Lockdown

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Victorious? I do not, leave me be.

A/N: So this is something different. I've wanted to do this for a while, see the very first story I ever wrote in my life (was total crap, haha) so I wanted to rewrite it in the version of one of my fandoms on fanfiction for your entertainment. So without further ado, enjoy the mystery and horror.

Chapter 1 (Death and Omens)

Jade stood beside Tori as they stood beneath the cover of an umbrella. All around them, rain pelted the array of umbrellas held by a community of people in this dark thunderstorm. Beck and Andre were not here for this service, neither was Robbie. Cat was off partying with her roommate, which left a bitter taste in Jade's throat.

As she scanned the long faces, stopping onto Tori's emotionless face, she closed her eyes and took a slow breath. Today, they buried Katrina Vega. All around them, she could feel the poisonous glares from the community and people from both the High School as well as University that Trina had been attending. What happened was not her fault, but she knew their anger.

She'd been roped into joining another play for her sister and once again had to be hung high from the ceiling. Yet again, her rope had been cut and nobody would accept responsibility, even after she'd struck her head on the stage. She fell into a coma and was declared dead three days later, and with her boyfriend's unborn baby inside of her.

Perhaps Sinjin's glare was the most fearsome, for he'd lost his fiancé and his child because of one of their neglect. Mr. Vega had been the one to sit all of the friends down, going so far as to physically assault them until they said who was responsible, but none of them knew. Even Sikowitz was giving them all poor grades as punishment. When Trina had attended Hollywood Arts, she was top athlete and one of Mr. Sikowitz's favorite students. Jade could feel the daggers from all three, and if looks could kill, she'd be dead on spot.

"Would anyone like to say some words?" The Pastor asked. Jade bowed her head as Tori took a shaky step forward. The pastor extended his hand to the girl and she turned to face the crowd, staring out with the same expressionless face. "Victoria?"

"Nothing I say can bring my sister back," she finally broke. Her voice trembled and tears began to well up in the girl's eyes. "I loved her, I clung to her growing up…I-I never thought this would happen." Jade shook her head and watched the casket lower into the hole. Thunder clapped and lighting lit up the sky. She always knew the jokes, the pranks, and even the hatred the friends seemed to spill out due to their ignorance was too much, but nobody ever knew when anything was too far.

Her eyes trailed over to Holly, who was busy weeping on David's shoulder. This was a different woman than she'd been the night of her daughter's death.

"I always knew you people were no good," Holly snapped at Tori's friends, "I wish you never stepped foot in my family. She'd still be alive! We should have kicked you away the first time you cut Trina's cord and put her in the hospital! I hope you all pay for what you did to her!"

Her eyes drifted away from her and froze on David. Her body winced as a vivid memory stabbed her. "You were responsible the first time weren't you?" David slammed Robbie against the wall, clutching the youth's throat. "You must have done it this time!"

"I-I didn't do it!" Robbie cried. All of them were bruised, and perhaps Beck had taken the most damage as he'd been the one mouthing off like an idiot.

"Bullshit! You, Andre, Beck, Jade, and Cat were the only people in that prop room when that cord was cut! We're not leaving until I find out which one of you is responsible for what happened to my daughter!" David hadn't taken into account that there were some other students in the prop room as well, but in all truth, they were nowhere near the cord.

Jade knew better than to speak up and take further abuse, and perhaps she should have spoken the truth then. It wasn't just one of them that did it, and they didn't know what would happen. She saw Beck and Robbie near the rope at the time it had been cut, and it was Beck who'd recently gotten into an argument with Trina over something related to Tori. Of course, she'd also turned Robbie down when he asked her out, forgetting that she was already going out with Sinjin.

"I want nothing to do with you people," Sinjin let out a venomous growl as they approached him in an attempt to give condolences for what happened to Trina.

"We just want to say we're sorry for your loss," Beck started. Sinjin lifted his hand and cut the man off with a rude glare.

"As far as I'm concerned, you can burn in hell." Jade winced as Sinjin rose up, his nostrils flaring and his eyes bright with rage. "Mark my words, when they find out which one of you is responsible for Trina's death, and my unborn son, I will tear you apart with my bare hands…"

Jade met Sinjin's glare and felt the same chill she had on that day. The man's hate could be felt for miles, and she dared not to approach him. The whole group had been receiving death threats from everyone that had been close to Trina. All except for Tori, but Tori had been numb and isolating herself ever since the accident. She hadn't spoken a word to the friends until this very day.

Even Sikowitz felt whoever was responsible should turn themselves in and request the death penalty. It was hard having their favorite teacher hate them, but it seemed more that he was simply stunned that his students would go so far as to cause the death of someone they didn't like. Regardless, Jade knew better than to approach him either.

"How could she show up here?" She heard someone whisper from behind. The voice was that of one of the other people that had been in that theater box that night. There were approximately four other people. Greg, Bill, Shirley and Tiffany. Tiffany was the one speaking. "After what they did?"

"Quiet," Bill muttered, "She can be here if she wants, right?" She rolled her eyes and looked back to Tori, ignoring the mutters around her. Sure she wasn't friends with Trina, but she was friends with Tori and wanted to be there to support her friend. For all anyone knew, one of them could have cut that rope. Despite that Shirley and Tiffany had been practicing their lines on the stage, Greg was busy with the stage lighting, and Billy had been in the sound room.

She felt highly uncomfortable being there, sure, especially when the entire area seemed to be full of such loathing. Even one of Trina's best friends, Lindsay, had choice words for Tori's friends. It was difficult for her to adjust, and she wished she'd been able to stop her friends from being so hard on the woman. It was one thing to disrespect your own friend but it was another to disrespect her by constantly putting down her older sibling.

"Shut up drama geeks," Jade growled. The four instantly silenced. These were the four that had to be involved with every production and school play. Including the one that auditions were up for a couple weeks. She and Tori were going to audition since it was a play Sikowitz was orchestrating. She advised Beck and the others to stay away, but they all wanted a part of it.

After Tori was finished with her speech, she returned to Jade's side and Sinjin walked up to the podium to say something about the love of his life. Jade looked towards her friend with a somber glint. Tori still had an ashen face with empty eyes and red stains streaking her cheeks. "I know it's hard Tori…"

"How can I audition for that play coming up?" Tori asked with a weak and quiet tone. "After what happened to Trina, I-I don't..."

"Maybe it'll make you feel better?" A look of shock came over Tori's face for a second and Jade bowed her head, speaking softly. "I know I shouldn't say it like that. Nothing will make it better-nothing will bring Trina back-but you need something to occupy your mind with."

"Occupy my mind?" Tori scoffed under her breath and lifted a tissue to her eyes. "My family is broken. I lost my sister and a possible nephew, Jade. All because your boyfriend, his two asshole friends, and maybe even Cat hated my sister. You were all there, along with Billy, Gregory, Shirley and Tiffany…someone cut my sister's cord, it wasn't an accident, and now because of that-my family's not complete anymore. I-I don't know what to do."

"I know. I'm sorry Tori-I'm so sorry." She looked up to see Sinjin, Holly, David, Sikowitz, and Lindsay all glaring at her once more. Their fire burned her, frightened her, and for what? She wanted to yell and scream, to say it wasn't her fault! Yes she was there, but she would never have done to Trina what likely Beck or Robbie had done! She was a dark person yes, but she wasn't malicious.

Though just about anyone could go crazy, and try as she might to stay calm, something terrified her. There was a dangerous storm coming, she could feel it in her blood.

Lightning flashed once more as the pastor began to read the closing statements. Soon, all heads bowed for prayer. She felt Tori trembling beside her, weeping softly and whispering for her sister. She opened one eye and saw David and Holly gazing at their daughter's grave. Sinjin had a murderous glare fixated once again on her. He knew their hate wasn't directed to her as an individual, but to Tori's friends as a whole. As much as she wanted to give them the promise that she'd not personally done anything to hurt Trina, she knew it was best to just leave well enough alone for a while.

Hopefully, time would heal all wounds.

Almost a month passed by before the auditions for Sikowitz's play begun. She followed Tori into the auditorium with Mr. and Mrs. Vega, smiling as Sikowitz turned a frown to her. Behind her were Cat, Beck, Andre, and Robbie. "Oh I see all of you are auditioning?" Sikowitz muttered.

"Well we can't just not try and audition," Beck chuckled, "We want to try. I know what happened to Trina was terrible, but you can't hold it against us forever."

"We certainly can," Sinjin walked over with a cart full of stage props. His eyes were narrow and his lips pulled back in a scathing growl. Jade hung back and watched as David and Holly walked towards one of the auditorium seats. She looked up to the stage and smiled when she saw Shirley, Greg, Billy and Tiffany on the stage practicing lines. Perhaps she could get some tips from them.

Tori was moving towards Backstage, leaving Jade to fend off Sinjin and Sikowitz on her own. Of course, she honestly didn't care for conversation.

"Hey how long until the school shuts down?" Robbie asked nervously. Sikowitz raised an eyebrow as Robbie looked over his shoulder. "I mean it's eight o'clock, doesn't the school lock up automatically?"

Andre rolled his eyes, "No dumbass. The school shuts down manually." Sikowitz rubbed his chin and slowly nodded his head.

"That's correct. When I am finished with all you children and send you home, I'll lock down the school."

Due to the Principal's paranoia with break-ins, the school's shutdown feature was rather complex. Only faculty knew the code to lock and unlock the buildings. When the code was entered, via computer in the office, all the doors and windows would have at least five minutes before they were barred shut. Once that happened, the lockdown was put on a computerized timer where all the doors and windows would unlock automatically at six o'clock in the morning. Nobody would be able to get in-without an administrator password-and no one would be able to get out without the code.

"What are you worried about, Robbie?"

"Nothing," he muttered, "Just a bad dream I had recently."

Holly walked over, asking Sikowitz where the restroom was. He explained the directions and had Sinjin guide her out the door. Jade folded her arms over and looked to the stage one final time. Her heart began to pound as a strange sensation began to overwhelm her.

Something wasn't right, there was an eerie chill in the air and a silence that befell them. Part of it she considered must have been due to being in the presence of so many people that were on bad terms with the friends right now, but for the most part, she couldn't place a finger on what was making her stomach churn and her heart clench with fear.

"Okay, everyone start moving backstage," Sikowitz directed, "Auditions will begin soon!" The others began to move and she looked back to the auditorium doors. Were they the only people in the school right now?

"Nonsense, you're just letting Robbie's paranoia get to you." Many strange things had been occurring lately. The Vega family had been slowly drifting apart, Sinjin was becoming angrier, Sikowitz had no qualms about giving them lower grades, but that she thought was starting to change. It was the omens she was concerned about, and these signs were the cause of Robbie's fear.

All of them, including the four others that were in the theater box had been receiving certain 'gifts' such as black roses stuffed in their lockers. Along with these came explicit notes with the warning to come clean of their crime.

Some of the more mysterious omens that were appearing were the black cats on the doorsteps, though this only happened with Beck, and it had been a dead. Andre woke up one morning to find a doll hanging outside his window with a noose around its neck.

They thought nothing of it, just figuring it as some community thing to try and scare them all off. But tonight, there was a chill to Jade's spine as she thought on these omens. Even the play they were auditioning for, it was Shakespeare's Hamlet. The more she thought on it, the more she wanted to leave.

"Jade!" Beck called from the stage. She glanced over, flinching her muscles. "Are you coming back here or not?"

"Y-Yeah I'm coming!" She shook off her inhibitions and quickly ran for the stage. It was all or nothing, and she didn't come here for nothing. She was looking forward to this play all year, and nothing was going to stop her from enjoying tonight's audition.

Those other four students (Bill, Greg, Tiffany, Shirley) are the names of the people in my very first ever story. Granted the main character isn't around. It was a murder mystery/horror, much like this will be. Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!