Free Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) by J.M. Cataffo

article. A quick mouse-over showed her it was interactive, thumbnails and snippets zooming to the forefront as the cursor moved over them. She could also drag it and move the whole article back in time, showing additions, feeds, and posts at the exact moment she chose.
    This was amazing! It was an incredible experience for the reader. She watched as a video feed from her own newscast became part of the stream, kids commenting negatively on her reporting skills. Ignorant brats! What did they know? Despite the off-putting comments, the stories themselves were extremely well written and insightful. Lani hadn’t seen reporting this good since her college days.
    The article was being updated that very moment, an indicator at the bottom.
     
    [Sally Singletary is Updating Live…]
    Something is amiss at Hidden Lakes, and I intend to find out what it is. Two men claiming to be a part of the government interrogated me today. Why are these men investigating a student disappearance? I know that’s what you want to know, and it’s my job to find out. If you’ve seen these men, share your story. Vigilance.
     
    Vigilance? The word stuck out from the rest, leaving a bitter taste in Lani’s mouth. What were these kids up to? She closed the lid of her laptop and sat back in her chair, straightening her gray skirt as she crossed her legs. Government men? This was turning into a three-ring circus. For a moment, Lani submitted to the notion that perhaps the Hi-Li wasn’t immune to sensationalistic news. Maybe Sally was just drumming up the story to increase interest—it certainly had gotten her attention.
    The thought would have sufficed, except for one small problem in logic—it didn’t explain the two men in suits she saw walking through the commons area next to the cafeteria.
    “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She slid her tablet into her bag. The men were headed straight to the boys’ dorm, not accompanied by any school personnel. “Vigilance, eh?”
    A quick decision. Follow them? Or tell the administration? There was no time! They’d already moved out of sight. She tiptoed after them, peering around the corner through the open doors, watching as they barged into a student’s room. Moving past the slamming door, she opened the next one and slipped inside.
    “Excuse me! Who are you?” A familiar voice. She looked down to see the young boy she’d talked to earlier, covering his naked body with a blanket.
    “I’m sorry. I just need to check something out, okay?” The room was dark, but she could see light coming from a small iPad lying next to him on the floor. He straightened the blanket to cover what had been on the screen, but Lani had already caught sight of blond hair and bare skin.
    “What are you doing?” She held up a hand. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. I promise I just need to listen to what’s going on next door and then I’ll get out of your hair.”
    “Mrs. Padilla isn’t going to like that you’re in here,” the boy pointed out.
    Lani shot back, giving him a knowing look, “I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like what you’re doing either, but I won’t tell if you won’t.”
    He sighed. “Okay, fine.” Leaning over, he reached for a shirt and a pair of shorts, checking that the screen on his device had gone off before pulling it out. He dressed beneath the blanket while Lani leaned against the wall and listened to the muffled voices next door.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” a muffled adolescent male voice said. “I don’t even know Sally that well.”
    One of the men spoke, but she couldn’t make out the words. Damn it!
    “Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay?” the teen said. “If I hear anything, I’ll call.”
    That was the end of the conversation.
    She stepped away from the wall. The curly-haired kid was now dressed in wrinkled clothes and had just shoved the small iPad into a drawer in his desk. “What’s your name, kid?”
    “Idric,” he said