Juliette „Julie" Campbell lead the picture perfect life.

She was pretty, popular in school, lived with her rich lawyer parents in a big mansion in the best location in town and apparently missed nothing.

Well, Julie herself found her life far from perfect.

She lay grumpily on her broad four-poster bed and sighed deeply, her wavy blonde hair framed her pretty face like a still life.

Born and raised in the small Canadian town of Ormond, Julie had never been out of this sleepy place all her life.

Meanwhile, her older sister Genevieve traveled around the world and, after visiting enough foreign countries and gaining new and exciting experiences, would go on to study law at Harvard.

"Uggh…" Julie made an ugly grimace on her pretty face.

Gen had always been her parents' favorite child.

The firstborn. The role model. The privileged.

Julie was always in her shadow, no matter what she did to please her parents or otherwise stand out.

The highest score in math? Gen had done it ten times. An award for extra-curricular achievements? Gen had been given this two years earlier already.

With every defeat, with every rejection Julie felt more and more out of favor with her parents, while Gens light shone brighter and brighter.

After years of constant comparison with her sister, Julie's jealousy, envy and bitterness had become constant companions, even if she could hide these feelings behind a smile.

If only her parents took a closer look, they would see that the smile never reached her green eyes.

To distract herself, she turned on the radio and searched the frequency to her favorite station. But instead of the latest power ballad, there was a special feature about serial killers.

"…it is. This killer couple of Canada was special. In a very negative sense. Cruel, cold and unpredictable. Almost Bonnie and Clyde 2.0." reported a woman's voice that sounded like a cop.

'Who are these people they are talking about?' Julie wondered.

Before her curiosity could be satisfied though, the interview was ended.

Julie pouted in frustration.

"Thank you for your time, Detective. Evil never sleeps, my dear listeners. Even today, there are still some serial killers on the streets who are not afraid of anything. For this topic we invited another guest to the studio, a new aspiring journalist from the Roseville Gazette. Welcome, Mr. Jed Olsen."

"Thank you, Lola. I am glad to be here." responded a full male voice.

Julie pricked up her ears.

"Mr. Olsen, you are 27 years old, have only been at the Gazette for a few months and have caused quite a stir in Roseville with your newspaper articles. What is all the fuss about?"

Jed Olsen cleared his throat dramatically. "Well, my articles deal with the latest infamous Roseville murders, in which young and old victims were cruelly stabbed in their houses after long days of stalking."

The interviewer made a horrified sound. Julie remembered reading about the Roseville murders a few days ago and made a mental note to create a new page in her scrapbook for the killer in charge.

Jed Olsen's melodious voice brought her back to the here and now.

"I succeeded in doing what the incapable Roseville police hadn't been able to do for weeks: The elusive Ghostface caught on tape!"

While the interviewer groaned in surprise, Julie could clearly hear his triumphant smile and her neck hair rose. Because of unease or something else, she couldn't say for sure.

'Ghostface, huh...' Julie muttered. She decided to get her own edition of the latest Roseville Gazette later to get her own picture of Jed Olsen's success.

When she wanted to continue listening to his interview, she was suddenly interrupted.

"Miss Juliette? Please hurry up, or you'll be late for school" her housekeeper Amy called from below through the half-open door.

A look at her watch unfortunately confirmed this statement and after a last listen to Jed Olsen's confident laugh, Julie turned off the radio.

Her parents were absent again. Dad on the end of a business trip and mom in the office with clients. Julie would not be surprised if her mother had made herself a cozy bedroom in the office as often as she was there.

Julie sighed again and then called out: "I'm coming...".

With a sweep of her long, sporty legs, she straightened up from the bed and ran a hand through her hair. A look in the full-length mirror on the opposite wall revealed a young girl in tight dark jeans, a red t-shirt and a lined black leather jacket over it. All branded clothes, of course, her parents had a reputation to lose.

Julie rolled her eyes, grabbed her already packed backpack and went down the elegant spiral staircase to the kitchen.

"I put your food on the counter as always, Miss," Amy said in her polite but distant tone. Julie answered in the same tone. "Thanks, Amy."

When she packed her lunch box, she noticed the yellow sticky note on the fridge:

"Juliette, I have good news, dear. Your sister will make another stopover in Ormond today to visit us after the end of her tour! Is that not that great? We meet for dinner at 6 pm in "Chez Herbert". See you later and be on time! Your mother."

Julie snorted. 'Oh, how generous of Gen to pay us another visit on her tight schedule.'

Actually, Julie wanted to meet up with her best friends Susie and Joey. They hadn't seen each other for a while because of the school holidays and Julie missed them. Very much. But now she could forget that thanks to the audience with her sister.

She crumpled up the note and tossed it into the trash. 'Everything always dances according to her pipe. As soon as she calls, we have to come and stand at attention. I'm so tired of that...'

What did Gen do better than her? What made her particularly lovable? More lovable than Julie?

Julie would be 17 in exactly one week and her parents would not be there again. A lawyers' conference. An important lawyers' conference. More important than her daughter's birthday. More important than her second daughter's birthday. They would have been there for Gen's birthday.

They were there, Jules. Already forgotten? A dark voice teased inside her head. And what many things they gifted her. Material presents, yes, of course, but also compliments, affection, love. What will they give you, secondborn? Hmm?

Angry, Julie's hands tightened around the expensive kitchen counter until they were almost white. But she didn't feel any physical pain. She felt something else…

A loud honk from outside brought her out of her dark thoughts.

With her eyebrows raised, Julie looked out the window and saw the face of her neighbor Bradley Wilson peeping out of an apparently brand new Rolls-Royce.

'Daddy played the home advantage again' she murmured.

Brad's family was even richer than Julie's. They owed this immense wealth to Brad's father, an automobile mogul and lobbyist at its finest. Even star lawyers like their parents couldn't keep up.

The cold air blew on Julie's face and whirled her hair around as she stepped outside and slid the front door shut behind her. As it was typical of Ormond, it had snowed lightly overnight. The autumn had only just begun. The snow crunched under Julie's boots as she headed for Brad's car. Brad's eyes looked at her appreciatively from head to toe. "Good Morning. Can this gentleman escort the noble lady to school with his humble carriage today?" He smiled his slimiest smile.

Julie rolled her eyes. "You don't give up, do you?"

Brad was the only child of her parents' best friends, who happened to have moved up the street. When they first met five years ago and noticed that the children were the same age, the stupid attempts at coupling inevitably started.

"Wouldn't it be great if Juliette and Bradley were officially a couple? They look so neat together and would surely be the talk of the city," her mum always gushed to herself. "They would indeed go well together, honey. He should ask her for a rendezvous at times," her dad always agreed, while Brad's parents stood by and nodded.

Brad had been openly flirting and trying to impress her since Julie was 16. Be it out of his own interest or because of pressure from his parents' house. Probably both.

She was aware that she was far from ugly and the Campbell surname was a reasonable party for the Wilsons, but that did not replace real feelings. She was not a bit interested in Brad and deemed his romantic advances more badly than right.

Nevertheless, she did not look a gifted horse in the mouth. She could take her own car, but she didn't like driving on black ice.

"Come on, Julie," Brad called out to her. "You're will be freezing your pretty ass off. I have heated seats." He honked his horn again and winked at her.

'Every good car has seat heating these days', Julie thought snidely, but still moved towards the passenger door. She got in and stroked the expensive leather seats appreciatively.

"You like it, huh? It's the newest model. Drives even better than it looks." He smiled proudly at her and turned up the radio on which the latest rock song was playing.

Julie hummed the tune as they headed for Ormond High.

The Campbells lived in the best area of the city, or in the so-called snob neighborhood, as Julie preferred to call it. One expensive villa after another was lined up, with or without an indoor swimming pool. The most imposing house belonged to the Wilsons, it overshadowed everything nearby.

"Are you ready for the new school year? Only one more until graduation, darling." Julie ignored the word darling and nodded in agreement. "Yes. It's about time. I can't wait to get out of here and study abroad." Brad's smile grew stiff. "Oh really? Do you really think that you..."

Julie turned her head and stared at him. "That I what...?"

He briefly pressed around before answering: "Well, why get out of here? What do you have against our beautiful home, Julie? There are mountains, snow, fresh air, me. What more do you want? "He laughed out loud and rubbed his gelled hair.

Julie gave an annoyed groan. Brad had, as expected, developed a giant ego over the years and considered himself the most sought-after bachelor in all of Ormond, so he found it absolutely impossible that this was not based on reciprocity.

She didn't expect Brad to understand her dreams or problems, so she was silent and smiled when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her green eyes, however, remained cold like the frozen ice on the trees of the avenue through which they led to school.

Before she knew it, they parked in their school's spacious parking lot.

Yawning, Julie got out and stretched extensively. Her top briefly pushed up to her navel, on which there was a small piercing that she had taken with Susie a few months ago. Her parents had no idea about it until today.

'There are at least a few advantages to having workaholic parents,' thought Julie cynically.

She didn't miss Brad pausing and staring at her as if he wanted to memorize every cell of her freed, light skin. She smiled knowingly, dropped her arms and pulled her winter jacket shut with a jerk. Brad swallowed and looked up at her, caught.

"New school year, new luck. Shall we?" Julie asked, still smiling and walked toward the heavy front doors of the school without waiting for an answer. Brad followed her after a moment's hesitation, his eyes wandering longingly over the back.

Everyone stared or greeted them exuberantly as Julie and Brad walked down the aisles to their lockers. Julie had gotten used to the attention. After all, her and Brad's last names were known and valued throughout the city.

When Julie tried to turn the corner, Brad held her arm. "Hey, I'll see you later during training, right?"

Brad and her were each captain of the male and female Ormond high basketball teams, that mostly trained at the same time.

Julie nodded. "Sure. Thanks again for the ride."

Brad's eyes moved from her green eyes to her lips. "You're welcome, my lady."

It was quiet for a moment. Then Julie cleared her throat and Brad released her arm shortly afterwards. "So, see you later then." He rubbed his hair again and finally managed to look away from her and stroll over to his buddies.

'Did he really think he would get a kiss as a thank you?!' Julie shook her head inside.

Admit it: You don't like him, but you like the attention he gives you. Poor, lonely, coldhearted Julie.

The voice seemed to be laughing at her. Julie just grumbled and silenced her.

She kept walking down the hall, all around her the students smiled and waved.

Another reason for Julie's fame and popularity was the fact that she hosted the best parties in town. As soon as she had a storm-free weekend, she practically invited all of the school's cool kids to her home to let loose and forget her boring, predictable life for at least one evening. It worked more or less. Especially when Susie and Joey were on board, the nights were unforgettable. She didn't know what she would do if her best friends weren't here with her. Only she understood who she really was, what she really felt.

'Family is more than just blood ties', Julie thought when she got to her locker, took out her books and looked at the photo of her grinning best friends in it.

Nonetheless, Julie longed for more. For something that turned her life upside down. Something that freed her from the golden bird cage she was in.

Something or someone? Be careful what you wish for, the dark voice whispered like a fortune teller.

Ignoring the voice, she glanced at her watch. 10 minutes until the first lesson.

A couple of girls and boys from her class scrabbled around her.

"Hey Julie. How are you?"

"Did you have great school holidays? Cool outfit, by the way. "

"Have you been to the spa? You look so relaxed, your skin is fantastic."

"Are you throwing a welcome back party again next weekend?"

The questions rolled over again.

Julie sighed inwardly, but, as always, smiled her 1000 watt smile. "Of course I'm throwing a party."

Her admirers beamed at her and were already looking forward to it.

When they waved goodbye, a message popped up on Julie's cell phone display:

"Hey bestie. Bad news: I stumbled this morning and sprained my ankle (I know I'm such a klutz). At first I cried so loudly that my parents immediately sent me to the doctor who wrote me off for the day. At least they agree on one thing... I'll get back to you later. I love you! Suse."

Julie's mood immediately deteriorated. She had been looking forward to hugging her best friend again. Longing and worry spread through Julie. Not just about Susie's physical, but also mental health. Julie had not missed the allusion to her parents' situation. Susie's parents had been arguing over every little thing for some time. Julie was still certain that Susie's dad had something to hide and that was why the house blessing was crooked.

When she was about to write an answer to her best friend, an unwelcome voice behind her interrupted her. "Oh, hello Juliette. Long time no see."

She turned around and looked into the smiling face of her unwanted rival Gina Smith, who brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ears.

Unwanted rival because Julie couldn't care less who the Queen B(ee) was in this city. Far too much drama. She just wanted to live her life and get out of Ormond as soon as possible, but Gina apparently had other plans since they first met. Julie had seen through it quickly, however, and since then, punished her with the one behavior that Gina could not handle: indifference.

"Well, we had school holidays. It's only logical that you don't see each other for a longer time." a bored Julie replied and typed a text message to Susie on her cell phone.

Gina ignored her comment and went on steadfastly: "One hears that your big sister is back in town before Harvard. Genevieve must have experienced so much on her trip around the world. Your parents have to be so incredibly proud of her. I mean she was the best in class, captain of the cheerleading team and now that. When I did my European tour last year, I certainly couldn't narrate everything in one evening."

Gina laughed her annoying laugh and watched Julie's reaction, hoping to hit a nerve. However, she only smiled while her green eyes looked coldly at Gina for the first time that day.

"I see you dyed your hair blonde." Gina fell silent and stared at her. Julie's smile widened. She demonstratively threw her own natural blonde hair over her shoulder, which was as smooth as silk whereas Gina's hair looked colorless and lackluster.

"You know, I envy that you never worry about your looks! It is so brave. After all, everyone knows that a copy will never have the class and elegance of the original."

The school bell rang. Gina's mouth opened in disbelief as Julie slammed her locker door and turned on the heel to go to her classroom. "See you, Gina."

The rest of the morning was unspectacular. Julie took part in class to get good grades in her report which could help her study at a good university outside of Ormond. In doing so, she had her eye on a few sports colleges. She enjoyed basketball and was pretty good at it. So why not?

During the break, Joey finally got in touch and told her that he skipped school today to take care of his sickly mum. Julie felt for her best friend. Joey and his single mother have been living in rather poor conditions since his dad left the family shortly after Joey's 10th birthday. Mrs. Tremblay was completely overwhelmed with Joey's mostly uncontrolled temperament and had been suffering from deep depression for a long time. Julie sighed into the phone. "I have to go back to class. Will you call me later?" "Sure. Make them sweat, Jules."

Since neither Susie nor Joey could keep her company during lunch break and she wanted to avoid further questioning by her admirers, Julie paid a visit to the lokal video store. There was not as much activity as usual, the corridors were clear and tidy. Julie walked past the ranks of new DVDs including billboards to the cash register to say hello to an old friend, but only met his unappealing colleague there.

"Jeffrey Johansen? Oh, he's not here today. Changed his shift with mine because he wanted to go back to one of his weird drawings for his great breakthrough. Tz, the dreamer."

Julie said nothing and frowned disapprovingly.

'Better a dreamer than a fat goose with no meaning in life', she thought disparagingly and turned around.

Jeff was a really talented artist and a good listener. She loved to come here late at night to chat with him about God and the world.

Jeff was born and raised in Ormond like herself, but was 10 years older than her. That didn't bother Julie at all though. While others felt intimidated by his stout body size, long dark beard, and heavy metal clothes, Julie knew that Jeff had a true heart of gold.

When she searched the old stock for a movie night with Susie and Joey in the far corner of the shop, a familiar voice sounded behind her, sending an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. "Well who do we have here? If that's not one of our regular customers. "

Julie froze. No. Not him...

Slowly she turned and looked into the stocky face of the apparently newly hired janitor, Samuel Martin himself, who gave her a crooked contemptuous grin.

"Oh. New job, Mr. Martin?" Julie defensively crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yep. A fresh start, as they say. And I really need it after everything your sugar daddy has done for me." He laughed sarcastically and leaned on his broom.

Julie kept an even expression on her face. "How so? You should be grateful that my father took over your criminal defense at all. "

"Haha. That was funny, girl. So I should be grateful. For what exactly? The fact that I lost my old job and all my money? My reputation and my friends? Hmm?"

The guy in his late forties took a step forward with each reproach. Julie tensed up inside, but didn't back off, even if it took some effort to overcome.

"No. You should be grateful that you didn't end up in jail where you actually belong."

No sooner had the words been spoken than Martin took a long step towards her and slammed a flat hand on the wall next to Julie's head. Her eyes widened and she realized that she hadn't noticed how Martin had cut off the escape route.

The wall on her back felt relentless and cold. From the corner of her eye she could see that they were standing in the darkest corner of the video store, which even the surveillance cameras couldn't reach. 'Damned bastard ...' she thought.

As her mind circled around a way out of this predicament, Martin's hard eyes slowly wandered down her body. He grinned spitefully.

"You know, dollface, as shitty the negotiations and meetings with your snob daddy were, it was always satisfying to watch you in the background when you graced us happy with your presence. How you always played with your golden hair when you were on the phone. Or how you chewed on your full lips when you read something exciting in a book..."

Julie felt sick hearing his monologue.

She had suspected from the start that this man was a filthy swine, only she didn't know what nasty perverse thoughts he actually had.

Martin's other hand had leaned the broom against the wall and was slowly moving towards Julie's face. "You know, I wonder what else your lips can do ..."

Now Julie clearly wanted to throw up.

Before he could touch her with his greasy fingers, Julie quick-wittedly kicked the broom next to her, which hit the floor with a loud noise.

"Hmm? Is everything all right, Samuel?" The saving voice of the stupid female cashier behind a shelf sounded like music in Julie's ears. With Martin distracted, Julie reacted at lightning speed and pushed her knee powerfully into his groin area.

"Ahhhh...!" His face contorted with pain and he cringed. Pushing him firmly away from her, Julie put a few steps of distance between them and pointed her forefinger threateningly in his direction. "Stay the hell away from me, dirtbag, or the prison will still get a new inmate after all."

Martin had straightened up again with a groan and grimaced in a disgusting smile as he murmured softly, "Hehe. The doll has more strength than I expected. Hmmm, I'll remember that…"

Behind him, his female colleague came around the corner questioningly and after a scrutinizing look towards the distant surveillance cameras, Martin grinned and said in a cheerful sing-song: "Please visit us again soon, Miss Campbell."

Without taking another look at this creep, Julie quickly left the video store.

The afternoon was just as unspectacular as the morning. During basketball training, Julie was particularly involved in getting rid of any excess energy from her unwanted meeting with Samuel Martin. 'This lousy bastard' Julie thought angrily and passed the ball to her team partner. He will get what he deserves, the dark voice in her head announced. You'll see…

The boys' team trained on the basketball court next door and whistled after the girls from time to time. Out of the corner of her eye, Julie saw Brad desperately trying to get her attention, but she ignored him. Her thoughts were already centered around the next item on the agenda, which she inwardly called "dinner of horror".

Nevertheless, Julie scored the most points again.