Author: rhea_talks_alot

A year ago….

Hana

One day at the park, we were having so much fun, we didn’t even notice the sun setting. The only sound in the air was the creaking of the swings, slowing to a stop. The wind grew thicker like my fear of being found out. 

“I should probably go.” Misako looked confused. Probably because she thought I was actually listening to her list of the side effects of poisonous dandelions. She was so boring sometimes. I had no idea why I wanted to be her friend and make her smile so badly. picked up my bag full of notes. My parents thought I was studying at the library for school. 

They were nice to me, let me do whatever I wanted, as long as I got perfect grades. I understood they wanted me to have a nice life. They didn’t want me to have to go through what they did. Or at least have enough money to face it. 

“Oh. Okay.” She followed me off the swing. 

“Can you come to the window today?” Misako looked so sad here, it broke my heart. Better my heart than her’s, I thought. 

“I’m not sure. My parent’s will probably be mad at me for staying out.

“Umm see you tomorrow then?”

“Definitely.”

…

I’m greeted by the smell of spice as soon as I close the door. I try to close the door as quiet as I can but my mom catches me. My dad is sitting in a chair in the corner and his eyes don’t leave his newspaper.

“Hana? Is that you?”

“Yes, ma.” 

“Where have you been! You are 10 minutes late for dinner.”

“Sorry ma, I just came back from the park.”

“The park! I thought you were studying.” she shakes her head

“I’m sorry ma-” 

“Wash up for dinner. We will talk about this later.” she interrupted. My sorrow only grew. With nothing to distract them, how would they react?

I ate quietly and quickly. Whatever they said, I wanted to get it over with. My dad finally folded the newspaper and sat down at the table. My mom quickly joined him.

“Hana, why were you at the park?” My dad says sturdily. 

“I was done with studying.” I try to speak without crying. My parents did not care for crying. Since I could remember, they never thought there was a reason for it. It weakens your argument, Hana. And you do not need any more disadvantages.

“That is no excuse. You were meant to come home.”

“I did after-” 

“And you didn’t even tell us.” My heart- or whatever was left of it- shattered, when I saw my mothers face. It was getting harder to hold in the tears. I always seemed to want to cry during fights like this. Whenever I was angry all I could do was cry. I hated crying. It made me feel weak, and embarrassed. 

My mom interjected, “Hana, I think you should stop being friends with that neighbor girl. She has been a bad influence on you.”

My world froze. Misako was the only thing keeping me sane. I hated studying, but I knew I could see her after. I knew she would always be there with her silly violin case and crooked glasses.

“I don’t understand, she didn’t do anything wrong.”

My dad finally says, “Before her, you would always study and be home on time. I thought it was good that you were making friends, but she has been a bad influence on you the past few weeks.

My mom agrees “Mmm. Before you ran around with her, you would always help me with the greens, now I wonder, “Where has my sweet Hana gone?”

I broke. One tear came down and I became silly little Hana again. Silly, obedient, Hana. 

“I have done everything you asked me too. I don’t even want to become a doctor or study. I want to make art. But I do this because it makes you happy!” I say, almost fully to tears.

Then, my father slapped me. It was a small, sturdy slap. I couldn’t even say anything.

“Hana, you know that isn’t an option for us. It’s silly. You need a stable life. And passion is not stable.” His words were sad, and I knew they came from a place of logic. I had tried to slickly input my liking for art before, but it had been brushed off again and again.

But I couldn’t think logically anymore. I ran up to my bedroom and locked the door. 

“Hana, HANA COME HERE.” My mother, I would miss her.

“Just wait, she’ll be down soon. She needs to accept this.” my dad returns to his stupid beloved armchair, and I hear the shuffle of the newspaper being reopened. God, was the news more important than my dreams? 

The truth is, I probably would’ve accepted it. I would’ve cried my eyes out and then pretended I was alright the next morning. I was done pretending. I had to be with the person who I knew wasn’t fake. 

I threw a couple pebbles at her window. 

“Hey, I thought you said you couldn’t make it.” Misako said, opening her window. She saw my face, and her face changed. 

“Come in.” With no words, I climbed into her arms. 

We stayed there for a couple of minutes, and she finally asked. 

“What’s going on?”

“I want to leave.” I childishly say, tears still burning my eyes.

“Leave this place, the town?”  Misako said, confused.

“Yes.” 

“How?”

I sat for a while, thinking. Where would we be happy? Where would we be happy? “You know the art school that you go too?”

“Milan Academy? Yeah. I’m going there again for a few weeks for sophomore year.”

“I got a scholarship there.”

Misako pulls away from my body to look at me. “Hana. what?”

“Yeah..” I nodded. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It was just a fluke, or I thought, a scam.”

“Do you have your phone with you?”

I nodded and handed it to her. “Let me see the email.”

She reads through it with furrowed eyebrows, and gives me the phone back. “This is most definitely not a scam. I remember that letter. And the way this art school works, they don’t do mistakes.”

A slight glimmer of hope shines through me. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Misako looks into my glimmering eyes. “Most definitely not.” I smile. “You better pack your bags Mrs. Airi. We’re going to art school.”

Hana

“What does art mean to you?” Our instructor quips out at us. She was making quite the statement. Currently, Miss. Nari was balanced on a stool pointing her paintbrush awkwardly at us. Someone coughed a laugh. 

She smiles, “I know the other teachers can be harsh, but you can laugh around me.” 

The class bursts into a fit of giggles.

She scoffs in fake surprise “What?? That really is the key to unlocking your potential.” 

A girl with light gray hair speaks up “We aren’t laughing at that Miss. Nari,”

“Then what is it?” 

“It’s just- your positioning is quite funny.” 

“Oh.” She turns red. 

This only makes the class laugh harder. 

She grins again, “Alright, alright settle down you weirdos.”

“This week, we will be working on improving technique. To fully express yourself in oil painting, you will need to have the right arsenal of skills, and unlock your full potential,” 

She goes on with her boring lecture, explaining different styles and artists. Even art can be boring sometimes. I tried to pick stuff I was familiar with and interested in, but it was hard when I didn’t know much. Currently, I just had Art History to go to after lunch. Miss. Nari is definitely topping the other teachers in favorites. Still, everything seemed so much brighter here. Everyone was passionate about what they were studying, and apart from the core classes, everything interested me ! 

“Your homework is to create a piece that expresses your intentions with art. You have until next week. It is an oil painting class, but a sketch is fine for the first assignment.” 

The bell sounds and the students start chattering. I quickly start to pack my things and head to lunch. Oil painting class is once a week, but the studio is open till 10:00. “Though you should never be awake and working that late, you rascals.” I smile, remembering my teacher’s words.

“Whatcha smiling about?” Akiko says, leaning on the door. 

“None of your beeswax.” I say, snatching my art brochure from his hands. That little pickpocket.

Akiko rolls his eyes and joins me to the lunchroom. “Been two years and you still insult like a 4th grader.” 

“Nice to see you too.” I grumble. Akiko was Misako’s stupid older brother. He was a dirtbag,, but he could be nice at times, especially when he was in a good mood. 

I remember reading texts from Misako’s shock at him last year. Apparently he switched major’s without telling Airi auntie. He studies music production. I guess it’s not that big of a jump, he still plays the piano. It’s pretty hard to abandon your first love. A tight knot forms in my chest when I remember my family, but I shake it off. Not on the first day of school. And especially not with Akiko.  

“So, how are you liking the Acad.” 

“The Acad?” I cross my arms. “Akiko, why are you here?”

His smile drops. “It’s like, a short form for-” he sighs “Y’know what, never mind. It’s kind of hard to shorten Milan Academy.” 

“Well, you sound stupid.” 

“Noted. My sister wanted me to make sure her girlfriend was fine.” Akiko says. 

“Don’t you get smart with me. I will tell Cecily about the pranks you’ve pulled.” Cecily was Akiko’s beloved girlfriend. She was the sweetest, too sweet for him. To Akiko’s annoyance, she loved me and Misako.

He scoffs. “I don’t care,” but he visibly tenses. I smirk. I have to run on this blackmail as long as I can.

“See ya, loser.” He scampers away like the little rat he is. Honestly, Misako doesn’t hate him as much as she should. 

“Hana! Over here.” Misako yells. I run over to her

“HEy!!” I yell as I jump on her shoulders because, well, Misako!!

“Oof.” she says, but catches me. I look at the people sitting next to her. 

“Oh, yeah. You remember Sage and Lumi, right?” 

A boy and a girl, one with white hair, and one with blonde, look at me. They look similar, but their faces tell horridly different stories. The girl, Lumi, smiles sweetly at me and waves. The boy, Sage, just stares at me blankly. He has circles under his eyes, and most noticeably no lunch. 

I had heard many tales of the boy who couldn’t be more pessimistic. Misako and Sage were friends during the first year of art school. They became friends over absolutely hating, but then loving what they were studying. Luckily, we bonded on the train ride here.

“Nice to see you again!” I say and give them a huge, and mostly fake grin. The girl looked nice enough, but Sage still hadn’t one me over.

“You too!” Lumi gives me a small smile, and Sage moves his straw around in the cup. 

…

“No, but you seriously don’t eat lunch?” I laugh. 

“I eat when I get home.” Sage coldly replies, but I could tell he was warming up to me. Lumi had left for her last class. Misako wanted to go to her next class early, because she heard her next teacher was super mean. 

“Huh, your schedule is really messed up.” I say out loud. 

He scoffs, and I count that as a laugh. Hana- 1 Sage- 0. “Yeah, well self care is one of the things writing doesn’t let you do.” 

I gasp “So, that’s what you’re studying! It all makes sense now.” 

Sage scrunches his eyebrows “What makes sense?” 

“The whole anti-social, angsty kid persona.”

He frowns. “I am not angsty.”

I giggle and take a sip from my orange juice. “You so are.” 

“What? How!” 

“You were practically giving me a death stare the entire time I was here.”

“Most people take that as a hint to go away.”

“I’m not most people.” He seems skeptical, so I try to think of a truce. Silence falls for a while, and Sage looks at me. He gives me a “what are you planning” look and I give him a “you’ll never know” smile.

“How about I make your lunch for you?”

“What? Why would you do that?”

“Because I am a genuinely nice person, who loves to see her peers flourish.”

Sage raises an eyebrow.

“Ugh, you’re right, I would never do anything out of the goodness of my heart. Consider it a truce.” 

“A truce for what?”

“I make your lunch, but you get to be my friend.” I smile. My first art school friend! Sure, he was kind of depressing, but I could deal with that.

He grabs his drink. “Uh-uh. No way.” It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. 

“It’s already happening!” I sing, in a happy voice.

“Why would I say yes?” he says, still clearly unconvinced. 

“Because we have our next class together.” He shakes his head for the third time. “And you need more Vitamin C.”

“Alright, fine. But only for Vitamin C. Lumi says I need more of that.”

“Only for the Vitamin C” I reassure, and after much persuasion, we pinky promise. 

“Well, what are you waiting for, time to get to class, new friend.” I dance happily around the corridor.

Sage walks behind me. “I already regret this.” he huffed.

“Mr. Vooch?” Claire yelled. 

Cory startled awake. “Where am I? What happened?” 

“I’m coming to get you! Just hang on!” This was the moment that Cory noticed the explosive lying on the floor. He screamed and realized his arms were bound up too!

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t notice you were awake!” Claire said apologetically. 

“Yeah well, where are we?” 

“Long story short, Lily kidnapped us. She was the one who killed her husband during a fight about the hotel. ” 

“Wait, wait, wait, what!” Cory exclaimed. “I wish I could wait to hear more, but we have no time. We have to get out of here.” 

The situation got even more confusing for Cory as the detective came running in and started to untie them.

 “Detective Vooch? What are you doing here?” 

At this point it wouldn’t even help the situation to try to explain to Cory what had happened.

“I’ll explain later.” Claire quickly replied. The tape was important evidence and someone had to see it. She got untied and ran to the concert hall. 

A  security guard stood solemnly at the entrance to the concert hall’s dressing rooms. This was going to be the hardest part. 

“Hey, you, what are you doing?” The guard stopped her. “This is restricted access!”

“Claire?” A face peeked out from behind the guard.

 “Sabrina!” Could Sabrina allow her to speak in the concert? “I need to talk to you… I know who the murderer is.” 

Sabrina’s eyes widened. She nodded to the security guard that Claire was allowed access. 

“So, who’s the murderer?” Sabrina asked hurriedly. 

“Lily is…I need to tell everyone. Could I have a moment onstage? I even have a recording of her confession…we could play that to the crowd…” Claire replied, deep in thought. 

“Woah, wait–why can’t you just give it to the police?” Sabrina questioned. Sabrina didn’t want to miss her performance. She had been practicing for so long! 

“In addition, at any moment, Lily will know that the bomb didn’t go off. And then, she’ll be searching for us.”

“The BOMB?” Sabrina shouted. 

Claire quickly covered Sabrina’s mouth. “Shh, say it quietly. When do you go onstage?” Sabrina checked her watch. “In about ten minutes or so.” 

“Okay, perfect. So, here’s what I think we should do.” Claire played the recording. 

“I didn’t want to murder him, but he was evil! He took over all my plans, my game, and glory. He just rode on my success and never experienced the failure I had to go through.” 

“Oh, my God, she really did do it! She even confessed to killing him.” Sabrina said. “Oh, now I know what you were talking about. How are you going to use this?”

“Just wait, Sabrina. I know exactly what to do!” 

During the show, Claire stumbled onto the stage and put her face close to the mic.

 “Hey, everyone. I know you guys all know about the murder that happend recently. We lost Mr. James really abruptly, and he was such a good hotel director,” she said dramatically.

“I have a recording that might prove he wasn’t as good as he appeared. A recording of the person who murdered him.” 

The crowd was stunned. This speech was dramatic and absurd enough to silence the confused crowd. 

Claire played the recording. “I didn’t want to murder him, but he was evil! He took over all my plans, my game, and glory. He just rode on my success and never experienced the failure I had to go through.” 

A few gasps rose up from the crowd. 

Lily was desperately trying to get to the stage to put a halt to the cold, hard truth. She was getting closer, but suddenly two guards came out of the darkness and fastened her arms tightly around her back, before she could protest. They quickly twisted her wrists and applied the handcuffs. 

Claire kept speaking with a newfound sense of victory. 

After the scuffle, the lights came up in the pavillon. Claire was still at the microphone and many questions were being raised in the crowd. In an effort to appease their demands, Claire attempted to provide some details.

“How did Lily kill her husband?” a female  voice shouted out. 

Clair carefully replied, “I found a notebook containing diary entries and a recipe for poisonous tea. The symptoms of death matched up perfectly. Oddly enough, the diary turned up next to the poisonous brew right in the back of the restaurant.” 

“How was James a bad hotel director? He was doing quite well until he got killed.” someone else yelled. Claire took a deep breath. This was the part people might not like. Claire smirked. “In the diary entries, it clearly states that James stole Lily’s business. Yes, the hotel was originally Lily’s business. The diary entries prove that James was a liar. He claimed all Lily’s success for himself.”

The only fitting ending to this night would be Sabrina’s performance. Claire saw her hopefully looking out from behind the curtains. Despite the disruption, Sabrina’s concert was well received. 

In movies, the criminal says something to the hero, threatening their safety. But not here. Lily didn’t even get to speak to Claire before she was driven away by the police.  

Claire and Cory sat on the sidewalk and watched the police car pull away. It was very nice to have solved the murder, but it had also been extremly exhausting and dangerous. It felt really good right now, to not be investigating, but, even thought detecting was dangerous,  it was still fun 

With the festival stalls packing up, the orange hues broke through the clouds. The sunlight always came after a cloudy night, marking a new beginning for this community.  

Just as Claire and Cory were walking away, a flash of a person abruptly pushed them aside. 

“Move it, kids!” 

The blue and red lights and police sirens followed not far behind. 

An incredible view of box-shaped lanterns and city lights shone down on the kids looking out of the building. The lilies looked a bit different than before. The kids were being kidnapped, but still, what a view–y’know? Is that what you meant, Rhea?

Mrs. Sharma stood at a window of the glass building. Claire awoke slowly. Her vision was blurry. What was she doing here? Then, she saw Lily at the window. She tried to move her arms, but they were strapped tightly to a chair. 

Fortunately, she was able to speak. “What is going…” She looked around and saw Cory.

“Oh, my God, is he okay?” He was strapped in a chair with his head hanging down.

“Hello, Claire,” an ominous figure stated. “I’ve been watching you, and I am not pleased.” 

The person tried to walk over to Claire threateningly, but ultimately failed miserably by tripping on her own foot on the way over. Brushing off their skirts, they said, “I meant to do that.” 

Claire realized from the familiar voice that it was Lily. Wow, this is a side of Lily that she was anxious to see. However, not as her victim.

Lily briskly said, “I finally have you where I want you, I have many questions for you, missy.”

Claire tried to play dumb. “About what?”

“You know exactly what! You playing detective has caused me a lot of trouble.” She smirked, her nice lady face gone. “I could never get anything past you. As soon as I thought I was clear, I saw you interviewing people, getting closer and closer to the truth.” 

Claire didn’t really want to interrupt, since Lily looked really fired up, so she quietly slipped out a pocket knife and a recorder, and pressed record. 

Meanwhile, Lily was still monologuing “..years and years I spent calculating the perfect plan. I hate to be cliché, but you really were meddling kids.” 

Then, she turned on the lights, illuminating the dark room. “Feast your eyes on my revenge!” The room revealed a small, derpy-looking explosive. 

“That’s it?” Claire said. 

Lily was enraged. “What do you mean, that’s it! This thing will blow you up in no time.” 

“You did say we did all those things and ruined your murderous plan. So, this is what you’re doing now?” Lily cringed at the word murder. Claire definitely took notice. “Why are you making that face? That’s what you are–a murderer.” 

That was all the coaxing Lily needed. “I didn’t want to murder him, but he was evil! He tooked over all my plans, my game, and glory. He just rode on my success and never experienced the failure I had to go through.” She wiped a tear that wasn’t there. 

Lily gestured towards the explosive. “It doesn’t really matter what you think you know. By the end of this you’ll be dead and I’ll be riding on fortune.”

Claire was finally seeing the urgency of the situation . “But, doesn’t that seem exactly like what your husband did to you? Exploited you? We can work this out,”

“Don’t ever compare me to that monster.” And, with a wide grin, she scurried away. 

Claire’s head slumped down, matching Cory’s. Oh that’s right, Cory! Even if she managed to escape and give someone the recording, Cory would still be left to die. There was no way she could carry his unconscious body. 

So, she watched helplessly. Seeing the festival go on with a murderer on the loose–that SHE could’ve stopped–was killing her. Suddenly, she heard some clicking sounds. 

Claire quickly pretended to be unconscious until she heard a voice. 

“Claire?” 

There was no mistaking it. That was the Vooch’s voice.

~a/n: Probably new additions to character tab. Also, it would be really appreciated to leave a comment on this post so I know how you feel about it! Other than that, enjoy!

His body lay lifeless and still. Cory poked him. He couldn’t believe what had happened. A couple of minutes ago, he was complaining about the investigation and here sat another dead body. What…was going on? 

“Move it, kid.” A security guard pushed Cory into the next room. “This room is for authorities only.” 

Cory sadly obliged. Looking at Chris was making him nauseous. 

Meanwhile, someone was yelling in the next room.“But you can’t! There have been two murders–what more evidence do you need?” Claire urgently waved at her to-do list. “There’s no way those at the festival will be safe.” 

Detective Vooch snatched the paper out of her hand. “What is this?” he snarled. Vooch’s eyes seemed to get angrier as he made his way through the list. “How many times have I told you not to poke your nose into things? You’re just a kid!” So as not to be noticed, he inconspicuously slipped the list into his pocket.

Lily gave her a tight smile, and smugly said, “Don’t be silly dear. This is the biggest event of the year. The hotel is packed!” She lightly nudged the children out the door. She said in a nurturing way, “The detective is right, just have fun at the festival.” Then she shut the door. 

“How can they just go on as if nothing has happened!” Claire said with an astonished look on her face. “We just lost our biggest suspect!” Who, Rhea?

Cory thinks. “So what would you like to do now?”

“The best thing to do is appear at the festival and act normally, to avoid suspicion. No one has to know that we’re still investigating.” 

Cory sighs. “Good point. So shall we meet up there?” 

“Sure, let’s meet up near Lily’s Food Stall.” 

At the festival..

Colored lights glowed through the air like never before. The town’s river was finally being put to use with sailboats and lilies floating for this momentous occasion. Stalls stocked to the brim with clothes, food and trinkets of anyone’s deepest desires.

The two children descended the narrow sidewalk that connected the hotel and boardwalk. The lights reflected on the river. Deceiving perceptions aside, neither of them knew that this night would be far from joyous. It would be the night they discovered the killer. 

“Ooh, I want to try that, and that too, and-” Cory gestured to the colorful stalls excitedly. 

The festival had made the town famous and brought tasty foods and treats. This would likely be the first and last time they would get to taste such food. 

“Remember why we are here, Cory. Fooling Lily and those police officers earlier might’ve gotten to you, too. We need to find evidence.”

Cory, mouth half-full, replied, “Why are you still all worked up about that? Maybe Lily is right, and we should loosen up! We need to focus on-” Claire looked around. “Cory? Hello?”. She sighed. “He probably went to another food stall again.” 

I guess I’m on my own, Claire thought. She walked to the different stalls, thinking about what to do next. Then, she saw the head Detective. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn’t do this alone. Vooch was the perfect person to talk to about this. He didn’t seem to have his usual anger, so she sat down next to him. 

“Hi.”

“Hey. Still looking for that murderer, huh?”

“How did you know?” 

“I saw right through you. You had some nice goals, though.”

Claire’s eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about her to-do list! “Ah well- wait, you aren’t angry? Why?”

Vooch waited a moment before answering. “You’d probably get farther than I did… Well, in fact, you did.” 

Claire spoke softly. “Hey, I’m sorry for what I said about you being a bad detective. You aren’t. Plus, it’s hard being a detective and balancing everything else.” 

He gave her a sad smile. “It’s fine. I think it was for the better anyway. Here’s your list, if you need it.” 

She took the list and ran through it again. Claire gasped. She had been missing something all along. Something that was right in front of her eyes. 

Lily. Lily had been there. Lily has been here all along. 

“I don’t like that look you’re giving me.VoochHe sighed. “What are you plotting?”

She quickly thanked him and ran to the hotel. Claire needed evidence. 

…

After narrowly escaping some night guards, she got into the diner. Claire turned on the lights and managed a slight, “Hello?” No answer. Good, she needed this place to herself. Quickly heading into the supply room, she searched everywhere for evidence. Toxic spices, knives. This place could store it all. She needed to find evidence. A confession note of some sorts, perhaps.

Finally, she found something. A small black book. At first she didn’t think much of it, since it was mostly filled with weird recipes. However, when she flipped to a bookmarked page, she saw a recipe for aconite tea. Aconite was a wild plant that grew densely in the town, commonly used for medication. However, it was extremely dangerous to use in food, and was considered a lethal poison. Claire of all people, should know how poisonous it could really be.

 This didn’t seem to belong here, Rhea.

A small sticky note at the back of the black book said, “Make him pay.” This looked pretty suspicious to Claire, so she pocketed the book for later. She still didn’t know what had happened. 

Claire needed a motive, so she kept looking. Ruffling around through the stack, she found a diary entry from thirty years earlier. 

May 17, 1980

I’ve started a hotel in my hometown. Many people doubt me, but I know that this business will take off. My husband insists on taking over the financial aspects, to let me focus on cooking. To tell the truth, I never liked to cook. I loved hiring and meeting new people and hearing their stories from afar. He says it’s for the best. 

May 20, 1980

James has taken over my business! He appointed himself as the CEO, and gave me the job of managing the restaurant! I tried to argue with him but he tells me managing a business isn’t a “girls place”. I will make him pay. Some day.

“Hmm, that was very easy to find.” Claire says out loud. She quickly covers her mouth. If any of the guards were to hear her, it would be game over. 

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She fell down immediately, the papers falling out of her hand.

~a/n: Just a quick plug for my new page at the top screen, called characters! It has some beautiful art over there so if you have some time be sure to check it out!! appreciate you all soooo much :D~

The festival is tomorrow, and the boardwalk is beginning to fill with people. However, the hotel was still covered with an uncertain aura. It was Claire’s job to turn the situation around before it was too late. 

“Why were you in that room in the first place?” Claire quizzed.

Sabrina’s smile twitched. Strangely, the highlights in her hair did the same. She smuggly sipped her tea. 

Hesitantly, she responded, “That was pure coincidence, since the practice rooms are near the storage closet.” Matter of factly she added, “Actually, we finished rehearsal and I headed to the storage room, where I found the body.” 

Claire listened attentively while she mulled the situation over in her head. She then asked her quite bluntly, “And you have no relationship with Mr.Sharma at all?” 

Sabrina was taken aback by Claire’s business-like tone and abruptly responded, “For God sake, no! I never even knew him! The only time I was near him was when I signed into my room.” 

Claire sighed and looked at her watch. Claire and Cory had decided to split up the list and meet up at 3:30 pm, and it was already 3:15. She had time for one more question,

“If you didn’t do it, who do you think did?”

Sabrina sat up from her previously slouched position on the couch and whispered,

“Y’know the guy who was pointing us out earlier, Chris? I heard he and Mr.Sharma had a lot of arguments.” 

Claire sat up to follow suit. Finally, a good lead. 

Sabrina continued to whisper, “I also heard that the manager was having problems with money. Chris even took out a loan for the poor guy.” She gestured around to the extravagantly fancy hotel. “He’s obviously doing well now, but I still think there’s a lead there.” 

Sabrina stood up and walked to the door. With a bit of bravery and tea, she stated, “I think you should stop interviewing innocent souls like us and focus on the real suspects.”

She left Claire alone with her thoughts. Which is something no one should ever do.

Claire took it in stride and reviewed her menacing to-do list. 

To Do:

• Interview Sabrina 
• Get more details on the body
• Check up on the history of Chris
• Talk to Lily about the hotel

Cory came in at just the right time. Claire was pacing the room, looking at her “to-do list”.

“I got the details you wanted.” Cory said, setting down the file on the coffee table and plopping on the couch. Claire snatched the folder and looked through it.

Meanwhile Cory took a closer look at Claire’s list. “Oh, only one thing left, and this is over–sweet!” Cory said with relief. He really wanted to get home so he could prepare for the spring festival tomorrow. 

“Slow down, and tell me what you learned,” Claire asked. 

“When I asked about the body, some people told me that he was showing signs of stress. His medical records of past checkups indicate that he was overweight and had hypertension. This man had a higher caffeine intake than you, Claire.” 

“Those are all very direct signs of stress,” Claire said, “but, stress about what?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Cory yawned. “I do think we should wrap it up for today, though–we’ve done a lot.” 

“Except find the murderer.” Claire recounted, eyes squinting. Cory couldn’t back out on her now that she was so close! She just needed a way to prove it.

Claire stopped looking through the file and thought about all the clues had she gathered. Technically, she hadn’t gotten any official information, but something was going on. Even if it wasn’t murder, Chris Adams had something sticky going on. 

Claire stood up and gathered her things. “Before we go, I want to check out another room.” 

Cory sprang up quickly.

They were so set on finding the murder that they didn’t notice a short silhouette, holding a tea tray and stroking the flowery teapot. 

A while later…

Claire and Cory walk up the hallway to a wooden door marked with a big “3”. 

“Mr. Chris, sir?” Claire asked as she knocked on the door. “We’d like to ask you some questions about the murder of James Sharma.” 

No answer. 

This was typical for an up-and-coming detective, as people ignored, underestimated, and generally made it hard for them to gather information: because of their age. So they waited some more.

No answer. Not even a single sound coming from the hotel room. Nothing indicating that life was in the room. Soon, they began to get worried. Cory began to pound on the door. Claire was getting more stressed with every thud. 

Eventually,, enough adults had passed and reported that two children were frantically banging on the door that Lily came running down to James’s room.

“What are you two doing?” Lily screeched. 

A couple walking past sent confused looks to the children. 

“Wait, no, I don’t want to know.” she said as she shook her head. “Whatever it is, stop. You are scaring away guests!” 

“Mrs. Sharma, we’re pretty sure something happened to Chris! He isn’t answering his door, and we’ve been knocking for an hour.” Claire cried urgently. Does Mrs. Sharma help run the hotel, Rhea? 

“Why do you look so frazzled? ” Cory asked Mrs. Sharma. Claire sent him a nasty look. “Sorry! She just looked so stressed!” 

“Busy actually–it’s been a lot of work running the hotel alone. But it’s what I’ve always loved.” She seemed to be in some sort of daze about her love of hotels so Claire quickly redirected her focus to the problem. 

“I hate to interrupt, but we do have bigger issues here.” Claire said insistently. 

“Ah, yes!” Lily snapped out of it. “I doubt anything has happened to Mr. Adams, but we ought to check.” she fumbled nervously with the master key. “After you.” she signaled with her hand.

The trio quickly made their way to the room to find a shocking sight. Bright red blood painted the hardwood floors of the room. 

Chris was dead.

~a/n: continuation of my hotel mystery story!! posts every Saturday. Also I’ll come up with a title soon I promise ;))

“Who would you say hated James the most?” The detective leans in, probably for intimidation, but it has no effect on Lily. She was already crying, her eyes too glassy to see.

“James was a good man; he never would have done anything wrong.” She let out a tiny sob and turned away. 

“Inspector…some respect, please! Her husband just died! What do you think she could offer you?” Chris reasoned.

“Well, she could be pretending to cry.” The detective peered at Lily, who is grabbing a towel for her eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you think she-”

“No one is off the list just yet.” 

As the detective moves on, Chris cries out, “Well, I saw two people near the body.” 

“WHAT?” the detective yells as everyone cringes. “YOU DIDN’T THINK TO MENTION THAT AT THE BEGINNING, CHRIS?”

“Mr. Vooch, please calm down and let him explain.”

The detective sat down grudgingly, sending Chris nasty looks when he thought no one was looking, though everyone was.

“Well, when I found Mr. James I saw a tall woman wearing a black bandanna. Ah, yes, her.” He pointed out the woman to the rest of the group. 

“My name is Sabrina.” The woman had her hands on her hips and looked at him with a no-nonsense face.

Chris raised his hands in protest. “I’m just telling you what I saw.”

“And her, the one with short brown hair,” he pointed out to Claire, “I think she did it.” 

“How could a student, much less someone Mr. Sharma never interacted with, do it?” the teacher asked. How would the teacher know who Mr. Sharma knew, Rhea?

“Well, when I came into the closet she was checking the body’s pulse. She repositioned the body.”

While hearing this, the detective sprang up again. “You meddling brat! You should know not to touch bodies at a crime scene.”

Claire stood from her chair and began speaking her first words. “With all due respect, detective, I think I have been more successful than you in solving these types of cases.” 

In the past, Claire and Cory would help out the police agency by solving cases. It’s been a sore spot for the Detective because they always seemed to get to the solution first

Detective Vooch, his face a glowing red, sat down and cleared his throat. “Why are they still here?” 

 “That’s a good point, detective, it’s time for us to leave. Please tell us if the situation changes, as we are happy to help with anything you need,” the teacher said, as her face begrudgingly met with Lily’s. It wasn’t surprising that they both felt sad, since they were both very excited about the learning program.

It was dark out, while Claire and Cory were in their treehouse, working on the facts of the crime. The murder had put a stop to all other thoughts in Cory’s brain, and she needed someone to make sure Claire didn’t completely head off the rails. 

“Y’know, knowledge could be power,” Claire said, munching on her croissant. But I think power is coffee.” 

Cory smacked the empty coffee mug out of her hand. 

“Too late! Another coffee down, which means another hour of work.”

“Back to the point–have you found anything?”

“Well, after badgering the police captain, I found the deceased’s medical files. Did you know he was lactose intolerant?”

Cory elbowed her. “Claire, FOCUS.”

“Okay, okay!” 

We might want to check Lily’s  location before the murder,” Cory offered. 

“Exactly,” Claire retorted.

Claire started to read from the sheet she had devised, with all the suspects’ information. “Sabrina Evans; 25, “trendy” new guitar idol, performing at the spring festival concert, in town only for the show next week, staying in Room 4.”

“Anything interesting from her interview?”

“Not particularly, she never really interacted with him. However, she was the one who found the body.”

“I’m going to be bold and mark that as a dead end. We’ll have to keep looking.”

Cory stood up and headed for the door. “By the way, I’ll bring you back some coffee.”

So she got to work, churning away at the suspects until she finally had four.

Cory walked back, holding the fifth, and last, cup of coffee.

Claire took it gladly. “I’m down to two suspects.”

He glanced at her physical state and knew this had to end before she withered away, her only remains being her fiery determination.

“Who are they?”

“Well, Sabrina was found near the body. It would be silly not to suspect her.”

“Who are the other suspects?”

“Chris Adams; 46, started his own company, came to the hotel to make a deal with James regarding his company.”

“He sounds promising.” Cory remarked.

“He was also very quick to point out suspects.”

Cory nodded slowly, his head still processing the information. 

Claire’s eyes brightened as Cory had gone through the list with no objections, as he usually vetoed her crazy ideas.

Claire smiled. Despite it being pretty late, and most of the caffeine was wearing off, she had a burst of excitement. 

“Well then, let’s get to work.”

~A/N- The first chapter of a detective story I just wrote.~

…

The two students walked side by side, excited for once about the day’s adventures.

“So, what do you think we’ll see?” Claire persisted.

“Probably nothing much; we’re just going to a hotel,” Cory countered. “I’m excited to eat at Lily’s Diner, though! Do you think we might meet Lily herself?”

Lily’s Diner was very well known for winning the spring festival food contest every year.

“Speaking of the spring festival, I heard a new guitarist will be there!” Cory exclaimed.

“You are way too excited; we don’t even know if it’s official,” Claire said, “plus, the music is only one thing out of.. like, 50.” 

“You’re right, but this is about the only exciting thing that happens here.” 

“Finally, I agree with something you’ve said. There’s no harm to feeling a bit excited.” 

“Students, please! I need your attention. We need to take attendance and–oh! Can we review the schedule?” the teacher inquired. “Okay, so when we arrive at the hotel, we’ll split off into pairs with a hotel staff member and explore a bit! I really want you to know how a successful business functions, from the inside out!” 

The class excitedly makes their way onto the bus, unaware of the future horrors to come. As the yellow bus speeds away toward the hotel, only a hill away, a dark figure is outlined against the edge of the business. 

“Only a few more hours,” it mutters and disappears into the shadows.

“Once again, thank you for this opportunity. My students,  staff, and I are ever so grateful,” Mrs. Smith said, smiling. 

“As are we, I’m sure you know.” Mr. Sharma shook her hand,and grinned. “Lily and I value education very highly, and we hope you enjoy your stay.” 

“Thank you, I’m sure we will.” 

“Alright, so let’s split off into pairs, class! “Cory and Claire, you will be with Devin and explore culinary!” 

A tall boy stepped forward. “Nice to meet you–right this way.”

They followed Devin down the hallway to a brightly-painted poolside diner. The bright yellow, pink, and blue graphics on the walls created a beautiful pattern. A big neon sign at the front read Lily’s Diner!

“Welcome to Lily’s Diner.” Devin said proudly. 

“Devin, stop bragging. You’re scaring the students,” a voice said.

Out came a rather short and stumpy woman–she was Lily. Hands stained with green pigment of sorts, she waved. 

They’d signed up for the food section of the hotel specifically to meet Lily. She’s basically a celebrity for founding the hotel from scratch. So they were very flustered to meet her.

“H-hi, my name is Cory, and this is Claire.  It’s such an honor to meet you-”

The students were interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream. The group turned their heads questioningly, almost as if on cue. 

Claire ran in the direction of the scream, because she could feel it.She tried her best to navigate through the similar corridors and crannies, finally leading her to a woman looking up and gaping in horror. Claire looked up to see what was so peculiar, trying to figure out why the woman had screamed. 

Then, she saw it… 

Lying on the floor near a pool of blood was a body. But not just any body. The body belonged to James Sharma, the hotel owner. The woman’s face turned white as she saw Claire piecing together the obvious. She gasped in horror in front of the onlookers and exclaimed, “I didn’t do it!”