It was then that we all looked at Jacob, surely it had to be him.

We were all together when it had happened, only one of us had the opportunity.

But Jacob? The kindest boy in class, the one who went out of his way to help people, the one with the happy smile.

He looked at us one by one and he saw the accusation in our eyes. Jacob looked the way he always did, helpful and a bit lost always eager to be your friend, like a particularly friendly puppy.

Slowly he shrugged his shoulders “What can I say?” And as he said those words he changed, stood a little taller, shoulders a little further back, chest out almost aggressively military in his stance. It was a subtle alteration but we stepped back. His features seemed to harden and he laughed.

“And what are you going to do about it?” He sneered, all warmth ebbed away as subtly we backed up as one. He took a step closer, menacing now, he snarled at us “Anyone?”

Only one of us stood up to him, Baz the class bully. Baz taller and stronger than all the rest of us. Jacob stepped closer to Baz and fixed him with a steely glare “You?” He mocked. Baz blinked then backed away and joined us, all with the wall behind us and this monster infront of us.

Knowing the killer was one of our classmates was devastating and we knew we ought to tell someone, but at that moment our fear of Jacob outweighed everything else.