“Aaaaaaah!” Gigi let out an ear piercing scream as she took a step closer to the lump in the corner. Her bright blue eyes widened in fear and her hands trembled. Her angled jaw opened, exposing pearly-white teeth.
She turned to the girls with her hands on her hips. “How was that?” Nicole stood up.
“Not bad. But not so great either.” She walked over to Gigi and hovered over the pile of clothing. “If you want to nail that audition, you’ve got to nail the scream. Here, just pretend something’s in the closet.” She gestured to the huge doors of her walk-in closet, which housed millions of dollars worth of clothes. Gigi eagerly walked over to the closet. The girls watched tentatively; they’ve never seen a closet so big before and were curious of its contents. Gigi slowly opened the door, a scream bubbling inside her throat. The squeaky frames creaked with every inch.
A scrawny frame toppled out of the half-opened door. A veiny blue face showed no expression and light blue eyes were fixed off in the distance.
“Oh my God!” Gigi jumped back. An unreadable expression spread across her face. “Who… is that?” Gigi’s jaw was anchored to the ground as she discovered what was in the closet. Nicole’s perfectly-arched dark-brown eyebrows knitted together in shock.
The girls slowly walked toward Gigi, all unsure of what to expect. Draped across the floor of the closet was a girl’s body, paled and cold to the touch. Her eyes stared blankly at nothing in particular and her purple lips revealed bloody gums. Nicole gasped and stumbled backward. She grabbed Gigi’s arm for support.
“That’s Marissa,” Nicole’s voice was barely above a whisper, “my sister.”
Alice burst into tears, her dark mascara streaming down her rosy cheeks. A high-pitched sob came out from her thin peach-lips. She continued sobbing as Zoe embraced her scrawny frame. Alice’s light-blue blonde hair stuck to her face, staining it black from the teary mascara.
The girl stood frozen in horror. They’d never thought that they would see a dead body before. And here it was, laid on top of leather Fendi sandals and bow-trimmed ballet flats-right before them. Nicole rushes down the spiral stairs of her big mansion and dials 911. Her parents were on a vacation in the Bahamas, so the girls were home alone. From the top of the staircase, the girls could only make out shaky breaths coming from Nicole as she spoke over the phone. The girls held on to one another, for they had no idea what was to happen next. The distant wailing of police cars only added to their paranoia.
Nicole slowly walked back up the stairs and joined the girls. As she got to the top, the girls only inched away from her. Grace stepped up, her symmetrical reddish-brown eyebrows scrunched in fear and confusion. “Did you do this?” She demanded. Nicole shook her head as if the idea of her doing it was absurd. “I swear, I don’t know how this happened.” She put her hand on Grace's shoulder, but Grace quickly jerked it off. Her voluminous auburn curls bounced off her shoulder. Her cute, heart shaped face turned aggressive. Rage flickered in her sea-green eyes, emphasized by long eyelashes. “Don’t touch me!” Everyone looked at Grace. Sweet, innocent, shy Grace. They were all surprised to see her act this vicious.
Nicole’s eye widened, “This wasn’t me, I swear! I would never-” Grace’s petite hand struck Nicole’s cheek, opening a gash that exposed warm blood. The girls froze and stared at Grace. Nicole stood there like a helpless, abused puppy. They had never seen Nicole so powerless and Grace so enraged. Everything was still, then Nicole regains herself. “Grace, get out of my house.”
Grace fixed her posture, looking defiant, “No. I’m not-”
“I said get out of my house!” Nicole’s voice raised to a yell, but her face looked calm. She goes downstairs and opened the front door, motioning for Grace to leave. Grace looks uneasily at the girls, then walks out the door without looking back, her loose mahogany curls bouncing up and down. Nicole slams the door shut and walks to the medicine cupboard with the girls trailing behind. She covers up her wound with two butterfly bandages. “I knew I shouldn’t have included that scrawny freak. I should’ve just let her be the loner that she is. She’s such a loser.”
Gigi stood next to Nicole, “I’m sure she didn’t mean that. She was just scared.” Nicole shook her head, “No, what’s done is done. That freak is not getting anywhere near us, understand?”  The girls reluctantly nodded, “no one is going to speak to her, listen to her, or associated with her. She is dead to us.”
The police arrived not long after Grace left. They investigated the entire house and questioned the girls. Their perfect hangout turned into a nightmare that would open up new secrets and change their lives forever.
                        END OF CHAPTER ONE