Tawny didn't have time to mull over Maddie's distant behaviour. After all, she had her best friend Ally to entertain.

The two of them walked the schoolgrounds, breathing in the crisp, late autumn air.

"I'm really glad you decided to come out here," Tawny said. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"I am," said Ally. "It was really nice of your mom to pitch with the plane tickets to help me come here."

Plane tickets? That seemed out of character for Tawny's mother. She was a bit of a frugal soul, which was why they opted for the cross-country road trip option to travel to Ivory Gates rather than make use of the expensive airfare method. 

And for that matter, why hadn't her mother bothered to drive Ally? At the very least the two of them could have visited together.

"How is mom doing?" asked Tawny.

But Ally changed the subject. "It's so convenient I get to use one of the empty dormitories for accommodations," she said. "I think a hotel or Air B&B in this area would likely cost me a fortune."

"Why didn't you just ask to bunk with me?" asked Tawny. "I'm sure the school wouldn't mind."

Tawny noticed Ally purse her lips. "I thought about doing that after the first night, but..." Ally's voice trailed off.

"But...?" Tawny said.

Ally stopped walking, and looked down at her feet. "Don't take this the wrong way, okay? I don't think your roommate likes me."

"What? Maddie? That's ridiculous!" said Tawny.

"I dunno..." said Ally. "I got some really bizarre vibes from her. Almost like she's jealous of me or something."

"You're imagining things," said Tawny. "Maddie's like the only good friend I have here at Ivoree Gates. She's the nicest person I know!"

"Ok..." said Ally, unconvinced.

They walked a few more steps in silence, only the sound of dead leaves crunching under their shoes could be heard.

"Ow!" Ally cried out suddenly. Tawny turned around just in time to see her best friend fall backwards to the ground.

"Ally!" Tawny went to help Ally back up and was horrified to see the side of Ally's head covered in blood. Her friend had been shot!

"OH MY GOD!" screamed Tawny. She got on her hands and knees to hold her friend, and began to cry hysterically. "Ally, please speak to me!"

To Tawny's surprise (and utmost relief), Ally's eyes shot open. "Ow..." she moaned. "That really hurt...!"

"You're alive!" exclaimed Tawny. She then noticed that the "blood" along the side of Ally's face was merely red paint. "Can you stand?"

Shakily, Tawny lent Ally a hand to get her back on her feet. But no sooner did she stand was Ally knocked backwards again, this time by a barrage of green, orange, and black paint.

"What the hell?!" yelled Tawny. "Who's doing that?"

"There! I see them!" From her spot on the ground, Ally pointed upward.

Tawny looked in the direction of Ally's pointing. In the distance, several yards away, Tawny could make out the outline of a figure on the rooftops of one of the nearby buildings. Just as Ally identified the figure, it quickly retreated out of view.

In her rage, Tawny made a mad dash for the entrance of the building, and practically leapt up the stairs two steps at a time. How DARE they shoot at Ally?! Whoever attacked her friend was going to pay, and pay dearly.

She finally made it to the door leading to the rooftop. As she swung the door open, she found herself face to face with the culprit; a person in grey sweats wearing a black ski mask. Slung over their shoulder was a paintball gun fashioned to look like an assault rifle.

Tawny tackled the person and the two rolled around on the ground a bit until she was able to subdue them.

Sitting firmly atop their chest, Tawny pulled the ski mask off, revealing a teen boy with short blonde hair and coke bottle glasses resembling goggles. 

"Who are you?!" demanded Tawny. Indeed, Tawny did not recognize the boy. Not only was he not wearing the standard Ivoree Gates uniform, but he looked too young to attend the school, like barely a preteen. Confused and angry, Tawny raised her free hand in a fist...

The boy brought his hands to his face in sheer terror. "Please, don't hurt me!"

"Why did you attack me and my friend?!" asked Tawny."

"I was paid to do it!" confessed the boy. "My dad's the groundskeeper at Ivoree Gates, I don't even go to this school!"

"You don't?" asked Tawny.

"No!" said the boy. "I visited my dad while he was working one day, and one of the students promised to raise my dad's salary and let me pocket $1000."

"And you just agreed?!" Tawny growled. "Just like that?"

"Of course I agreed!" said the boy. "Professional gaming rigs are expensive, and I'm trying to get my Twitch stream off the ground. Please, you gotta believe me!"

"Who paid you to attack us?" asked Tawny.

"I...I don't remember their name...." replied the boy, who then screamed when Tawny began beating on his chest. "I know what they look like, though!"

"Spill!" demanded Tawny. This definitely sounded like the handiwork of Elaine, or perhaps Grady wanted his pound of flesh for the Elizabeth incident.

But Goggle Boy's response had caught Tawny off guard. "It was a girl, probably your age. Kinda stocky, with really curly frizzy red hair. And glasses, though not as thick as mine...and she made me promised not to target you, only your friend."

Tawny lowered her hands stunned. Of course she recognized the description, but it matched the last person she would have ever expect.

"Oh my God..." realized Tawny. 

Maddie called a hit on my best friend?