Chapter 1 : The Body in the Restroom

Kaia’s POV

I was almost free.

The last group of dancers stretched near the mirrors, laughing too loudly for how late it was. Most of the others had already left. Bags zipped. Shoes tossed into duffels. The big studio lights still burned bright, showing every scuff mark on the floor I would have to clean later.

Sable Quinn stood in the center of the remaining circle like she owned the place. She always did. Tall, perfect posture, dark hair pulled into a high bun that never came loose. She was still in her leotard, a thin sheen of sweat on her neck that somehow made her look better instead of tired.

I stayed near the wall with my cleaning cart, waiting. The rule was simple: no cleaning until the dancers were gone. I had learned that the hard way in my first week.

Sable’s eyes found me.

“Well, look who is still here,” she said, voice carrying across the room. “The scholarship cleaner. Don’t you have a bed somewhere, or do you sleep next to the mop?”

Her friends laughed. One of them, a girl named Talia, added, “Maybe she likes the smell of our sweat. Free perfume.”

I kept my face blank and stared at the floor. Answering never helped. It only gave them more material.

Sable walked closer, pointe shoes soft on the wood. She stopped a few steps away and looked me up and down.

“Those jeans are sad,” she said. “Did your mother buy them at a thrift store, or did you steal them from the lost and found?”

More laughter.

I gripped the handle of the cart until my knuckles turned white. “I’m just waiting to clean.”

“Obviously.” She tilted her head. “That’s all you’re good for, right? Scrubbing the floors we dance on. Must feel special, being this close to real talent.”

Talia smirked. “Careful, Sable. She might snap one day and throw bleach on your costume.”

Sable smiled like the idea entertained her. “She wouldn’t dare. People like her need this job. Without it she’d be nothing.”

The words landed exactly where she wanted them to. I felt heat crawl up my neck, but I stayed quiet. The clock on the wall said 11:47. If they left soon I could still catch the last bus.

Sable finally turned away, bored. “Come on. I’m done looking at charity cases.”

They gathered their things slowly, still talking, still laughing. Every second stretched. When the last of them pushed through the double doors, the studio fell into a heavy silence. Only the low hum of the lights remained.

I let out a breath I had been holding and pushed the cart forward.

The floor was a mess of resin dust, water bottle rings, and discarded tape. I started in the far corner, mopping in long, steady lines the way I always did. The work was familiar. Mindless. It gave my hands something to do while the sting of Sable’s words faded.

By the time I reached the back corridor, the main lights had been switched to the night setting. The mirrors along the walls reflected only shadows and my own tired face.

One restroom left.

I pushed the door open with my shoulder. The fluorescent light inside flickered once and then held. The air smelled of soap and the faint chemical tang of cleaner I had used earlier.

Then I saw her.

Sable Quinn lay on the white tile floor near the sinks. One arm stretched out. Dark hair spilled across the floor. A thick pool of blood spread under her head, already starting to dry at the edges.

My cart rolled forward an inch before I stopped it.

“Sable?”

No answer.

I stepped closer. The blood looked too real. Too dark. My mind tried to invent reasons—maybe she fell, maybe she was playing some cruel joke—but her skin was the wrong color. Too pale.

“Sable, get up.”

I dropped to my knees beside her. The blood soaked into my jeans instantly, cold and sticky. I shook her shoulder. Her body moved, but only because I moved it. There was no resistance. No breath.

“Wake up,” I whispered. “This isn’t funny.”

My fingers pressed against her neck, searching for a pulse. Nothing. I tried her wrist. Still nothing. Her eyes were half open, staring past me at the ceiling.

The smell of blood filled my nose. My hands were already red.

I sat back on my heels, breathing too fast. This morning she had insulted me in front of everyone. An hour ago she had called me a charity case. Now she was lying dead on the floor I was supposed to clean.

My phone was in my back pocket. I reached for it with shaking fingers, ready to call for help.

Footsteps sounded in the corridor.

Someone was coming.

The restroom door pushed open. Mrs. Langford, the night supervisor, stood there holding a set of keys and a paper cup of coffee. Her eyes landed on me first, then dropped to the body, then to the blood covering my hands and knees.

The cup slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. Coffee splashed across the tiles, mixing with the red.

For a second the only sound was the soft drip of liquid.

Then her voice rose, sharp and terrified.

“What did you do?”

I scrambled backward. “I didn’t do anything. I just found her like this.”

Mrs. Langford didn’t move closer. She pulled out her phone, eyes locked on me like I might attack.

“I need the police,” she said into the phone, voice shaking. “There’s a dead student in the East Wing restroom. The cleaner is here. She has blood all over her hands.”

“Listen to me,” I said, louder now. “She was already on the floor when I came in. I tried to help her. That’s why there’s blood on me.”

She took a step back, still talking to the operator, describing my clothes, my position, the body. Her free hand stayed raised as if to keep me away.

I looked down at Sable again. The girl who had spent months making me feel small was completely still. The same mouth that had mocked my clothes now hung slightly open. The same eyes that had looked at me with pure contempt stared at nothing.

Mrs. Langford’s voice cut through the air again, colder this time.

“She’s dead,” she said, staring straight at me. “And you killed her.”

The words hung between us while the first sirens began to rise in the distance.