They weren't in school on the Friday, either. So Wednesday was their official last day of school before the Christmas holidays. Because of what happened, none of the students would have to make up the two lost days. It wasn't like they were going to be doing much within those last days anyways.

Alicia's mum wasn't home. She was off doing the Christmas check-up of her sister, Alicia's aunt. She had been gone since Wednesday night after she had come home from work. It meant that Alicia hadn't gone home after seeing what they did. No, she went to Mikey's house. It's the same place that all the others went to too.

Of course the Way's mum did ask questions as to why they were home and not at school, but all she got was shrugs from her sons. They didn't really know all the details.

The police didn't release all the details for some time. They had sat in front of the television for practically the whole of the Thursday to see what was going to be said but nothing was given of the specific details. Only that there had been some casualties and more details would be released when they knew it all.

Alicia and Mikey were worried because Angharad had been in the school.

Angharad didn't go back to Alicia's house – Alicia had been there for a while to see whether she was going to return back, and when she didn't she went over to the Way's house. She did leave a note on the door just in case she missed her. It said that she was at the Way's house. It was why the police showed up at the Way's early on the Saturday morning.

They were all sleeping in the sitting room because the Way's mum said that there was no way a girl would be allowed to stay in any of the boys' room but because she knew that Alicia's mum wasn't home she had compromised and let them all sleep in the sitting room. It meant that Ray and Frank could stay over, too.

The Way's mum had opened the door and was fairly shocked to see two police men standing on the doorstep. She was even more shocked when they asked whether Alicia was there.

Of course she let them in and then woke everyone in the sitting room up. They had all complained but then stopped when they saw the police in the doorway.

Their mum went into the kitchen whilst all the teenagers sat on the same sofa, all squashed together so that the two police men could sit on the other sofa. Even though they were only there to talk to Alicia.

“Angharad Roberts lived with you and your mum, correct?” the police officer who had introduced himself as Officer Charles asked, looking at Alicia who nodded for confirmation. “What were the reasons for that?”

Alicia just shrugged. “My mum never told me much about it except that she was kicked out for some reason.”

“And where is your mum?”

“She's in New York, visiting her sister.”

“When will she be back?”

Alicia shrugged again. It always depended on how her sister was. Last year she had gotten back on Christmas Eve because her sister had been in a bad state. “Dunno – before Christmas, that's for sure.”

“If you don't mind, we'd like for you to call her to come back. This is a serious issue and seeing as she seems to be the carer of Angharad, we need to speak with her as soon as possible.”

Alicia nodded before getting up and heading into the kitchen to ask whether she could use the phone to call her mum. The two officers looked at the others on the sofa. They looked all confused. “Did any of you know Angharad very well?”

Gerard shook his head. “She didn't like hanging out with people so no one really talked to her or knew her.”

“Except Mikey,” Frank piped up.

“Mikey?” the officer questioned.

Frank pointed to Mikey who wasn't looking all too pleased with the fact that he had pointed him out. The police men looked at Mikey who shifted uncomfortably. “How often did you talk with her?”

“Not much, she didn't really want to talk with anyone. But I guess... she kept being shoved in my locker by bullies and we'd just sometimes talk then and everything,” Mikey said, wondering what this was all about.

“She was bullied?” the officer asked incredulously.

Mikey nodded. “Yeah. She'd often be beat up before she was shoved in my locker.”

This was news to the officers. From the many students they had questioned (because they had to try and understand how Angharad was like) they had gathered that she was intimidating and scary. No one liked talking to her and now this guy was saying she was bullied?

At that point Alicia came back into the room. “Um... my mum's on her way home. She'll be back tomorrow. She asked me to ask what it's about.”

Officer Charles just sighed. “We suspect that Angharad may have been involved in the school shooting that happened yesterday. The school cameras aren't working and anyone who could have seen was shot and killed, including her.”

They all gasped in shock.

A school shooting is something they might see on the news in a school far away from theirs, in a different state or even in a whole different country to them. But not their own school. And best yet, not by someone they've all – apart from Ray – spoken to before.

“Thank you for your time and we'll be around sometime tomorrow to speak to your mother, Alicia,” the officer said before walking out the room with the other officer following him. They heard the Way's mum speak to the officers before the front door was opened and then shut.

No one could believe it.

There was a school shooting in their school and Angharad was suspected of being involved.

And she was now dead.