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The final installment of Dead or Dying, A Letter from Rosa, is now posted!

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Chapter Twenty Two of Dead or Dying, Bits of Time, is now posted!

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What's going on now?" Jasmine asked, glancing down towards her phone again. "I could've sworn this whole Elliot business has been settled for good. After all, we got quite a few confessions and then we found out that those didn't even matter..."

"That's what I thought too," Neville agreed. "We know you're DA, we know who the murderer is...even though that information isn't going to leave Cloisterham's campus...but it's all come together. The confessions are done. Mr. Jasper has left the school."

"You could almost see things returning to whatever we consider to be average and typical for Cloisterham, although it is difficult to think of anything in Cloisterham as average and typical..." Rosa sighed out.

"But obviously it's not over yet," Helena added in.

"But of course," Rosa said, looking down. "It would be too convient, wouldn't it?"

Despite this sadness that washed over her, Rosa followed her friends to the auditorium. She stood amongst the chattering students, letting their confusion wash over her. But as the chattering stopped, Rosa decided to look up and see what was happening on the stage.

Rosa soon could not see Elliot properly as her eyes glazed over with tears.

"It cannot be...it cannot be them, it cannot..."

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Chapter Twenty One of Dead or Dying, Not Telling, is now posted!

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Rosa didn't cry when she heard the news. It was not due to a lack of emotion, but rather a lack of desire to display her emotion. She hated it. She wanted to scream and sob and force it to end. But instead she remained silent and grapsed on to Helena's hand as Mr. Sanders addressed the school.

"We aren't going to tell the world anything. There isn't anything that the rest of the world needs to know. And that means everyone in Cloisterham must carry on as if nothing ever happened," he said. "It must seem rather strange to give such an idea out, but...but we have determined this will be best for our school. And, of course, for all of the faculty and students within this school. I believe you all will agree."

At this point, Rosa felt as if her breath might be permanently caught within her lungs. She felt Helena's hand gently rubbing her hand in an attempt to comfort her, but she couldn't move. She could not manage to release herself from this state. She could think about the situation over and over again, but it would not be enough. All she could do was attempt to trust her senses and listen.

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Chapter Twenty of Dead or Dying, Left to Leave, is now posted!

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Mr. Jasper had wanted to leave Cloisterham Academy since the day he arrived, but he had managed to hold on for nearly three years. But now the day arrived when he was forced to leave, and he did not feel glee over it. Now that he was forced to leave, he wanted nothing more than to stay.

But now there was nothing more he could do.

He gathered up every paper and book that piled up in his office over the years, cleared off his desk, removed his presence from every inch of the room. He had been told to leave quickly and quietly - there was bound to be a storm of fury as people began to speak of his affections for Rosa.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Rosa appeared before Mr. Jasper's eyes as he looked up from gathering everything from his office.

"Rosa, what are you doing here?" Mr. Jasper asked, ceasing the rustling of his papers to direct all his attention to her.

"I...I don't quite know myself, I must admit," Rosa said. "I would ask you what you're doing, but it is obvious. I aplogize if I am intruding, perhaps I should leave you to-"

"Don't leave," he burst out.

Rosa heaved out a breath that made it very apparent she wished she could just leave. She had hoped that he would turn her aisde and she would not have to dwell on him any longer.

"I am sorry to hear that you must leave, especially on such short notice. There are certainly reasons why, I understand, but one would think you would at least be allowed to complete the quarter...or something...I mean...I am permitted to stay, despite what I...what I did."

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Chapter Nineteen of Dead or Dying, Good Intentions, is now posted!

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Rosa nearly ran back to her dormitory, not willing to deal with anyone else at the moment. No one would understand what she was going through at the moment. As a matter of fact even she didn't know what she was going through at the moment. She was completely and utterly confused.

She flung the door open, causing Helena within to jump and then melt into worry.

"What's wrong, Rosa?" asked Helena, immediately receiving her sniffling girlfriend in open arms.

"DA is going to reveal their identity to whomever arrives in the auditorium, and from there the news shall diffuse about Cloisterham," she said, releasing a sigh in an attempt to keep her breathing steady.

"I know, I know," Helena said. "Everyone has seen the announcement. They also said they're going to present their verdict on the mystery. I don't understand why that's such a bad thing."

"I...I don't believe the truths presented there will be the truth," Rosa said. "I feel as if...I..."

"What do you mean?" Helena asked, her brows creasing. "You were obsessed with whatever DA said and did just a day ago. What's changed?"

"I cannot say, there is too much...there is simply too much. But we...we..."

"What should we do?"

"We should go," Rosa said, taking Helena's hand within hers and using her free hand to wipe away her tears. "The auditorium becomes quite congested whenever people go there, and it seems as if most of Cloisterham will be there, waiting to hear whatever shall spill from DA's lips."

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Chapter Eighteen of Dead or Dying, Something Amiss, is now posted!

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Voting is officially closed. Return next week for the confessions!

"Something is amiss," Rosa mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, something is utterly wrong. I cannot shake this insidious premonition which has nestled within me. Something is truly amiss."

"But what, Rosa?" Helena asked, letting out a small laugh of exasperation. Rosa had quite a tendency to speak for ages on end but never get to the point - she would much rather glide around it in a magnificent figure eight filled with her vocabulary. "What, exactly, is wrong?"

"Mr. Jasper."

"Did he-"

"He didn't do anything to me," Rosa said, answering Helena's question before it was asked. "He didn't touch me or even speak to me. But I know something is wrong."

"Then it's nothing he's done to you. You're worried about him?"

"I...I suppose I am!" Rosa exclaimed. "I am worried about Mr. Jasper. Goodness. You can loathe a soul for all too long and then here I am, worried about him. I feel as if I have glossed over a vital detail about him...I feel as if something terrible is about to occur!"

"Rosa, why do you feel like that?" Helena asked. "I haven't noticed anything different."

"No, of course not," Rosa sighed. "I just...I just know something is amiss with Mr. Jasper."

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Chapter Seventeen of Dead or Dying, The Eye of a Hurricane, is now posted!

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Rosa felt as if she were floating through her day as she followed through with her decision to return to Cloisterham. She ultimately decided to have Mr. Greggs take her back after she reunited him with Paula. After all, the two had practically raised her as if they were her parents - except, of course, on separate fronts. Despite this, Rosa refused to disrupt Paula's life any further by telling her to join her and Mr. Greggs when returning to Cloisterham.

The drive back to Cloisterham Academy was nearly silent. Most words which needed to be said between Rosa and Mr. Greggs had already been exhausted. Yes, indeed, there were still problems to be solved. But at least for the moment, talking about them could not allow any sorts of improvements.

Of course, the fact that Rosa felt as disconnected from the universe as possible didn't help that sort of thing. She didn't speak mostly because she couldn't speak. Her mind was set somewhere else, trying to figure out what she was going to do next. Her plan had been to desert Rosa Burgos completely, but then Mr. Greggs and Paula turned her back around.

Not only was she returning to Cloisterham Academy, but she was returning to life as Rosa Burgos at Cloisterham Academy. It meant desperately checking DA's blog to see if any new evidence popped up. It meant going to every class, dreading chorus class most of all. It meant sharing her room and her thoughts with Helena. It meant missing Elliot, feeling their absence as if a light fog weighed down upon the campus.

But she made the decision to return, and therefore she would return.

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Chapter Sixteen of Dead or Dying, Ebb and Flow, is now posted!

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The girl had always been quiet, but this silence seemed strange even for her. Either Rosa would talk until she ran out of words to say, or she would mostly keep to herself. Still, Mr. Greggs didn't like seeing her curled up in a seat, looking out the window almost as if she was expecting someone to come to her.

"Rosa," Mr. Greggs started to say (although he did not know yet what he wanted to say to her, only that he wanted to get some sort of response out of her).

"What is it, Mr. Greggs?" Rosa asked in response, her voice nearly monotone.

"Well, I was wondering if you're planning to do anything today."

"I plan to do what I have done for the past several days," she replied. "I plan to think through what I desire to do now that I am given the opportunity to do such."

"But you've just been sitting around, not doing anything. I don't think that's very...er...it doesn't seem very healthy to me. A teenager like you should be up and about."

"A teenager like me should be in school. But that is not what is occurring. No, I am here. And I will stay here."

"I just...I just don't like seeing you like this."

"Trust me, Mr. Greggs, I am not pleased over the circumstances either. It's just...I just don't know what to do. And it's not...it's not coming through the way I want to. I know I can figure these matters out, it's just that I have not yet."

"Do I need to make things more comfortable here? More enjoyable? Do you need to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner? Wait, what did you last eat - you can eat the meal after that..."

"Do not fret," Rosa replied.

"I just want you to enjoy your time here, use it to relax and...er...rejuvenate yourself," Mr. Greggs said, cracking his knuckles.

"But I do enjoy my time here," Rosa began. "Perhaps I should stay here. Perhaps it would be better for me to remain here, far enough from Cloisterham Academy that I have very little reason to worry. I cannot see anything wrong with that."

"Don't say that, Rosa."

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Dead or Dying will resume regular updates next Friday, 2/26.

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Chapter Fifteen of Dead or Dying, Upon the Wind, is now posted!

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To say it hurt Rosa to leave on the day of the Valentine's Day dance was an understatement. Rather, she felt as if a searing pain lay just beside her heart. It was close enough that it would burn but not enough that she could do anything to solve it. Instead it just burned as she kept moving and moving and moving.

She couldn't look back. Not for Neville, not for Jasmine, not even for Helena. No one could keep her in Cloisterham.

After careful and inward deliberation, she made the decision to run away without a trace. It was precisely a week after the incident with Mr. Jasper, which happened to coincide with the Valentine's Day dance. But if she stayed any longer she felt as if she might drown within her fears.

She continued to walk, a chill rolling across her spine. It felt too late in the year for it to still be winter, and yet they were only two months in. Rosa missed the spring time. She didn't feel endangered in every moment by the air itself in the springtime.

But it was the chills from gusts that helped to propel her forward, further and further away from Cloisterham.

She'd rehearsed how she'd speak to people about why she needed to leave over phone and text and by tumblr post. She saved draft after draft after draft of each speech. But now that she'd left, she couldn't bear to think about contacting anyone in Cloisterham. It would hurt her far too much.

All Rosa left behind was a single note for Helena. Helena was the lone soul at Cloisterham Academy who was fully trustworthy, at least in Rosa's eyes. She wrote down what had occurred, the reasons why she had run...but not that she was running. Helena would have to remain the sole keeper of her secrets.

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Chapter Fourteen of Dead or Dying, Shadow on the Sundial, is now posted!

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"He's going to confess something of grave importance, I know it. He would not have invited me to the sundial otherwise."

"It's not safe and you know it, Rosa," Helena replied.

"I agreed to go. And when he confesses what he did to Elly, I will have the evidence I need."

"What makes you think he's going to tell you anything about Elliot?" Helena questioned. "Why are you so certain this is going to be good for anyone?"

"I simply have a feeling it is true. And, besides, I must know what Mr. Jasper will say. I tried to aid Neville in regards to Mr. Jasper and failed. Jasmine is furious with me but I desire to aid her. You're all I have left," Rosa replied.

"Then listen to me. I don't need you to go to Mr. Jasper. We know we can't trust him."

"When he confesses, we will be able to liberate your brother from the grasps of accusations towards him," Rosa said. "I am thinking of you, Helena."

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?" Helena sighed.

"I've made up my mind. Mr. Jasper will seek me out if I do not go. Thus, I shall go."

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Explore the world of Cloisterham Academy on Rosa’s and DA’s blogs.

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Chapter Thirteen of Dead or Dying, A Delicate Waltz, is now posted!

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"You must be aware that the Valentine's Day formal dance is occurring soon. It isn't a major deal within the halls of Cloisterham, but it is still something many of us look forward to and enjoy."

"I've heard a little about it. Why do you bring it up?"

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you would wish to go with me to the dance. It would be quite a bit of fun, as well as something to take our minds off of the horrors which have occurred here at Cloisterham and continue to occur."

A smile curled Helena's lips up before she had time to formulate her reply.

"That sounds great," Helena finally said. "But I have to ask if Neville can come along with us. So...can Neville join us?"

"But of course!" Rosa exclaimed. "I considered asking you if that was a possibility, but now that you have brought it up yourself I must give you a vigorous yes!"

Helena seemed rather surprised that Rosa was so ecstatic about bringing Neville along, but she did not say anything about it. It was clear that her roommate would be fluttering around in joy regardless of what happened.

"We can purchase our outfits for the dance online - we can bring all sorts of things to our dorm room through delivery. I've done it time and time again."

"Rosa, I don't know if I can afford that..."

"We shall find something for you to wear, one way or another. We will make it fit whatever budget you may have."

"Thank you, Rosa. That's all I can say."

"Then all I can respond with is you are eternally welcome, Helena."

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Chapter Twelve of Dead or Dying, A Theatrical Kit, is now posted!

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Rosa tried to look as pitiful as possible. However, her childlike pout just made her as endearing as ever, something to be smiled at rather than pitied upon. She was all too aware of this fact and therefore relied on the rest of her body to portray such an idea. Her arms were cross across her chest as she tried to warm herself using her hands. She hunched herself over while walking along, hoping she would succeed.

Much of what she did wasn't acting - she didn't have her coat, and she was honestly cold. It was no pleasant sensation, but the promise of her plan working out ended up driving her onwards. She just about laughed with joy when she finally arrived at the main building, knowing that the chorus room was just inside. She just had to hope that her cheeks didn't lose their flush from the cold before she arrived.

She stepped into the not quite empty chorus room, placing the slightest vestige of a sheepish smile upon her lips. This would be a performance unlike any other she'd done, but far more vital and therefore more dire.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Jasper," Rosa said, still keeping her arms crossed. The bite of the cold had faded away just moments after stepping into the heated building, but Mr. Jasper didn't need to know that.

"Rosa? What are you doing here? And without any jacket?"

"I...well, you'll believe me to be rather foolish, but I appear to have misplaced it. It is most probably that I left it within one of my classes, and I thought it would be sensible to check this classroom first. I tend to leave things here more often than my other classes, it seems..."

"Well, I...I can't say I've seen anything, Rosa. It would most likely still be here if you left it behind, and I would've seen it. I'm sorry..."

"Oh, it's not your fault, Mr. Jasper," Rosa said. "I'm just a bit saddened by the thought - my upcoming class is within one of the auxilary buildings, and even with a jacket I would be frightfully cold...and since I am without a jacket..."

Mr. Jasper opened his mouth to speak, reconsidered, and then closed his mouth. But as Rosa allowed her lips to fall into a "pitiful" pout once again, he ended up deciding it was best for him to speak out.

"Wait, Rosa," he said. "I won't need my coat today, as I'll be staying here for the rest of the schoolday. You can take it."

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Chapter Eleven of Dead or Dying, A Theatrical Kit, is now posted!

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"Jasmine! Jasmine, have you seen this?"

"I don't know, it depends on what this is," Jasmine replied. At first it seemed as if Rosa might not reply, as she seemed to be searching for something on her phone.

"This!" Rosa finally exclaimed, shoving her phone into Jasmine's face. "The school is frenzied with thoughts of this, I cannot believe you haven't seen it."

"Never said I haven't seen it," Jasmine mumbled.

"DA," Rosa said. "DA. You'd think it would be initials, but no one would be so foolish as to use their own legitimate initials if they were attempting to remain anonymous. What do you think it's all about?"

"Well, I think it has to do with the mystery surround Elliot's death."

"But of course - but it's an entire blog dedicated to gathering evidence. And there are suspects, Jasmine, suspects! Cloisterham is stepping up to figure out who killed my dear Elly, and I could not be prouder."

"One person is stepping up to find out, Rosa," Jasmine said. "It's just one person."

"But everyone is chattering about it," Rosa exclaimed. "Everyone knows about DA now. Everyone knows that there is something very off about this situation surrounding Elly's disappearance. Certainly people will make a greater effort to do something, even if it's just to spread the word about the school..."

"And the word will be spread around whether the DA does anything or not."

"I just pray for justice," Rosa said, her voice suddenly dropping in volume. "So few people seem to believe that Elly was murdered, but I know...I know they must've been. And I know that it will be figured out. I just...I just hope to see the evidence for myself."

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Explore the world of Cloisterham Academy on Rosa’s and DA’s blogs.

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Chapter Nine of Dead or Dying, Penny For Your Thoughts, is now posted!

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No one could find a moment of utter silence within Cloisterham, not with a thousand secrets whispered from ear to ear. But even as the campus filled back to the brim with students once again, Rosa didn't end up hearing anything about Elliot. Perhaps it was because most people had only just arrived the previous day, but to her it was promising.

Everyone would know soon enough. The rumors were not silenced, but at least they gave little more than a murmur. Rosa wished she could bask in it, but she found her heart palpitating over what would inevitably come next. She was going back to school, back to class, back to normal life.

Normal life, minus Elly.

"Are you ready for this?" Helena asked, putting a hand on Rosa's arm before the two departed their dorm.

"I must feign strength for today and the coming days even if I do not feel it," Rosa said, turning to face her roommate. "After all, there are precious few around Cloisterham who know about Elliot, and I can only hope it remains that way for a little longer."

"I don't think it will be too hard for you to feign strength in first period English," Helena replied. "But I'm worried about chorus right after that. I'm worried it won't go well."

"As am I, Helena."

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Chapter Nine of Dead or Dying, A City Blind, is now posted!

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As lovely as Rosa was, she was not so lovely when she cried. If she wasn't too emotional, then dainty tears would drip from her gleaming eyes. One could hardly consider that crying at the end of it all.

But when she cried, and she did cry more often then one would think, she looked as disraught as any human being would. Her face would turn a shade of red which formed in blotches across her face. Those would be interrupted by trails of tears creating rivers down her cheeks. She gasped in and out, unable to breathe.

She wept when she found out Elliot was gone. She wept, knowing that her dear friend had disappeared from her life. She buried her head into the sheets of her bed, unable to let herself see any light around. It only mocked her, only made sure to burn her eyes and make her feel even more horrid.

She found out Christmas Day.

The day started with anticipation and glee, happiness over gifts and having people she cared about around her. She had more or less shaken off the ill feelings which had plagued her the night before during dinner. Those feelings were because of her proximity to Mr. Jasper, she told herself.

But the dread didn't fade. Just because she chose to ignore them didn't mean they weren't present. No, she noticed something was amiss. She noticed that Elliot was nowhere to be found. About an hour after she first noticed Elliot's absence, she received a call from Mr. Sanders, the principal of the school.

Elliot was nowhere to be found. They had gone missing over the stormy Christmas Eve night. No one had seen them and their phone went unanswered. There was no indication they had run away. It seemed as if they had vanished completely without a trace.

She was told to keep it to herself, as she was only notified because Mr. Jasper had asked that she know. Elliot had so little family, after all, so their girlfriend seemed to have a right to know. Rosa didn't care about keeping it a secret or why she'd been alerted so soon - she only ended up wallowing in her own sadness over Elliot's sudden disappearance.

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Chapter Seven of Dead or Dying, Too Near, is now posted!

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"I do not know if my gaze was blurred by the fact I was a young child who only wished to follow the pathways to adulthood and therefore clung to you in hopes I would grow romantic feelings for you, but now that we have grown up significantly I can see it was not a wise thing to do."

"Well, I mean, we're not that grown up yet, we're only in junior year of high school."

"No, Elly. We have grown up significantly. Things have changed. I noticed you ceased to call me Peaches in recent days," Rosa said. "You've referred to me as Peaches since we quite young - I cannot recall when, but I know it was when we only had a single digit for our ages. Why did you stop?"

"Well, I mean, it's like you said - we're growing up," Elliot replied. "I thought it would be strange to continue calling you Peaches now that we're going older. We're too old for all that."

"Then we're too old to pretend we are both happy with this relationship we seem to be locked in for life. If we do not wish to continue with it, then we shall not. We shall cease it before it goes on to do harm to either of us as we move on."

"Wait...Rosa, what do you mean?" Elliot knew they should've seen this coming, but they were still having difficulty processing it as she continued to move on with her personal thoughts.

"I feel as if we should no longer act as if we are two teenage lovebirds. We should label ourselves as what we are - we are like siblings. We fight with one another all too often, and yet we still remain good friends. We are siblings from this day forward, if you agree to such a matter..."

"Yes, of course!" Elliot exclaimed, speaking a bit too quickly. They wanted to understand where Rosa was coming from, and they barely thought about what they were saying. "I just...I just don't understand why you decided to bring it up now of all times. What has changed to make you think about that?"

"Oh, you know..." Rosa said, shaking her head and refusing to meet Elliot's gaze. "Things are changing about Cloisterham Academy, slowly but surely. I've talked to...my friends. I've seen that there is little to get out of this relationship. If neither of us are happy with it, as we are not, then it will do far more harm than good."

There was a moment of silence which both Rosa and Elliot used to gather their thoughts up again. It was strange to be speaking so candidly to one another. Usually when they talked it ended up being something superficial. Something unnecessary. Something unimportant. But now they spoke about their relationship and their past years together.

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