracia meandered off to the arts and crafts room. Fireburst wanted to follow her, but Winter, laughing slightly, had informed her that Byann was throwing muddy sand at the windows, so she went to go stop him instead. Winter decided to visit the bounce house room, grinning wickedly, while Icy and Thirty went to the bowling alley. Sam claimed there was a good movie playing. And Gem... Gem silently slipped out to the Ice skating rink, not wanting company.

~

Gracia illustrated her feelings: herself, locked in a cage. Whispy forms of Viola, Secret, and Sea Glass haunting her. A black, cloaked form, pelting towards her...

While Gracia moped, Winter tumbled around a bounce house, Fireburst glowered at Byann, Thirty announced Icy's fith gutter ball, Sam cheered on an intrepid hero, and Gem... Gem glided around the rink, trying not to feel, not to think.

But feeling and thinking was all she could do. How could she not? She thought of the murderer and felt a hot, sickly feeling spreading from her stomach. She wanted to make them pay, and not just for Lily, for all of them. She wanted to hurt them. To kill them...

She leaned against the wall surrounding the rink. 

That little action was the biggest mistake of her life. The mistake that ended her life. For the moment her back touched the wall, a circuit was activated, and the door out of the rink and into the hotel swung shut, just as when Viola? died. This, however, didn't activate poisonous gas. It was something more sinister, accually.

The rink began to flood. Gem was trapped in with no way out. The murderer was forcing her to drown. 

Sam, her movie now over, was walking around serenely when she heard Gem pounding on a door. She rushed over, trying to prize the door open. It didn't budge. A current of water picked Gem up, and, screaming, plunged her underwater. Water filled her lungs, she struggled to get air, but there was nowhere to get it; the rink was filled to the brim. She couldn't breathe, it was torture, she just wanted to die already...

And she got her wish.

~

Fireburst, who had retired to the zoo after telling off Byann, was unsuprised but still sad to hear Sam telling her of Gem's death. Everyone felt like the grand dining table was far too big for the seven that remained. Nick no longer showed up at meals, to distressed to even look at his downtrodden guests. Gracia sat far away from everyone else, feeling toxic, cursed, like if anyone got near her they would be killed. 

No one had a good night's sleep anymore.

~

RIP, Gem.

Also, apologies to Gracia. I'm sorry I had to make you all depressed and stuff. 

Thanks, Winter! DAY 11:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group had a hard time believing that the vacation was almost over- and that only a few guests remained. They plowed through breakfast dully until Fireburst said,"Hey guys, do you want to have a volleyball tournament on the beach?"

"Heck yeah!" Winter exclaimed. "Could we do AEs vs. CBers? I want to demolish Sam." 

"Oh no," Sam mumbled.

"It was quite appalling how vicious the CBer could be to her innocent AE. I personally have no problem with Icy, but-"

"Thirty. Are you in or not? I know I am!" Icy blurted out.

"Fine. I am in." 

"Sure, I'll join," Byann chimed in a falsely polite voice. Gracia grunted nonchalantly.

"Okay then. I'll meet you guys at the beach," Fireburst decided. Gracia sighed. 

"I'm not going," she informed Fireburst. 

Fireburst said nothing. Biting her lip, she focused on finishing her breakfast.

"If that's what you want," she replied finally.

~

While Gracia curled up in her room, the other six bounced outside, Fireburst with a volleyball under her arm. The three AEs went on one side, the three CBers on the other. Fireburst sent the ball flying into the air; the match had begun. Thirty stood clueless in the middle of the beach; Icy cheered as Winter spiked the ball and scored a point. Byann stuck his tounge out. Fireburst grinned. Gracia sighed.

Five minutes later, the CBers had cheered themselves hoarse: it was the first time in known CB history that the CBers beat the AEs at something such as volleyball. Fireburst and Icy had made an exellent team, while Winter had a nack for spiking. After many high-fives between the CBers and rude hand gestures from Byann, the group began to go inside for a lunch break. Fireburst, however, stopped to look at something.

"Oh, look at this pretty flower!"

She stopped and admired it. It was magenta in color, with sort of spiky leaves. Gently, Fireburst sniffed it, eyes closed. Carefully, she plucked one and placed it in her hair. She then proceeded to go inside.

After lunch, Fireburst felt inexplicably drowsy. She announced that she was going to her room to rest. After a few minutes, her eyes were closed and she was in a deep sleep. 

A very deep sleep.

~

The rest of the day went on without any accidents or anything very drastic- unless you count Byann deflating one of the bounce houses or Winter setting a new record on a racing game in the arcade. The murderer, however, knew something terrible had happened to Fireburst, considering the innocent-looking flower she had tucked in her hair was actually an Oleander, a poisonous flower that caused drowsiness and sometimes death, coated in a highly toxic poison.

Byann was unconcerned about his CBer's absence at dinner that night; Gracia, however, was quite fearful. Fireburst had been such a friend to her. It would be awful if something happened to her...

When dinner was done, Byann discovered Fireburst laying on top of her bed, alarmingly still, the rise and fall of her chest ominously absent. Byann frowned and cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. She, of course, did not respond.

"Fireburst?" He said nervously. "Um, FIREBURST?!" He shook her voilently. She was limp and cold.

"Oh crud," he whispered. Then he banged the door open and screamed down the hallways that Fireburst was dead.

~

RIP, Fireburst.

@Fireburst, yes, you may still post your theories. Acually, I encourage you to. DAY 12:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, yesterday was really fun. Why don't we do something like that again?" Winter suggested. 

"Well, um, I once went to the amusement park with Viola... maybe we could go there?" Icy offered.

"Sure, that sounds great!" Sam said. Icy looked rather taken aback at her enthusiasm. All six of them decided to go, even Gracia.

Byann immediately found the biggest, tallest, wildest roaller coaster, and rode it, delightedly screaming swear words. Thirty took the ferris wheel and parked it at the top so she could narrate everyone in turn. Winter took the log ride, soaking herself. Sam slid gracefully down the giant slide. Icy tried her luck at carnival darts, earning herself a stuffed bear. They played for hours, and none of them felt like leaving, so they ate lunch from the food stands: hot dogs, popcorn, burgers, fries, slushies, all the fattening, greasy food they could get their hands on.

By 2:00, however, some of the fun was wearing off. Sam and Thirty had already left, and Winter thought about going to the trampoline park instead. Gracia hadn't even stayed for lunch. Icy, on the other hand, found a different path she hadn't seen before, and went to go investigate.

She gasped. She had come to the most amazing roaller coaster she had ever seen. She got on without hesitation. It started slowly, taking her through a mysterious tunnel, then sped up, climbing up, up, up...

And, at the very peak, the tracks under the car broke, and Icy plummeted. She screamed. Byann heard her. He followed the sound, but it was too late. 

~

Winter and Byann left the park after that. They gloomily informed Sam, Thirty, and Gracia of Icy's death. Everyone went about their business, trying to have as much fun as possible before the vacation was over; Winter bounced on the trampoline, Thirty read scripts to some old dramas she found in the library, Sam did a painting of the beach, Byann battled ferociously with an arcade game. Gracia tried- and failed- to cheer herself up by going on the zip line. The majority of dinner passed in silence.

~

The murderer knew her plan had failed by now. Even if they managed to achieve it tomorrow, it would hardly be worth it. 

Something about what she had done, though... it consumed her. Setting up traps with a blackmailed Eva, pretending to be innocent when the others were around, fright etched across people's faces as they announced another death... these terrible things gave her satisfaction. 

Being a murderer... she liked it.