After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 by Nicole Stark

the person responsible more than likely had to have an accomplice to help drag the body into the room.
    She continued to mull over everything, including the strange markings on Michelle’s body. They looked like tally marks, or a bar code… What could it be?
    Avalon stopped in the middle of her work queue and grabbed her tablet.
    “What are you doing?” Skylar asked as Xin continued to work.
    “Just let me do this for a second!” Avalon yelled.
    Skylar backed down but not before adding, “ This will count against your scheduled break time.”
    Avalon continued to draw the marks down on paper. These marks…they are a pattern. Wait! It is so obvious. It is Morse code! She just drew it in a circle!
    The code spelled out the letters H E L P M E.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Avalon stood dead in her tracks. Help me. A cry for help. What did Michelle need help from? Who was harming her? And why?
    Avalon continued to think when the door opened and her head turned to see who entered the room. She recognized those blonde curls anywhere.
    “To what do we owe the pleasure?” Skylar asked, quickly stepping in front of Avalon to greet Kael.
    “I would like to speak with Avalon,” he said, glancing past Skylar and towards Avalon.
    Skylar’s face turned several shades of crimson as she stepped aside. Kael’s hands were behind his back.
    “Good morning,” Avalon said trying to ignore the excitement in her chest.
    Kael smiled. “It’s actually towards lunch time. I just thought that you have been doing such a good job with the habitat, that you deserved a reward.”
    Skylar’s mouth fell open as Kael revealed a purple package which he handed to Avalon.
    “Thank you,” Avalon said as her heart beat a little harder. Carefully, she opened the cardboard box to reveal a bowl full of real fruits—apples, oranges, and even kiwi. She quickly closed the lid on the box, not wanting anyone else to see. No Compatio has had food like this since entering the habitat. They don’t even serve these to the Accipios in the cafeteria. How did he get these?
    “Try not to eat it all at once,” he said with a wink.
    “Thank you so much,” Avalon said as he stepped towards the door.
    Avalon could feel Skylar’s stares. “What did you get?” Skylar asked.
    “Some fruit. Would you like some?” Avalon said. Perhaps, she could win her over by sharing.
    “Fruit! How in the world did you get fruit?” Skylar asked.
    “Is it real?” Xin asked. Avalon wasn’t even aware Xin paid attention to anything besides the monitors.
    “Yes, it appears to be real and not replicated. You are welcome to all grab a fruit.”
    Skylar greedily tore open the purple box and grabbed a Fuji apple. Voraciously, she bit into it and licked her lips without so much as a thank you.
    Xin didn’t even look at the box. “It’s your gift. You enjoy it.”
    Avalon smiled at Xin.
    “It’s lunch time anyways,” he said glancing up at the clock. As the others ushered out of the room, Avalon stayed behind and quickly changed the access codes to her room. Breathing a sigh of relief once it was done, her thoughts floated to the gift Kael gave her. Why did he do that? Does he like me? Or is this some sort of trap. Could he be the killer?
    Avalon texted Ilium to meet her that night in the storage room.
     
    “So, how was Skylar?” Ilium asked, twisting his lips into a smirk as he leaned against the wall of the storage room.
    Avalon shrugged. “She was Skylar. Moody, kind of quiet.”
    “Ehh…Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
    Avalon looked at his face anxiously, searching his eyes. I wonder if I should mention Kael’s visit to him. “Well, are we any closer to finding out who killed Michelle? Or put her in my room?”
    “No,” Ilium said, shaking his head. “What makes you think she was killed?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. The fact her body just randomly appeared in my bed one day, and then it disappeared,” Avalon