Risebelle lowered her head. These two were going to destroy her peace and quiet and she was already exhausted. "For the love of—Can’t you two just kiss and make up already? Have sex if it helps get rid of that tension.”

  Jess raised an eyebrow. “With her?" She threw her hands up. "No way. I’m not wasting my energy on that."

  Angie didn't miss a beat. "Oh, Jess, you know how to waste your energy all right—being a sex freak is definitely a full-time job."

  Jess shot back instantly. "I’m a freak? At least I don’t go around acting like I’m better than everyone just because my ex. You’re just mad because he wasn’t putting it in your mouth last night, huh?"

  Risebelle froze mid-breath as a past memory came back to her in an instant. ‘Oh, that’s right.’

  Jess and Angie... they had both dated Ryan at the same time and that turned into a full-blown rivalry. Risebelle had been blissfully unaware of the specifics at first, but now it all rushed back.

  "Alright, enough," Risebelle interrupted. She had her hands raised like she was some kind of peacekeeper. The sudden change in her tone made both of them pause and turn toward her. "You both do realize that Ryan dumped both of you, right?"

  Jess and Angie blinked in unison.

  "Now, can you both just drop this?" Risebelle asked calmly.

  Both Jess and Angie shouted, "No!" in perfect unison.

  Risebelle sighed and shook her head. "Fine…You both want to keep this fight up, huh? Fine. I’ll tell you what—how about you both promise to drop the rivalry right now, and I won’t share what you two did on that Cd I have at home.”

  Jess and Angie both looked at Risebelle with confusion. Risebelle leaned forward and said, “I’ve got a CD at home that definitely contains some... interesting footage of the two of you."

  The words were like a loaded gun. Angie's face went white. "Wait... what are you—?"

  Jess’s face slowly transitioned from confusion to realization. She blurted out, "No way. You didn’t."

  Risebelle smirked and said, “Yeah, you and Angie really ‘Hated’ each other that night, didn’t you?”

  Jess and Angie’s faces both turned a deep crimson. Their blushes were so intense it was like they could set the entire cafeteria on fire.

  “Risebelle, you monster!” Jess managed to choke out in outrage. "You recorded the whole thing?!"

  Angie’s eyes twitched like a bomb about to go off and hissed between clenched teeth. “I swear on the Goddess Exul’s name, if you share that video...”

  Risebelle sat back with a grin that would’ve made a cat proud. “So, what’ll it be? Will you both behave yourselves now?”

  Angie, despite her flushed cheeks snapped to attention almost immediately. “Yeah. Yeah, we’ll behave, right, Jess?” She gave her a quick, pointed look.

  Jess was slower to respond. She stared at Risebelle like she was considering something, but then, with a loud sigh, she put her hand up. “Fine. No more rivalry.”

  Angie scowled. "Come on, Jess. You’re really gonna make this harder than it needs to be? It’s not like we were ever really competing for his attention—"

  Jess cut her off. "I’m doing it, okay? Stop acting like I’m being the bitch here.”

  Risebelle chuckled under her breath. “I expect you two to keep your end of the bargain, if you ever make my life harder because of this... well, I do have that video."

  Angie let out a resigned sigh. “No more drama. Happy now?”

  Risebelle grinned widely. "Very happy."

  Angie leaned back in her seat. She stared off to the side for a moment and then snapped her fingers with a grin appearing.

  “Oh! I just remembered! I’ve got something to tell you, Risebelle.”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. “Shoot.”

  Angie’s grin widened. “You know that game I told you about? Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows?”

  Risebelle nodded slowly. “What I remember is you fawning all over it.”

  “Well, there’s a forum where players can help each other out, give advice, trade tips all that jazz. But there’s this one guy... he goes by the name ‘Sleuth of Shadows.’ And let me tell you, that guy knows everything.”

  Risebelle blinked. "Everything?"

  "Everything," Angie repeated full of awe. "Like, I'm talking insider information, hidden quests, rare drops, you name it. Heck, even some real life matters! He’s just the guy people go to. I think he’s got some kind of real life superpower because he always knows the answer to anything you ask him! Even the best cake!

  Risebelle tilted her head. "Huh. Sounds like an interesting character. Why are you telling me all this, though?"

  Angie raised one hand under her chin. “I’m thinking... maybe you should check him out. You know, get some advice from the guy. You never know. The guy might have some insight into things like... mysteries, secrets, stuff that’s harder to figure out. You’re into that stuff, right?”

  Risebelle couldn’t deny that the idea of someone who seemed to have a finger on the pulse of hidden truths was intriguing. Her mind immediately drifted back to the Doppelganger, the oddities surrounding her past life and the strange connections she was starting to feel tugging at her.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Alright," Risebelle said while nodding her head. "I’ll check it out. What's the harm?"

  Angie raised a brow. “Thought you might like that. You might even end up learning something that could help with your... little situation. I’ll send you the link after school, kay?”

  Risebelle nodded her head in return.

  The bell rang. Risebelle shuffled her way to her next classroom, barely keeping her eyes open. She dragged herself into her seat. When lessons began, Risebelle’s attention started to drift. The teacher, Mr. Sanders was talking about some new concept with algebraic equations and though she technically could have followed along, her body had plans to take a nap.

  When the bell finally rang for the end of class, she was one of the first to stand up with a yawn. She glanced at her worksheet and to her surprise, her answers were perfectly aligned despite having barely registered anything from the class.

  ‘Straight A's, ‘she thought. ‘Guess I should be proud.’

  Before she could leave, Mr. Sanders’ shouted, "Alright, class! I’ve got some exciting news!"

  The class groaned in unison.

  "I said exciting news, not bad news!" Mr. Sanders said while trying to sound chipper. "You’ll love this, I promise! We’re going to have a big test on Friday!"

  The groans grew louder.

  "Big test?" Risebelle mused to herself, "Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but still, I have a lot to deal with damnit…”

  But Mr. Sanders clapped his hands together. "Yes, yes, I know how you students feel, but hear me out—it’s going to be fun!"

  "Fun?" someone dared to ask.

  "That’s right!" Mr. Sanders affirmed. "I’ve planned something special for you all. We’ll make it engaging rather than the usual questions and answers. And of course," he added with a wink, "I’ll bring some treats for after the test. I’m talking snacks, everyone’s favorites, so be sure to study hard. You’ll need the energy!"

  That caught the attention of a few students who now had sparkles in their eyes at the mention of food.

  "Snacks?" one of the girls asked. "What kind?"

  "Well, Carly, that’s a Surprise," Mr. Sanders said with a grin.

  A few students exchanged glances. Risebelle let out a sigh. A Test should be easy for someone like her but still, that wasn’t enough to shake the feeling that Friday was going to be… interesting.

  Risebelle blinked as in one moment, she was walking out of the classroom and in the next minute, she found herself in the chess club meeting room staring at a familiar face across from her.

  ‘What the hell,’ she thought.

  Risebelle looked down and noticed a folded piece of paper poking out of her skirt pocket. Slowly, she pulled it out and read it quickly. There was a link to the Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows Forums written on it. She must have met up with Angie at some point after classes and somehow ended up in the chess club.

  The room was packed with members of the chess club all quietly watching her and Harty as they sat across from one another at the large table.

  "Check."

  The words rang in the air like a gong, and Risebelle’s gaze snapped up to meet Harty’s. The guy simply waited for her to make a move with his cropped brown hair being styled down today.

  ‘Wait a second.’

  She blinked in rapid succession. ‘If I’m playing against Harty… this is a big game.’

  Harty wasn’t just any ordinary player—he was a chess prodigy who had been winning local tournaments for years. No one ever managed to beat him and yet here she was, facing off against him.

  "Come on, Risebelle," Harty said with that cool tone of his."You're not gonna let this be over in one move, are you?"

  Risebelle looked down at the chessboard and scanned through the remaining pieces. ‘Okay, I’ve been through worse situations in this game… Focus.’ She repositioned her fingers over the pieces, moving one of her pawns forward to block the check.

  "Your move, Harty," she said confidently.

  Harty’s lips curled into a small smirk as he moved his knight across the board.

  Risebelle wasn’t fazed by his move. She moved another piece. ‘Pawn to d5’. Harty raised an eyebrow.

  The moves went back and forth for several minutes. Mumurs from other chess club members grew. Harty’s calm exterior was cracking. For the first time in ages, he seemed uncertain when moving his pieces and despite his calculated logic, he heard “Check”.

  Risebelle had a smirk on her face. Her Pieces were scattered across the board—pawns in the front lines and knights positioned around Harty’s king which was now cornered.

  "No way…had someone in the crowd muttered”. This is… unbelievable."

  Harty moved his piece out of check and then, someone shouted, "It’s a stalemate! Harty has no more pieces and can’t move his King!"

  The entire room erupted into cheers and gasps. Risebelle grinned. She managed to come back from what seemed like a sure loss to tie with Harty, the local chess prodigy.

  "Comeback Queen strikes again!" someone in the back shouted while clapping loudly.

  Harty extended a hand towards Risebelle. "Good game, Risebelle. Your matches always surprise me."

  Risebelle gave a casual nod and took his extended hand. "I don’t go down easy," she said with a wink before pulling away.

  As other members of the chess club started packing up, Risebelle was about to head for the door when Harty stopped her with a slight wave.

  "Hold up," he said. "We need to start early today. We’ve got a lot to go over. Come on."

  She followed him as he moved to the corner of the room where he had already started setting up what a makeshift detective’s headquarters. The walls were lined with scribbled notes, maps, and various clues pinned up with colorful pushpins. A chalkboard was positioned at the front with a few photos. This was Harty’s usual setup as Risebelle recognized it.

  "Sit," Harty said while gesturing to the chair across from him at the table where he had already pulled out a stack of papers and files

  Risebelle took a seat.

  Harty pointed at some images where Rosebelle appeared to be interacting with a group of people in a secluded area.

  "It seems like your doppelganger has been meeting with some individuals who aren't exactly the friendliest bunch," Harty said with a touch of concern. "They take people... and they..."

  His words trailed off, but Risebelle already knew. She’d been there. The moment she had walked into that arcade and now, seeing the photos, everything clicked.

  She could still see Sarah, someone she knew from the school in the helpless in the clutches of those strangers that had been surrounding her doppelganger. The words that had been spoken echoed in her mind. The disgust in the well-dressed boy’s voice, his taunting tone, his sickening comments about his “hot rod.”

  "You're such a total perv, damnit!" the girl beside him had said, but the sinister smirk on her face had only made it ten times worse.

  Risebelle snapped back to the present with her body tensing. "They... they were going to do something awful…”

  Harty caught her gaze with a grim look. "Yeah…. But wait... there's more."

  Risebelle looked up sharply. "More?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

  Harty leaned in with a more serious tone. "I did something bold. I confronted Principal Haverly about all this. I had to. She’s been hiding things herself, Risebelle…."

  Risebelle's heart skipped a beat. Principal Haverly? The woman who ruled the school with a glare that alone could freeze someone in place? Her presence was a force to be reckoned with. The idea of Harty confronting her made Risebelle’s stomach churn. What could he possibly have said to get her to talk?

  "What did you find out?" she asked while keeping her tone steady.

  Harty pulled out a file and slid it across the table to her. "I had her check the school records," he said with his tone darkening. "There’s no one named Rosebelle that goes to this school. But..." He paused for emphasis. "There are test reports. Grades. And they’re all signed for someone named Rosebelle."

  Risebelle gave a shocked look, but she quickly recovered and skimmed through the file. The test reports, the signed grades, the evidence was there, clear as crystal! "So, Principle Haverly has been allowing them to get away with this?”

  Just as they were deep in discussion, Harty’s phone rang. He answered it immediately.

  "Hello?"

  The girl sounded sad from the other end. "Harty, I'm sorry, but I can't make it to the detective club thing today. I….I can't explain right now. I'll fill you in later."

  Harty's brows furrowed with concern." Just take care of yourself, okay? We'll catch up later."

  After ending the call, Harty turned to Risebelle and said, "That…was Roselle…”

  Risebelle’s eyes widened.