King's High Creative Writing Anthology (Crime Fiction)

The Junior & Senior Creative Writing Clubs’

Collaborative Winter Anthology: Crime Fiction

The Diamond Detectives

by Lola

A small village, hidden away from the rest of the world. A handful of residents. Quiet country roads, the sound of cattle grazing and the birds singing. Dorothy Brown, choral captain and head of the school baseball team, known for getting her hands dirty (especially when it came to animals which she adored) had blonde, thick locks of hair, divided into pigtails to frame her face, full to the brim of freckles. She lived with her parents, two sisters, and her dog, Maggie, in their small bungalow.

What felt like worlds away, in a very different aspect of life, was the city. Eloise Rodriguez, blonde highlights in her oak hair, ever present on her socials and always redoing her makeup was very happy in her city apartment; white and gold furniture covering the wooden panelled floor in the big, spacious room and the view of the busy city below.

Morning assembly at Dorothy’s school was very eventful one day. A student exchange programme was aired. A trip to the city! None of the country girls had ever ventured outside of their doorsteps before, so this trip promised a lot of adventure. Eager with the thought of meeting a country-girl, Eloise was desperate for the signup list, to be a host at her school.

Off Dorothy went, her first time on a plane, flying hours over towns, cities, villages and seeing historical monuments they had only ever heard of in books right before their eyes. The long journey was broken up by the excitement and chatter from all the girls and boys.

When they had finally arrived into the city, they stood in awe at all the flashing lights, signs, the altitudinous buildings and all the people dressed in smart attire rushing around. The minibus had pulled up; the time had come for the two school children to finally meet!

‘Hi, I’m Eloise’. ‘Hi Eloise, I’m Dorothy’ they said, with grins on their lit-up faces. The girls were chatting away when something stole their attention. All the billboards started flashing and blaring ‘Attention, thief and con artist ‘Doug Hughes’ has escaped prison again after stealing a vintage diamond ring worth 3 billion dollars!!!

If you know anything about his whereabouts, let us know and you may be entitled to a big money reward. Police suspect he has approached the city’.

‘Eloise – that’s where we are’, trembled Dorothy. ‘I know, isn’t it great! I know these streets like the back of my hand; we can easily find him. And we will get the reward money!’, replied Eloise with no apprehension. Before Dorothy knew it, Eloise had grabbed her hand and had started running.

‘Where are we going?!’ Dorothy questioned, all flustered. Eloise wanted to show her all the good hiding spots in the area where Doug could possibly be. Hours later, the girls were still roaming the streets, climbing through overgrown plants and looking through abandoned buildings, scanning for evidence that someone has been living there. Accepting they couldn’t find him, the girls walked back to Eloise’s house for the evening. Deciding to take a shortcut, they walked through an alleyway when Dorothy became fixated on a pizza box placed on some blankets. ‘Look, it’s still warm – isn’t that strange, Eloise?’

Eloise, fed up and tired, shut the idea down and continued walking. It was only that evening when she was lying in bed with her thoughts that it clicked.

‘Dorothy! The pizza box!’, she jumped up in shock. The two girls were sat up on Eloise’s bed discussing what they had seen. ‘It was still warm, that means someone had just there and yet suddenly vanished when they heard us walking down!’. ‘Someone would only have hidden if they didn’t want to be seen or had something to hide.’ In sync, the girls stared at each other with realisation and said ‘Doug Hughes!’. The rest of the night and early morning was spent by the girls pondering and planning what they would do, and how to catch him.

By the first rays of the sun, the girls had gathered together what they were going to do.

First thing in the morning, they called the police and told them to meet at the alleyway by 10am. Next, the girls went to the jewellers and bought a fake, unrealistic, ‘diamond’ necklace. Then they got into position for their plan to commence.

Perfectly positioned nearby the alley way, Eloise was over dramatically elongating every syllable in her words ‘Oh my goodnesss, I just looooove my new diamond necklaaaaaace!’. As they had predicted, the melodramatic words caught Doug’s attention, and he slowly started making his way towards the sound. Hidden behind a rubbish bin were Dorothy and some very intrigued Police Officers.

Time for step two to commence. Dorothy ran up to his makeshift ‘bed’ and started rummaging between the blankets. As if like clockwork, a very expensive box rolled out onto the floor.

Inside was the ring! Carrying this precious item, she ran back up to the Police Officers, who were astonished to see a schoolgirl find such an expensive ring.

As that was happening, stage three had also started. Doug had spotted Eloise and was trying to look at her ‘diamond’ necklace. Contemplating whether to steal it, Eloise turned around to face him, showing him it was in fact not diamond but a cheap fragment of plastic.

Annoyed with the waste of time, he charged back to the alleyway. But he was greeted with a surprise he was not at all anticipating. Hundreds of police cars with flashing lights arrived with Police Officers everywhere! Knowing he was doomed, he ran back to where he had just come from to get away. But he was cornered. There was no way of escaping.

The next thing he knew, he was in the back of a police car, all chained up. After driving for hours on end, he had arrived at the most secure prison in the country. Once thrown in his cell, he had come to the realisation that he was never going to escape. Completely unexpectedly, he started to feel guilt for all he had stolen in the past. To get the weight of his chest, he told the officers where all the other rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings were hidden.

Surprisingly, everything managed to get returned to their rightful owners. They were so delighted to get their loved items back! And of course, Dorothy and Eloise got their big money reward!

Secrets Beneath the Snow

by Rachel

The blizzard came faster than I expected. I know there was a forecasted blizzard, but it never said it was so violent. Shelter and warmth were all I could think about as blasts of ice-cold snow hit my face. My boots sank deep into the white heavy snow; every step was like pulling against an invisible weight of fear and frost.

Every 30 seconds, I looked up to see for anything that could help me from this disaster and after what seems like hours of walking, a small cabin in the distance appeared. The Relief struck through me every step I got closer.

I got to the entrance, the door did not have an inch of snow on it, only a few scratches from what seemed like a fox. Shivering with fear and snow all down my back, I opened the dark oak door. The door creaked open with a low groan, spilling a thin line of warmth into the freezing night. I stepped inside, a sudden sting from the fire hitting my frozen hands. Slowly I looked around the cabin. Something didn’t feel right, the fire was too fresh, the air was too still.

A half-eaten meal that consisted of a hot chicken sandwich and some lettuce on the side that looks mouldy because it had red dots on it, sat on the table beside me. Something red marked the edge of the rug, not paint, not wine...

The hairs on the back of my neck grew tall, I wasn’t alone.

I forced myself to look closer. I spotted boots that were wet, sat next to the fireplace. Looking around the room, I find a picture of two men, then a board with a picture of a man and with the words in bold, ‘missing’. The man on the missing poster was also one of the two men on the other photo.

Something wasn’t right.

Suddenly, I heard a distant sound of crunching in the snow getting closer and closer. My heartbeat was racing. The door opened so quick that I couldn’t even hear the creak anymore. A tall man stepped in, wearing a rough brown jacket and a rifle that lay on his back. The look of confusion stuck upon his face as he saw me, while the flicker of the fire reflected in his eyes. ‘I’m looking for a missing man’, ‘do you happen to know which I’m talking about?’ he said, calmly while examining the cabin. I hold up the poster with the picture of the missing man on it, but something was off…

The boots he was wearing matched the ones sat by the fire, the smell of the fire matched the smell that his coat hung onto.

He glanced nervously at the rug with the red stain. While he looked away, I noticed a small item hanging from his pocket. It was a pocket watch. The exact same pocket watch as the one the lost man was wearing in the picture…

A sudden realization struck me.

The man noticed my intrusive staring and his expression hardens. While slowing backing into the slightly open window, a huge gust of wind bursts the door open distracting him. I quickly open the window and swing my legs into the outdoors and leap out of the cabin. The freezing air hit me like a slap as I stumbled into the storm.

Sprinting into the frosty abyss, I look back, but the man was nowhere to be seen, and I saw two sets of footprints that lead into the forest. Only one came back.

A Murder a Day

by Imogen

She stood facing the wall with an elegant stance murmuring to herself. She had her brown hair in messy bun and her glasses slightly askew. Her skin was a tanned tone, and she had the most pleasant green eyes. She wore a navy-blue cable-knit sweater on and low-waisted jeans and upon her feet she wore slippers. Slowly, she took off her glasses and laid them on the table beside her, she took a pin off the wall and replaced it, delicately wrapped it in string and sighed. “Hey there Delilah, you have a, um client.” Said Victoria, Delilah’s friend and a sort of assistant who lived above her. Jane beckoned for her to come in and a petite, timid looking girl shuffled in. She murmured something Delilah couldn’t hear. “Sorry I didn’t quite catch that.”

The girl lifted her head to reveal her face, she had striking blue eyes and blonde hair in a plait and announced herself. “I am Charlotte, I am here for a case.” She glanced at the wall behind Jane and said pointed. “Him, the one with the funny looking beard, he did it.”

Delilah looked behind her and threw her hands in the air. “Of course it was William it was always William! How could I have been so blind, how? How did you figure…” Charlotte had pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her satchel. On it, it said:

Delilah Smith. Detective, in need of assistant

If you are interested, please come to: 317 West 115h Street Apartment 7A, New York City

“I am glad somebody saw it, no one has seemed to be very interested. Excuse me one moment”. Delilah walked into her bedroom and came out a few minutes later holding her iPhone, a notepad and pen and a flashlight. She strode forward and grabbed Charlotte around her wrist and spoke. “Now! Let’s go make that arrest.” They took the subway to his house and a few minutes later… Delilah took hold of the door knocker and firmly knocked it “Does your mother know you’re here?” she asked, still staring at the door.

“No, she thinks I am out with my dad though I am unsure where he is.” This time Charlotte knocked and still no response. They waited for what felt like an eternity and still nothing. Delilah tried the handle and the door opened swiftly to reveal a man’s body laying plainly on the floor but without further inspection, there was no obvious cause of death. Charlotte gasped and hid behind Jane; Jane held her hand and bent down to face her. “This is what you want, yes? This is what this job involves, it will be okay. You stay here, give me one second.”

She stepped cautiously into the house. The staircase was on the right lined with a dark carpet leading around through to the living room. She inspected the body murmuring to herself. The house had been packed into several moving boxes and on each of the in large black writing was North America Moving Services. Delilah scribbled down the name of the company and continued to search, she peered through the front door to find Charlotte creeping slowly into the house, clinging to the walls, scuttering as far away from the body as she could. The kitchen was a small room, just left from the front door with a big open archway, the staircase was thin and narrow with a wobbling banister and to the far right of the door. At the back of the house directly straight from the door, was the sitting room, an abundance of natural light flooding in through the large skylight, making the room seem like a greenhouse.

The upstairs of the house was not quite as bright, the first door on the left of the staircase was a bathroom, the tiles were cracking, and mould was growing up the sides of the walls. It was an unpleasant sight, but the shower caused terror, there was a small rodent living there, it had brought sticks and leaves but there was food in the corner, the kind you would buy from a pet store. The man had been keeping a rat.

Unsure of what else to expect Charlotte and Delilah continued the search. In the main bedroom there was not a single window, but a red glowing light crept up the wall in the corner. Delilah turned on her torch and pointed it at the ominous light. A large slithering creature picked up its head and hissed, the lunged at them only to hit the glass of its enclosure with a bang that startled the two. Charlotte ran from the room and Delilah quickly shut the door. “I don’t think I like this, this isn’t what I was expecting!” whispered Charlotte staring into the large plant that sat on the corner of the landing. Delilha approached her from behind and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t what normally happens. I don’t like the dead bodies myself. I tend to keep away from them, the crime he committed wasn’t a death you see. I don’t do that sort of thing. You got unlucky, but occasionally this happens. It gets easier the more you see it. I think you can do this.”

Charlotte turned around slowly with tears in her eyes; she looked up at Delilah and lunged at her into a hug. She burst into tears and was saying something Delilah couldn’t quite understand.

Delilah called the police, and she handed them the notes she had made. They took the subway back, not saying much to each other. Delilah escorted Charlotte home and made her way back to her own apartment. Today had not been what she expected. She lay down on her bed and stared at her ceiling. Her mind spun out of focus, she should go back to the house tomorrow when her mind was clear. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep…

The next morning, she woke up at an unheavenly hour. The sun had still not risen but Delilah could not sleep. The murder of a murderer was an unusual occurrence for her, no suspects, no nothing. More detail was needed. She pulled herself out of bed and her head ached. Slowly she got dressed into black leggings and an oversized grey hoodie. She pulled on her shoes and made her way out the door to the scene of the crime. The streets were quite which was unusual and a left an eerie feeling in the morning air.

When she arrived, the sun crept over the horizon of New York. She entered the house and slowly examined the spot where the body once lay. After another lap of the house. Then, she made her way upstairs and to her surprise, the rat was still there. Absent mindedly she entered the master bedroom, expecting the snake to pounce. It was not there.

Cautiously she backed out of the door, a slow long hiss came from the corner of the room. Slamming the door a loud bang came from the inside. Gasping for breath, she ran. The streets were busy now and hurriedly she made for the police station. “The snake,” she yelled, “It bit him! There was no murderer, at least not human.” All eyes fell on her but hers scanned the room. Out of the corner of her eye a small figure stood staring. Striking blonde hair and blue eyes and a long plait lay down the middle of her back. Charlotte.

“That’s what I thought! They wouldn’t listen to me.” She said as she cast a aggressive glare to the officer stood next to her. “He was putting the beast into a box for moving when it bit him, then he put it back in its cage and forgot to close the lid when we knocked. He died just before he answered the door from the snake venom!” she continued.

They checked the body. They had been right.

I’m Still the Good Guy

by Olivia

Killing three people may not have been my finest hour, but it was the only option — the only way. Let me explain.

I’m Sherlock Holmes, the most celebrated detective in the world. Fame is a fickle thing; criminals thin out faster than you’d think and after that relevance starts to slip away. For a while people stopped needing me. People stopped wanting me. So I took matters into my own hands. If the world wouldn’t give me crimes. I would make them.

I started small: a pickpocket here, a childlike act of vandalism there. Not enough. I needed something bigger. I staged burglaries, snatched people, even robbed a bank — always leaving tiny clues only I could follow. The attention returned for a while, then faded, and the whispers started again: “Sherlock is losing his touch.”

Homicide fixed that. I’m big news again. My brother sits in a cell accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Crime is up, and for the first time in a long time I feel…alive. Strange, because that should horrify me, but It doesn’t. If I need another boost.. the guns are still loaded.

Dull to Dangerous

by Beatrix

I rapped my pen against my table, bored. My boss had sent me another boring video of – and I quote “The robbery of the year” which was an elderly man shoplifting a pen in the co-op down the road. I sighed and stared out of my small, circular window. I was in my office on a Thursday afternoon, I worked for a small-town detective agency. It was my first job and I had always longed to be a successful detective since a very young age. How I wish something exciting could jump start my career. The door burst open right on cue and out stumbled a young man with a shock of red hair, a cigarette dangling from blue lips. His still red and drunken eyes darted from side to side and words tumbled from his mouth in frightened pants.

“Aster! You’re in the detective business, right?” he didn’t let me answer before he started up again without another breath – this man was scared, so very scared. “I-I saw a body!” he blurted, leaning over my desk so that I could feel his hot breath in my face. He was clutching the pen that I assumed was mine so hard that his knuckles grew bone white. My eyes narrowed as my anger seeped through my mask of concentration. “It’s funny, really, that you have come to see me now for the first time over this long span of 4 years” Venom laced my words as I drunk up the baffled look in his eyes.

“Look Aster, I am sorry, but you seriously can’t be talking about some problematic sibling scuffles! There was a body!” His eyes were pleading now, he was visibly shaking with frustration and fear “you never struck me as petty!”

“And I am not, I am business. Why have you come to me of all people Phoenix?” I tried to dull my excitement at the thought of a thrilling and dangerous murder mystery, there were serious questions and even more serious answers lingering in every breath we breathe. “Is it so hard to believe I just wanted to see you again?” He chuckled but the sound was devout of humour. I shook my head and he sighed. “Look, you were the closest and Mum and Dad have been nagging me about visiting you all year, might As well heh?” he spoke quickly as if drifting over details “Now come with me!” He demanded with a frantic horse screech. He stared intently into my eyes, pleading and desperate. There was something about his seriousness which was an exceedingly rare sight that compelled me to say my next words. “Fine, but if you step one toe out of line, I will personally make you into the next murder” I growled, admitting inevitable defeat.

Phoenix led me to a small forest neighbouring the local pub, it was dark by the time we had arrived and now Phoenix was more jittery than ever. “OK show me” I ordered, following silently after the brother slick with sweat. We trod through thick mud which sucked greedily onto our boots as we went, the obstructed light of the crescent moon our only source of light. ‘the killer could still be out here’ neither of us said anything but we were both thinking it. I collide with something. “Hey!” I explain, bunching fists in preparation for an attack. I look up, I had just walked into Phoenix’s back, his features were taut, muscles bunched as he rose a slow, shaking hand to point at the motionless figure lying face first in the mud, behind him was drag marks which I made note to investigate next. I nodded in understanding and crept cautiously toward the unknown victim, willing him to be alive. Mud squelched beneath my boots as I inspected the body, the small flicker of hope that lightened my chest was extinguished in an instant, this man had no pulse. I glanced back at Phoenix’s stricken face-he knew. I narrowed my eyes against the dark light that veiled this murder in shadow, until now.

“Phoenix…” I knew who this person was. I turned an accusing glare at Phoenix as I forced my lips into a hard, professional line. “This in Seth Wooten, Your co-worker.” I growled; my rage was hardly confined to my innards as it broke through the growing cracks in my quickly constructed mask that made me seem every bit the emotionless detective. Somehow, he paled even more. “Woah I-I know this looks bad, really bad but I swear-!”

“He was your biggest rival; it would only make sense to get him out of the way!”

Then he fainted. He made a strange nose before falling to the floor. I blinked, once then twice before looking around through dazed eyes. I felt my phone in my pocket grow heavier as I reached in to dial an ambulance.

Everything was white, blindingly white as if too perfect, I narrowed my eyes against the bright colour. I sat impatiently on a small chair overlooking a now asleep Phoenix in a somehow whiter bed. I tapped my foot against the unsettling marble flooring and planned my next move. My attention was dragged away by a tall young man – not as young as Phoenix but young nonetheless – as he strutted inside with a clipboard and pen. He looked remarkably like Phoenix with a mess of sandy brown hair, lean build and green eyes. His eyes snapped up to mine and I could hardly stifle my gasp as I saw that one of his green eyes were glass. “Welcome” He began, voice smooth, assertive I had thought. “Miss Aster Watson, or should I say sister?” My jaw quite literally dropped; I had thought he looked familiar.

“No worries if you can’t remember me, dear old mum and dad left me at the orphanage quite some time ago. They were too young to look after me and well…” he gestured to his fake eye. “The medical fees are severe” We talked for a while, catching up and I told him how dad had died, how mum was ill and was thought to die this year too. Then I remembered I had a job to do.

I followed the drag marks, they came from Phoenix’s work building. As much as the thought of my own brother being a killer brought bile to my throat it is my job to investigate all suspects. I stepped through the doors of Phoenix’s low paying job that looked like it was at least 100 years old. I barged into his boss’s office, flashed my detective card and demanded anything that would make Phoenix look suspicious. The man was troublesome though, but I managed to squeeze the information from his fat face. “Well, he did have a rather intense fight with Seth” he brought his lips together in a now concentrated expression “Young’uns uh?” He had chucked, I frowned in return. He coughed awkwardly and carried on in his gruff voice. “He had threatened to kill the boy” That was all the information I needed. I stormed forward, throwing the door to Phoenix’s office wide as I rummaged through draw after draw, desperate for answers…no. A knife, a used knife.

I made my way back to the hospital were Phoenix had taken residence for the evening, my hands were shaking and my head with spinning in a flurry of thoughts. But the deed was done, it had to be done. I stared blankly out of the car windscreen on the hospital parking lot. The sound of sirens pieced my ears, strong with foreboding and inescapable ending to my first murder case. I rested my head against the back of my seat, “How ironic” I muttered to myself “how painfully ironic”.

Home again, I had returned to my unremarkable little life. The night was cold but even as I through on a coat the shiver never ceased. I didn’t know what it was, but I couldn’t shake the thought that nagged at me behind my eyes, was it really Phoenix? I shook the thought away like the stubborn child I was, the evidence is seeable even to the blind, there was no other route to take. I sat down on my bed, feeling silly when a crash sent me instinctively flying to the ground.

Phoenix? A figure draped in shadows stood before me, holding a gun. Then he stepped into the light and a glass eye met my stare. “James?” I breathed, confused – oh what an understatement. He grinned, flashing perfectly white teeth “Well I might as well explain before I kill you, did good old mummy and daddy does not realise that my foster parents had to look after 12 other kids, or that they were abusive? No?” He glared down at me with such hatred that I wanted to shrink beneath my skin “And did you not realise that I framed Phoenix? No? “He chuckled but the sound was devout of humour. “Goodbye sister, maybe your death would be enough to kill mum too” Sirens screeched outside, Phoenix’s head whipped round in shock. “Well, did you not realise that I had called 999 when I heard the glass breaking?”

James is in jail. Phoenix has been released and now we are standing side by side.

“I am sorry” I blurted out.

“No need to be, Y’know I quite like this lifestyle, could I be your…sidekick?”

“Of course,”

The Hidden Criminal

by Olivia

Ping…ping…ping…

Agatha yawned in frustration, barely having her eyes open. She picked up the phone hearing a fuzzy sound and frustratedly put her phone down.

Ping…ping…ping

She angrily picked up her phone, and it was her boss notifying her that she has a case. Agatha widened her eyes thinking she was having a dream, but it wasn’t.

Agatha hadn’t had a case in over 2 years after what happened in the last case; Agatha was about to pull away and deny the offer the 3 dots disappeared ping… she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her boss replied in caps, he was wanted for 1,000 pounds, she was thinking this would change her life but she hasn’t done investigating in 2 long years because of a mysterious criminal that has done merger things to Agatha, he still lurks but still hasn’t been got caught for murder. Agatha thought and thought over and over; she typed out the answer. Once Agatha typed yes, she hurriedly went to school. Agatha ran to her best friend Luke and told him everything.

As Agatha sat down in her form room with her headphones on thinking where to begin with her case.

Suddenly the headmaster announced that there was a murderer in the school and needed to be on lock down immediately. Agatha desperately needed something from her locker, so Agatha used her spy moves and went out of the classroom. Agatha went to her locker quickly, so she didn’t get caught. In the corner of her eyes, she saw a mysterious figure hiding, then started to run; Agatha became curious and followed it. After a minute of chasing, the figure went through a tunnel, but little that he knew was that the exit was blocked off because of lockdown.

Agatha smiled thinking she had found the murderer, but she didn’t know the secret hidden behind his mask.

Agatha quickly cornered the mysterious covered mask.

The hooded man didn’t speak Agatha angrily asked for him to take of his mask, she was stunned, it was her enemy from year 7 she said she was jealous of her and she didn’t deserve to have a place here! Agatha said she needed to report her to the police because what she did was illegal. She said that she didn’t do it. She was blackmailed, Agatha was shocked.

Now she needs to find answers…

Pity Little Me

by Dulcie-Bella

I lost the game.

I lost the game and lost too my life.

I lost the game and lost too my life, which wasn’t worth much in the first place anyway.

I lost the game and lost too my life, which wasn’t worth much in the first place anyway, but thanks to him, was still worth living.

I lost the game and lost too my life, which wasn’t worth much in the first place anyway, but thanks to him, was still worth living. But just barely. Barely enough to make me open my eyes every morning.

I lost the game.

Rain hammered against my skull; white noise compared to the screaming wrecking my insides.

I stared at the flickering shadows on the wall, trying to drown out the pounding in my chest.

Anything but the truth.

Anything but the nightmare I had just found myself in.

Then an angel appeared, his eyes sunken into their sockets and his skin draping off a thin frame.

His halo blinded me. His wings appeared torn and broken. Help. That’s all I wanted.

But even as I whispered the word, I knew I couldn’t trust anything anymore. His hand in mine was too cold. Yet as he pulled away, I swore my heart tore in two.

I couldn’t form a coherent string of thoughts. The world was red, yellow, green, blue, spinning away from me. But as he lifted me from my place upon the balcony, something sharp dragged along my spine and sent shivers down my body. I knew I needed to stay awake.

He said he’d protect me.

I clung to that hope, even as every part of my body was desperate to let go. Why didn’t I let go?

He laid me on the back seats of what I could only assume was his car. I was in agony, but I was numb. Oh-so numb.

The road lights merged into each other and blurred. Something wet ran down my cheek. It was salty. They were tears.

I just wanted to fall into the sempiternal embrace of sleep once again. I dared not to blink, or even rest for a moment, as I would not come back to reality. He muttered something.

He said my name.

How did he know my name?

I could not resist any longer. Weights pulled my eyelids shut, and finally I was at peace. I was there…but I wasn’t.

I suspected that was the most restful sleep I had in my life.

As I awoke, the morning sun shocked me into full consciousness. I sat up, slowly, and felt a stabbing pain in my ribs. I looked down at my ruined body to see a cloth wrapped around my torso dyed red. I laid back down and craned my throbbing neck to gaze around. I was in a car park, it seemed, opposite a motel. I saw a road sign – I-10 Arizona. Arizona. Oh.

I shifted my position to look around inside the car, when a sudden surge of awareness hit me.

I was nowhere near home.

I felt a rush of energy flow through my bones, and I thrashed and hammered against the door. It was locked. My ribs burned like there was no tomorrow. Yet, I fought and body-slammed the window again and again and again…

My knuckles were bleeding, yet the glass had not yet shattered. I screamed even though my lungs burst. This was it. I would perish of heatstroke and starvation in the back seat of someone’s car. I would die here, without being able to even say goodbye. My mother…and my father…they would forever wonder where I had gone all those years ago, and they would never find out. I screamed for a bit longer, but it came out as a weak rasp from deep in my throat.

I accept it.

I let out one last breath.

And then, I let myself cry myself back to sleep.

“Oh, you poor thing...”

They said.

The Mystery of the Stolen Mirror

by Gabrielle

“Sapphire! Wake up!”

It was the first school day of the Autumn term, and I was under the blanket nice and cosy. My best friend’s (Ivy’s) face appeared looming above my bed.

“Get up! We’re going to be late!”

I groaned and crawled out of bed, leaving the warmth and comfort. I began to get ready and went with Ivy down to the Dining Hall. After breakfast, I felt more energised and was happy that we were going to play my favourite sport (lacrosse). We all headed down to the playing fields and began to play.

After our lesson, all pupils were called by our principal (Mrs Smith) to an assembly in the hall. She came in with a very grave face.

“Girls, I am here to report that something very grim has happened. Someone’s mirror has been stolen. I hope it was an accident, but could you please return it to its owner if you have it.”

After that, she dismissed us, and we went away talking in small groups about what we had been told. We had a mystery on our hands: who had stolen the mirror?

We began to ponder who had the motive and opportunity to commit the crime. We knew that at the time the mirror was stolen there was only one form, our form, inside the school building, having social time. All the other forms were outside and none of them left at the time of the crime, according to the teachers. The thief must be someone in our form. We went to look for clues on who stole the mirror at the crime scene. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything, but this didn’t deter us.

The next day, when I was walking to my next lesson, I stumbled upon a strand of hair trapped in the cupboard. I instinctively went to investigate, and I opened the door. I found to my greatest surprise a secret passageway that started behind the coats and jackets covering it. I squealed with excitement and dashed to go and get Ivy. We ran back to the passage and climbed through with a candle to explore. The door snapped shut behind us and our candle blew out. Ivy screamed. We banged on the door screaming for someone to help us. However, no one could hear us.

We clung to each other and groped our way through the tunnel. The tunnel seemed to go on forever and it began to get deeper and darker. We began to shiver with cold and fear and I could tell Ivy was terrified. I was too. There was no turning back now.

We went further down the tunnel and the shadows began to lift. I found myself running, drawn to the light at the end of the tunnel. I emerged into the light and began to whoop with joy. I turned around to speak to Ivy.

My heart froze.

Ivy wasn’t there.

I looked for her outside the tunnel, but she was nowhere to be found. After I lit my candle by making a small fire out of sticks, I ventured back into the tunnel. I heard the sound of someone in the tunnel, so I went further. I found Ivy crawling round on the ground apparently looking for something. I gasped in outrage. The mirror was on the ground near where she was clearly looking for it. When she saw it she grasped it as quickly as she could. She hoped I hadn’t seen it, but I had. I couldn’t believe it.

Ivy was the thief.

The Inside Job

by Jess

‘Help!’ I screamed ‘let me out!’ I was stuck. The cage bars wouldn’t budge. ‘You brought this upon yourself.’ He frowned ‘I don’t like it anymore then you do, but, but the less you scream, the easier it will be for the both of us.’

I should probably explain myself. From the start. My name is Caroline Smith and I own a bakery on the outskirts of London. Well, I did. One day I woke up to find my cash register empty and my father rocking back and forth on the stone floor. ‘He took everything’ my flushed even more ‘he threatened you.’

I shut up my shop and decided to become a detective. That was where the trouble started. I thought that if anybody was going to find out who ruined me and my family’s life, it was going to be me. I never really understood my boss. One day he was cheery and smiley. The next he would not see anyone. I sort of understood. I mean every day, he sat in his dark office, combing through stories of murder, robbery and worse. Though despite this, he was a little strange.

One day, I was reading through a possible case when I found something that interested me. It was a file that I had not seen before. Crime scene investigation: murder of Louise Roland. I did not get many murders, so intrigued, I read on. Age:25 Occupation: baker. I froze. I suddenly knew that I had to find out who murdered poor Loise. Perhaps…perhaps it was the same person who destroyed my life.

The next day, I set off to Loise’s house, the scene horrified me. I had never such… well it’s hard to describe. I suddenly felt a hand grab my shoulder and I turned around, startled. ‘Hey, it’s only me! No need to take drastic measures!’ the voice belonged to my friend Ben who was currently lowering my hand that was about to bare down on him. He worked in the forensic department of the firm and was a good friend of mine. But he never really seemed to open to me. ‘Oh, hi Ben.’ I smiled, relieved that he wasn’t a murderer. I turned to look at the room. ‘Terrible, isn’t it.’ He started, sadly. I nodded sagely ‘that poor, poor girl. Her poor family!’

There were so many suspects. It was likely that it would be the same person who broke in that night and stole all my money. But perhaps it was someone working for the thief. But in the back of my mind, I saw pictures of people that I knew. My boss? He had been even more strange then usual recently. But he owned the detective firm. Or maybe someone I worked with like my shifty shallow friend Lisa? But this was very unlikely and I was running away with myself. All I knew for sure was that I had to protect me my father and all the other innocent bakers before it was too late.

I returned home that night, pondering. ‘Hi love!’ my father exclaimed ‘did you have a good day at work?’ he let out a burst of raucous laughter. This had been his little joke ever since I started work at the detective agency. My job was to look at crimes, so it wasn’t ever a very ‘good day’. It wasn’t particularly funny on any level, especially not today. I didn’t expect what happened next. ‘OH, MY GOODNESS!’ I screamed as I stepped into my bedroom. My dad immediately burst in ‘what the-’ glass was shattered, and my furniture was smashed. There was a sticky not stuck to my wall. “Give up on Loise.” It read, “or your next.” I stepped back, terrified. I slept on the sofa that night.

I took the note to my office the next day in a sealed evidence bag. My boss looked at it gravely and told me that I had two options. I could either risk it all and investigate it myself, or I quit my job and move far away from all this danger. I took the first option. That was my biggest mistake. I could have given all of this up, taken up a peaceful, tranquil life and lived with my sister in her little cottage in France. But for some silly reason I did not. I carried on studying the case. I spent my life’s savings on security cameras and all sorts of expensive items that only caused me trouble. All the time I heard about more and more cases about baker who had problems. Very bad problems.

One day I came home to find my father already sound asleep in bed. I shoved my bag on the floor and snuggled into bed, without even stopping to remove my coat. I fell asleep almost straight away, despite my recent experience with the unimaginable. When I woke up, I was not in my own bed. That was the scariest part.

I found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling on an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar place. I sat bolt upright looking around like a demented meerkat. I immediately ran to the cage bars and shook them until my knuckles turned white. My voice was hoarse with screaming and my eyes were red with crying. ‘I don’t like it anymore then you do, but the less you scream the easier it will be for both of us.’

So that’s where we got wasn’t it. A few days later, a man dresses all in black with a pale face appeared. ‘you’re a monster.’ I whispered. He removed his black mask to reveal who had ruined my life and so many other innocent bakers. The person who had killed Loise. The person who deserved to be locked up for all eternity… My father. ‘Dad?’ I asked, hardly daring to believe what I was witnessing. ‘Yes, my love?’ a wide frown crumpled his face. ‘I’m so, so sorry.’ I think I might have passed out at that point because I seem to recall my father shaking me awake. ‘But I don’t understand. ‘I wailed, desperate to get a response ‘me neither love,’ he started ‘but I did this for you. Our bakery was never actually robbed. He paid me pretend to do that.’ He sobbed ‘and you agreed?!?!?!’ I burst ‘at the amounts he was offering, I couldn’t really say no. but then I got in to deep and he started threatening me. And you. So, I did all these disgusting things. But darling, you must understand that I did them to save you.’

That was when he started to cry. ‘So, whose he?’ I asked, desperate for some answers. ‘I, I… I’m not quite sure.’ I wasn’t sad anymore, I was angry. ‘so, you let a complete stranger blackmail you and didn’t tell me!?!’ then he walked away without giving me any sort of answer.

Eventually a man who must have been my new guard came in. He walked up to my cage bars and passed a small parcel through them. Then he walked away. I checked the parcel and found that inside of it was a small brass key! I mediately snuck out of my confinement. An alarm went off. I didn’t know what to do. So, I decided to tear at a metal door until it eventually came loose and crawl up. And finally, I saw maybe the most beautiful thing in the world. Sun.

The sun was blinding on my muddy face. I was free. I came out in a manhole a few meters away from my house. I knew I had to get away from the danger. As far as anyone was aware I was still locked up in my horrible cell. I grabbed a few of my precious belongings, some money and my passport and did exactly what I should have done from the start.

I still had so many questions swirling inside my head. Who was the robber who blackmailed my dad? Who was the man that handed me the key? Why? But to be honest I didn’t really care anymore because I moved finally to France to live with my sister. Now we share a calm peaceful life together in her beautiful little home that I now call my own as well.

Crime

by Gabrielle

Criticism floating through the air,

Ready for the mystery to be less bare.

Important files scattered about,

Many detectives inspecting around.

Excellent is the thief’s mind, but don’t be fooled, the detectives are not blind.

The Night it all Went Wrong

by Grace

It all started on another frosty and snow-filled day,

Dr P was sipping tea in his private lounge when he heard a rat tat tat, ‘Now who on earth would knock at this unheavenly hour?’ Mr Sammy [Crawley’s apprentice] opened the door to a Dame Shirly, ‘Ooh Dr P! Someone has stolen my ring!’ Dr P, called for Dr Yoshi, ‘To the detective station!’

After 2 hours of travelling in the snow, Dame Shirly let-out an exited shriek, Dr Natasha, standing at the door looking in a right grumble, ‘what took so long, lets crack this case!’

[At the crime scene...]

Suddenly, a slim figure enters the room, ‘now what on earth is THIS!!’ A voice suddenly shouts.

All shocked, sit in silence, ‘Hello??’ Now we all know we needn’t worry everyone knows there is security in places like this so no burglars.

‘Now off to business,’ the voice had an echo that pierced through walls. The mad man was wearing a full-on operation suit, silked with black. His head full of hair looked great for making a bird’s nest, if birds liked their nests spikey... His voice coming again freaky was no shriller than anything, Dr P now trembling with fear, Mr Sammy spoke up ‘Papa?’ Snow now falling even heavier, the mysterious man, who looked bonkers suddenly reconsidered, ‘ooooh I hope I didn’t mean to scare you; I’m just the latenight security guard.’ Sammy helped the man clean the rest of the museum, ‘ohh by the way I’m called Mr McValentine’ a creepy name if you ask me but... It does sound... Intriguing

At the scene, one of the worlds most praised detectives, the luckiest apprentice and a very distressed member of the royal court, all in one room. A suspicion is peering right behind them. Mr McValentine starts asking questions. Not exactly what the crime gang thought he would ask though? Questions about parallel universes, time machines and old day London, filled their heads with something of a sort. An anomaly perhaps? Maybe he was interested in science... Everyone was thinking that. Finally, a sentence that would make the night more interesting. ‘Would you like to see my boss?’ A shivering silence came. ‘Yes’.

A sparkling room, filled only by green, jewels of emerald filled the area. Dame Shirly was gobsmacked, Natasha and Dr Yoshi were hugging each other and crying, no one had seen this many riches scene the old detective manager left... He was a simple man, black suit, top hat and the kind of attitude that would make you scared just at the first glance, but now that he moved to Berlin to retire, things are different

The detective society was struggling.

[they have taken this ‘boss’ to the detective station; they are now questioning]

All the detectives are now at the table tired and absolutely beaten, this ‘accomplice’ of theirs is refusing to give any information. The detective station is as simple as always, coffee station with 2 cups left and a few miserable desks and 3 rusted-out computers. This mystery man they have got locked in their dusty and ancient basement with only one arrest lock. And it’s not fancy...��’we must do something to make him speak.’, why would someone, as innocent as a museum supervisor be so strict on information? Something smelt fishy here.

The museum had to be investigated so, the next day Mr Sammy was sent to do some more investigating

‘Curiouser and curiouser.’ He had found a speaker hidden between two Shakespeare books. [Back at the detective station] Mr Sammy walks in, ‘I need to show you something.’ He showed them the speaker it says ‘to the library on the back,’ Dr P was impressed.

[at the library]

They found a leaning door and they stepped inside; millions and millions book they found. Torches and rusted skulls everywhere. ‘Must be a warning.’ Muttered Dr P they walked down the narrow alleyway creaks and crack pinged off everywhere they went their footsteps could be heard off a mile away.

At the end of the corridor, they found a stuck-up door it had the engraving of a lion they opened it, inside they found a tree, and they closed the door CLICK! ‘Did someone lock the door?’ Asked Mr Sammy no one knew who it had done Dr P tried to unlock the locking nob it was not there! �� Then they all saw a glimmering object it was stuck between 2 parts of tree root, someone had planned this out, someone who did not want them to escape! DUM, DUM, DDUUMM!! Then… they heard a song.

Dig with your shovels,

Up into the root.

Climb your way high, then drop in the boot Hehehe!

They had all began digging up the tree, this had taken an hour or so. By the time they got the glimmering object out they were all exhausted! It was another speaker! It says ‘to the abolish,’ said Dr P ‘I know, we have a room called the abolish on the second floor of the detective station!’

[at the detective station]

‘Come on, the room is this way!’ They were all so exited they could hardly have their excitement as they rushed through the station and entered the room, there was a letter on the low oak coffee table. It looking like it had been folded and unfolded millions of times it had said ‘find the key to open the door, don’t hesitate, start now!’ they had to start looking under, over, and up! They whizzed round the room for hours finally Dame Shirley found the key hidden underneath 2 floorboards. It was small and frail wording, but Dr Yoshi managed to read out, ‘Finally! who has the most expensive watch here? �� the group then pondered on this for days, everyone was stumped. Was this another code? Why didn’t it tell them to go to another room? ‘I know! The BOSS he has tons of watches on his hands!’ they ran to the cellars ‘take off your watches, NOW’ ordered Dr P to the BOSS he obliged. He even took off on from his leg! For 2 days they kept sorting and sorting through... Until they found the tiniest of writing ‘ha the sensation!’

[at the station]

‘YOUR THE ONE WHO STOLE MY RING!’ Dame Shirley was MAD madder than mad she wanted that ring desperately. ‘How did you find out it was meeeeeeeeeeeee’ �� the BOSS was looking smug? But why? Who would look so smug to go to jail? Dr P asked the final question of the night, ‘why are you so excited to go to prison?’ here came the response, ‘free food.’ all the boss wanted was a morsel of cake loaf with raspberry ripple ice cream��

The crime was simple, let me explain,

Some of the letters on the clues were on capital, they were the for a reason obv... Dame Shirley knew this because she had been married to the old detective manager. He was why she went straight to Dr P instead of any other police station her husband always relied on Dr P so she knew that she could too��.

And she knew that she could also solve this crime because she visited her husband every day at the office and heard him ranting about cases for half an hour, an hour straight.

The Mystery

by Gabrielle

The crime has happened, Everyone’s joy has saddened.

The crime scene is being inspected, Soon the thieves will be dejected.

Peace will be restored, Finishing with a thunderous round of applause.

We just have to wait, As the detectives have a lot on their plate.

The thieves will be discovered, All their thievery will be uncovered.

So watch out thieves for you will be found, And we will all be safe and sound.

The Mysterious Case of Sebastian Valcourt

by Cecilia

The crimson velvet folds of her dress, carrying an air of secrecy stood stark against the dreary backdrop. The steady, dismal pattering of rain hit the path; heavy, ominous, foreboding clouds overshadow the sun. Priscilla Pembroke, sister of Maximilian Valcourt’s fiancé, Cordilia Pembroke walks up the long, winding driveway to Rosamund House. She knocks two sharp raps on the solid, oak door. The brass knocker feels superior and substantial in her soft, supple palms. She waits. No one answers. She waits a few seconds more, then slips silently through the door. As she steps over the threshold and into the manor, the corridor unfolds before her. The distant caw of crows echoes through the walls like a warning. The creaky floorboards groan as she makes her way nonchalantly along the wide hallway. Large, ancestral paintings loom over her. They track her movements; eyes following her every movement.

Priscilla tries each door in turn. All locked. She tries to thrust it down – her attempts are futile. She is about to abort her mission, give up hope and retrace her steps back outside silently praying her attempts went unnoticed. Then, out of the corner of her eye she sees a door left ajar. Priscilla’s curious instincts get the better of her, and she seeks out what remains behind the door. Her views are partially obscured by a large traditional, mahogany-oak bureau. A letter placed on top: written in deep, purple ink. It looks as though it bears important symbolism: the writer had left it there for someone to notice it. Small, cursive script is imprinted upon this thick, cream parchment paper. Her fingers hover above the letter, she hesitates, her heart drumming like distant thunder approaching. With trembling hands, she unfolded the letter. The ink had bled. The words had wept beneath the writer’s hand. “I’m sorry Priscilla. It was too good to be true.” She chokes a painful sob and sinks to the ground. Her dress pools around her like blood.

Love does crazy things. Things that you can’t bear.

Extract from Lost

by Rhiannon

The visitors begin to disperse from the museum. All you can hear is the light whispers of the few keen historians wanting to cram in as much as they can before we are closed from the public. One of them comes towards me, examines me and scurries off as the doors begin to close. The lights dim until we are all shut away in the dark. I close my eyes slowly, inspecting the trumpets as I do so. I fall asleep amongst the other figures in my cabinet.

Once, I finally open my eyes, I know the gloomy lights should already be on in the building. I listen but all I can here is a cacophony of noise cluttering the large room. Yet, I can’t see anything but a small crack of light through a wooden surface. This light is bright though. Brighter than the museum’s lights have ever been. I start to think to myself. No ideas run through my head apart from the thought of I’m trapped and I’m lost and I’m in the dark. A loud rumble vibrates through me; I turn round in circles to deduce where it’s coming from. It feels like it’s coming from all angles. I panic.

The small bright crack of light suddenly vanishes. This time a louder rumble begins. Much louder than anything I’ve ever heard. Louder than the constant noise from the small people that the big people always reply with the same phrase of shush. I am suddenly knocked over onto my side by an unexplainable force that makes me feel like I’m moving like when the cleaners come and pick me up so they can dust around my shelf just stronger. My head spins and my wooden body crashes down towards the floor.

I slowly lift my head; I’ve got used to this strange feeling now. I hear a clang and a creaking door. The dark place I am in is turned on its side and is moved forwards. Its suddenly turned the right way up again and I fall back down onto the floor, hitting my head and twisting my wooden paw. The back of the wooden area opens and light floods in. I see a large shape. As it comes closer, I notice what it is. A human. Like the ones that visit me every day in the museum. Their hands reach in and grab me.

Deceive

by Vinudi

December 11th, 1993, 8:30pm

Eugene Hall was the grandest thing I have stepped into. The chandelier, full of intricately lit candles, blinded my eyes as I stared at the portraits that told stories of long ago. The hall was full of wealthy people in extravagant garments, tailored suits and dresses with golden lace dragging on from the bottom. I was immersed in its beauty. Although rich, I have never stepped foot anywhere like this. My father always lectured me about being a proper lady and staying inside doing housework, I despised him. I was stuck staring at the beauty until I heard a voice say “Harriet! Over here,” It was my assistant Jason Eugene. He was a rather clever but tardy fellow and would often help me with important cases. I waved back at him politely with a grin.

“So how are you?” Jason asked.

“I needed that break” I said smiling “But I feel great getting back into business.”

Suddenly a flood of applause filled the room, and a girl elegantly entered full of elegance and poise. Roses with emerald, green leaves were placed like a crown on her head. A white and pink dress trailing behind her specks of gold sparkling on the tips of her sleeves. Her curls from her golden honey-pot hair glimmering from the light from the chandelier.

My sister, Elliana.

“That’s my daughter!” Someone from the crowd cheered. It was father of course, Elliot Montgomery. He never said anything, but I found it obvious that he favoured her more than me. He bought her luxurious and puffy dresses, all sorts of jewellery and well to put it simply anything she wanted.

“You raised her well brother, it’s a shame her sister isn’t anything like her,” A voice praised in the crowd, My Aunt, Mrs. Mary Allison.

I was always compared to my sister. “Be like your sister!” my father would say. I walked over to her. I have always seen her in the latest newsletters or magazines posing like a natural for the camera. She had short, dark brown hair dressed in a long black silk dress, a hat that covered most of her head and a feather boa to complete her attire. My father spotted me and glared at me sternly, gesturing for me to “run along” when she caught sight of me.

“Yes?” she asked, tilting her hat upward to get a good look at me.

“Uh yes, hi” I replied staring with disappointment at father.

She looked at me like I had gone mad then her husband, Nicholas Allison stepped in “Oh this your other daughter”

My father walked away, pouring a glass of wine.

I walked away in frustration, stamping my feet hard enough so my father could hear. Then the cook – Chef Fionna Houston – announced that the feast was about to commence. My stomach rumbled at the thought of food.

We were all seated in an extravagant dining room with mummers of excitement running across the room as people waited for the meal to be served, fork and knife in hand.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach like a metal shard stabbed me. I sneaked out carefully, heading to the bathroom with my now blurry vision. As soon as I stepped in the lights started to flicker as I heard muffled screams filled with agony and fear. I leaned on the wall, my heart pounding louder than a tribal drum. Eventually, the lights turned on, and I rushed back to the dining hall, my feet aching with pain.

As soon as I got there, my jaw dropped as my eyes widened, tears starting to form.

I saw the lifeless body of Elliana. She was dead.

“She had so much of life ahead of her!” My aunt cried, wiping droplets that came down from her eyes.

My father stood there; life drained from his face as he clenched his fist. He looked awfully pale.

“Excuse me everyone” he said quietly leaving the dining room.

“Everyone stay calm” I shouted, my voice echoing through the room “Jason, I need you.”

He sprinted at me, knocking plates and utensils while doing so. She was stabbed. A knife was stuck near her stomach as her gown was now drenched with blood. Tears were streaming down my face as Jason put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It’s OK, we’ll figure this out.” Then a silence came over the room.

Emerging from the curtains was a grey fog towering over the guests. Toxic gas. I got down on my knees, using my jacket as my mask. I crawled towards the stairs, inhaling gas every second. Before I knew it, everything went black.

I woke up to a voice full of fear. I felt lightheaded as streaks of blood trickled down my knee.

“My is husband GONE, Elliana’s body has disappeared, and my brother has gone to!” My Aunt screamed.

I limped over and spoke “How? We were only out for an hour, right?”

“Nope” Jason said pointing at the clock.

11:30. Three hours had passed since the gas attack. My heart sank.

“Jason, we need to figure this out,” I whispered as I walked towards him.

He nodded and grabbed my hand, walking upstairs.

“My father went to the bathroom right, we should probably head there” I stated, still perplexed after the recent events.

We arrived shortly after Jason knocked on the door. “Mr. Montgomery are you alright?” He asked, continuously pounding on the door.

No answer. He continued knocking, each one becoming progressively louder. Jason sighed and counted to three under his breath. He punched the door open. He peered in and froze.

“Jason, what happened” – I began and paused. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

My father laid dead and was viciously pale. I turned around and saw the leg of Mr. Allison under the bathroom cubicles. I didn’t want to even think what could be over there.

“No sign of blood must be poison,” I observed as Jason looked at me confused.

“But –” He started but then suddenly and a screech combined with loud breaking of glass, came from downstairs. Without thought, I dashed downstairs with a tired Jason trailing behind me.

The gas jeopardized our progress by hours and at least 3 people had died. Miss. Allison had attempted to escape twice but all doors were locked, and we were trapped.

While pondering, a man walked in with a young boy hiding behind him. Thomas King and Alexander Allison. Thomas was the Allison family assistant and Alexander was Nicholas’ and Mary’s son.

“Sorry, this one wanted to” Thomas began.

“Where have you all been!?” Miss Allison interrupted.

Alexander muttered something quietly as I stared at him. Did he know his father was well –dead?

“Alex sweetheart come with me,” Miss Allison whispered grabbing Alex’s hand.

Alex was dragged out of the room as all eyes turned on Thomas. “Where have you been this entire time, Thomas?” Jason asked.

“With Alex, Captain’s orders,” He replied jokingly. The room turned silent as Jason asked “Why, what happened?”

Suddenly, screams of sadness echoed across the hall, “Why? Why him of all people?” Alex exclaimed, running off.

“That,” Jason said, “Three people including Alex’s father are dead,”

“And there was a gas attack earlier,” A voice added.

It was Mr. Eugene, Jason’s father, and Sarah Eugene.

“Dad where have you–” Jason began.

“I was discussing business matters with Sarah until the gas attack; we awoke quite recently.”

Mr. Eugene interrupted wiping the tears from his eyes “I heard about Elliot,”

“Oh well I didn’t notice,” Thomas stated shrugging.

Something didn’t seem right about Thomas. “I’m going to investigate further, you stay with your father and Sarah,” I said.

“But–”

“Your father’s friend just died comfort him,” I interrupted harshly.

Jason didn’t argue any further as he nodded. I rushed upstairs. I was determined to figure out this case.

December 12th, 1993, Midnight

I was getting worried. Harriet was gone for a while. I sat next to my dad and sister awkwardly. My Father was awfully quiet as my sister was sobbing furiously. Thomas had ran to go to Alexander and Fionna Houston was with Miss Allison.

“I’m going to check upstairs, to see if Harriet is OK,” I said, rubbing my hand on my father’s back.

They nodded in agreement as I charged upstairs. She was acting weird; she knew the exact way her father died. Poison. Wait. She was gone during the blackout. No, it can’t be her. My father, sister and Thomas weren’t there either. I went to the bathroom door and knocked on it. “Harriet,” I shouted, leaning on the door. No response. Weird. I kept knocking and kept receiving no response. Suddenly I heard screams from downstairs. Oh no…

December 12th, 1993, 12:30

I stood near dead bodies with a knife in my hand. Miss Allison had fled but I gave up trying to chase her.

“Harriet...” A voice whispered, “How could you,”

“Your outnumbered Jason, everyone is dead, and Miss Allison has fled selfishly,”

“Actually,” Miss Allison said with officers around her “Not really,”

My hands were tightened into cuffs. If my father never favoured my sister, this wouldn’t have happened. I did the needful. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold.

The Murder

by Gabrielle

The park was empty except from the dark, ominous trees. I shuffled forward, scared with what I might encounter with each step. In the distance, a wolf howled and I shivered at the thought that if anything or anyone came towards me, I would not see them until it was too late.

Suddenly, I heard an ear-splitting scream and instinctively I ran to get shelter. The scream was swiftly followed by the ground-shaking sound of a gunshot. I stifled my screams of terror and horror. I waited for what felt like hours before I ventured out of my hiding spot. When I saw what lay before me, I couldn’t stop the scream from exploding out of my mouth. Before me was the body of a young man, lying crooked on the floor. I ventured closer only to see to my absolute horror a pool of dark liquid. Blood! He had been shot!

I ran as fast as I could back to my house, but when I got there the door was open and the glass had been shattered. I ventured in, terrified at what I might find. There was no one home and the ground was covered in blood.

I had to get away from here. I had to find my parents, before it’s too late.

Mistakes

by Isabelle

The rain hammered down onto the abandoned shed. The thunder rumbled and roared like a steam train. I was dripping wet and still cowering under the abandoned carriage desperately trying to keep the rain back. Suddenly I saw a beam of light coming from the sky and I quickly reacted by steadily crouching towards the damp wood at the back. I closed my eyes. And hoped.

I woke up the next morning, barely able to lift me head and neck of the ground. After massaging my neck thoroughly, I thought back to the night before.

The building. The bully. Me. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to. But I did it. And then I ran. But I had to make it right. I had no choice. So, I got out of the shed which had provided 0 protection for me and made my way towards the city.

As I entered the inner walls, I knew they were looking for me. By then they had definitely received a full report of my… problems. The only sound you could hear was my fast-beating heart and the sound of deafening sirens. On a giant screen on the top of a building, the news was on.

“…This girl has killed brutally, and the police insist that she is a deadly threat to our community. So, if you see her find shelter and call the police immediately.”

I suddenly noticed the countless people starting at me, one old lady shakingly started to dial a number on her phone. Without even really knowing what I was doing, I ran faster than ever. Through the busy traffic on a Monday morning, cars blaring their ferocious horns at me. Run. Run. Run. Through old alleyways, homeless people grabbing at me (there was probably a price over my head), and people flinging their washing over me, trying to blind me. Eventually, I pulled over to an abandoned car park in the middle of nowhere.

“What trouble have you gotten into?” a voice said from a shadow in the corner.

I froze in my place; the breath knocked out of me.

“Nothing. Who are you?”

“Nothing? Don’t lie to me.”

I froze. Should I tell the truth? This… person sounded like I could trust them, but you never know.

“You can trust me, I promise. I am from a secret society, HIDE. We promise to look after you.”

‘We’? I couldn’t see anything or hear anything. Who are these people? I had NEVER heard of HIDE before; it must be pretty secret.

“I am Joe, Joe Brown”

“I knew I recognised your face from the paper. Bad thing you did!” a rage flared up inside me. They didn’t know the full story! They didn’t know what I was going through.

“Listen, all of us know what is going on, we know how to handle this. You join us, all of your problems will end, just like that. What do you say? Friend”

The last word scared me. A lot. But I no place to go. There was a great price over my head so anyone would come for me. I had no choice.

“Sure. But you have to promise me that you, whoever you are, will look after me, and not give me into the police. Do you understand?” I tried my best to sound as menacing as possible. Tried. But I was quivering the whole time.

“Welcome then, to HIDE”

As soon as the last letter left their mouth, bright light shone from a beam, from the car park. Birds’ feathers flapped all over me, blinding me from any vision. When the birds settled down, there was a beautifully garnished car park in front of me. What had I gotten into? And then it all went black.

“What shall we do with her, sir?”

“I don’t know. She seems utterly useless, but I see a small sign of potential.”

“What jobs should we set for her in the meantime?”

“No, she trains straight away. She will be perfect for mission ‘jump’”

Then the scratchy blanket was pulled off me. That was what let the headache kick in. It was as if a million hammers were banging on all sides.

“Get up!”

“Where am I…”

“Don’t ask stupid questions! The car park, remember? Where you spoke to Robby.” The person suddenly turned his head away to someone down a corridor.

“I can’t believe sir is training her!” a grunt came from further back.

“Now, do I have to ask you again? Get out of the bed!”

“Fine! But I want to meet this person who you call ‘sir’. He sounds like he is in charge of this… thing!”

The man groaned in annoyance. He had never had to deal with a teenager like this. He then dragged me out into the rusting corridor where he had called out to. That’s when I noticed that they had put me in thick handcuffs on my sweating wrists. What did they think I was? A monster! In a way, I didn’t want to meet ‘sir’. The way he spoke sent chills up my spine, paralysing me.

“Here we are. Good luck! I think you’ll regret ever asking me to bring you to sir’s office! Oh, and make sure you are polite to him. Call him sir. I made that mistake when I first came here, make sure you don’t do the same!” the man then rubbed his neck, remembering whatever happened.

Be brave. Be brave! I told myself. What the man had said scared the life out of me. He said be polite. Okay. That means knocking on a door before entering, for example. So, I wearily lifted my clenched fist to the door. I knocked. I waited.

In fact, I waited for longer than you could ever imagine! It felt like days. He, I mean sir, must have been testing me, working out my full potential for ‘mission jump’. After a very long time, the door unexpectedly opened, revealing a man who was about my height at the time. And that was short.

“Ah! Joe! How are you? Seem a little tired, no? Come in and make yourself at home!”

He seemed nice enough. But what that man had told me, was not nice.

“You have come to ask me what is going on, right? Well, you have committed to HIDE now, so you will do whatever I tell you, yes?”

“Yes sir. I was just wondering, I…”

“No, please, don’t explain I already know! Many people have come here, just like you, searching for help, or a new job.”

“Oh no, sir, you have got it all wrong! I came in here because I had been running from the people chasing me. Not for a job! I wanted to make it right! I am sorry sir, but please may you let me go?”

“Oh dear. I am sorry Joe, but you said that you would join HIDE, and I have a job for you. If you complete this, you will be set free to do whatever you like. But you would never enter here again or speak of HIDE, nor its location. If you don’t complete the job, you will stay here permanently and continue to do jobs for me. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Yes sir.”

“Amazing! We promise to look after you in this short amount of time, but you have some training to do! And I know what you’re thinking. Don’t ask about the job, it will be best if you don’t know for now.”

What was this job? I definitely did not agree to this! They had tricked me. And this mission seemed pretty important to them, so I better not mess it up.

Out of nowhere, the man appeared and lead me to what seemed like a training ground.

“How did it go? Seems like you weren’t hit! Which I guess is a positive…”

“He said that I can’t leave. Unless I do a job.”

“Sir! You never know who is listening. And, I mean, if I wanted, I could go knock on his door now!”

“You wouldn’t. Right?”

“I probably would if it meant I could leave.”

“Oh. Thanks a lot”

Without saying much more, he took me to a towering building which swayed in the wind unsteadily. The wood was covered in moss and was quickly decaying.

“Well, up you go!”

“What?”

“You heard me. It is scary at first, but you get used to it.”

Then he walked off. I really hated heights. When I was only little, I fell off a climbing frame, and since then, I could barely step off the ground. So off I went. The first part was the worst. I couldn’t help looking down. And when I did, the world was spinning so fast I couldn’t move any more. So, I was stuck. In mid-air. On a tower which was going to fall any second. The world was still spinning. Then my grip was loosening. Only a bit, but it was.

Then I was falling. I didn’t even know what happen. I just fell. 5 meters felt like 10. What would happen next. I had done wrong. I was going to fix it and make everything better. But in the end, I had fallen of a beam. Then the breath was knocked out of me.

The Plan

by Phoebe

It all started on a cloudy night, Dr Spencer (or rather known by Sheldon) was working on one of his amazing plans like normal when all of a sudden he heard the most atrocious sound. It was like thunder hitting an elephant and then going through the elephant to then hit the ground and coursing an avalanche. Anyway to get the point it was a VERY VERY loud noise. Dr Spencer looked up anxiously. In fright that the whole building might blow up, he ran outside.

It wasn’t long till the whole city was awake and crowded around the source of the loud sound. There were loud sirens going off, shouting everywhere but out of the corner Sheldon’s eye he saw a peculiar suspicions looking silo-wet of a human holding a wired looking shape and even though it was risky he decide to follow them. Hiding behind a bin filled to the brim, Spencer decided to investigate. Just like his favourite crime film Sherlock Holmes.

He heard snoring and finally came to a stop in front of a ratty old building. He looked up and down it and was not impressed. He followed the noise into the building and went up lots of stairs. Peaking around a corner, he then found so men in black clothes.

At that sight he took his latest invention out of his pocket. The Tracker. It tracks anything it is attached to and when it goes somewhere like the bank it will sound a loud noise and will aware everyone in the whole city. But there was one thing wrong, he had to get close enough to attach the machine. This was a problem because he didn’t want to be seen.

Crawling along the floor, Dr Spencer went through the door. He was now in the same room as the curious looking people. There were three things that he could do:

He could,

a) Approach the people and ask them what they were doing.

b) Carry on and try not to be seen.

c) Hutch back and try not to get into trouble.

He thought to himself and like Sherlock Holmes he decided to investigate more so he went with B.

Now all he had to do was try not to get caught. He scrambled across the floor and looked around. He hadn’t noticed that the room was empty except for the people. “oh!!!!!!!!” He said aloud forgetting that he had to be quite. Immediately one of the men turned around and whispered to his companions . “OI YOU!!!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?????” The other one called. Sheldon stood up (happily because his back was really hurting) and ask the men what they were doing? The men ran out one behind the other which actually was not a good idea. Sheldon immediately followed the humans.

They all darted out of the building like arrows. One after the other. Sheldon, who was not really not knowing what he was doing, he ran after them ideas racing around his head unlucky for the people they ran into a big crowd caused by the loud noise. Sheldon shouted as loud as he could “HELP!!!!!” The police officer nearby heard the commotion and came racing over to Sheldon. “Over there” Dr Spencer called. The police officer ran after them and cornered the mysterious figures in a gloomy alley way. He brought out his gun and instructed them to put their hands to their head. They did so and when they got into the spotlight of the road lamp, there was a police car waiting for them. As they climbed in, the police officer said thank you and that they had been looking for Bob, Bert and Garry (the thief) for ages for. Once again the police officer thanked Sheldon and got into the car. As they drove away Sheldon turned around and said “What an evening!!!”

Detective Story

by Kashvi

“Miss Austin, would you be so kind to not stare into space and to answer my question?”

Miss Mandri. Ali had never liked her much either, always she seemed to target her. Ali swore she followed her around during break just to catch a glimpse of something she could gossip to the class in front of her face. Miss Manrdi asked the question again. A snigger came from the back of the classroom. But such a recognizable snigger. Ted Halburd. What is he doing here? Ali thought. Miss Mandri spoke again.

“Ah, class, it seems I forgot to mention the arrival of Mr. Halburd. He will be joining us as a role model for today’s lesson.”

The rest of the class cheered. Ali rolled her eyes. So much for the separation of boys and girls school, she thought.

“Would Mr. Halburd perhaps like to come up to show Miss Austin how this calculation is completed?” Miss Mandri questioned in a sickly sweet voice.

It made Ali cringe at the look of her orange hair messy and sticking out, and to see the corner of her red-stained mouth, skin wrinkled aside it, curl into a smile. It almost looked unnatural on her face. Ted took a look at Ali and smirked, walked to the blackboard, and took the pen from Miss Mandri. As she looked adored by him, Ali noticed that the red pen was smeared with a red liquid. As Ali looked over to her desk, the rulers were also stained with them. Ali looked back up at the math’s teacher. The first thing her eyes caught on was the red lipstick again, a dark crimson. It

was quite obvious those smears had been made by her lipstick, every time Miss Mandri talked, she held up the object to make sure the dumb students in her class (AKA everyone) was sure of what they were doing. Surprisingly, she even didn’t appreciate Marley’s intelligence. One would have thought that, if she was not happy with twenty average students, she would be happy with one smart one. Apparently not. While she explained, the lipstick from her lips would touch the surface of the rulers as she brought them close enough. Ali suddenly came back from her fantasy world when a sharp whistle and multiple claps started to emerge. Ali then looked over, somewhat confused at the board again. Ted was standing boisterously proud in front of the blackboard. Ali puffed. He had stolen the spotlight. Yet again. Ali continued staring into space, acting disinterested while the claps became even louder. And suddenly, the claps became silent and multiple high pitched screams took place. The world had turned off the lights.

There was a distant scream, so loud that it was more audible than those of the children in the classroom. Its sudden appearance was so quick, it startled many. The lights had turned off, so only the covered glow of the shut windows brought in light. Ali shot into the air, hairs tingling on the back of her neck. Before she could think what to do next, the lights had turned on, and the teacher was darting around the classroom. Her hair was even more messy than it was before and she was panting. Miss Mandri counted everyone was safe. When she finished counting, a look of dread overtook her face, and a voice suddenly left her upside down u-shaped mouth.

“Where is Ted Halburd?”, she questioned frantically, she searched underneath the chair and behind the curtains, places which were not humanly possible to hide in. He couldn’t be found. While everyone else was in a state of shock, Ali quickly came into action. She was prepared for this, months of training for this was what she wanted. Well, not that she did want this to happen. Ali roamed the school corridors, wary at the turn of the corners. Inside other classrooms, other children were still learning. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Ali was distraught. How could they not react when the lights had just went off and they heard the screams from the other side of the corridor. Ali thought for a moment, before considering the doors were soundproof, whereas she hadn’t bothered to close the door behind her. Maybe it was good that she didn’t. But the students would definitely have reacted if the lights had turned mysteriously on and off, wouldn’t they? She quickly shook her head and continued down the corridor. She needed to find the answer to two questions. Why did the person scream? And where was Ted Halburd? Walking without thinking, Ali’s head was lost in thought. Until she felt a splash. She had stepped in a liquid. Looking down, she saw the liquid was a deep red, oozing along the corridor. It continued in a direction up the stair. So up the stairs Ali went. And when she arrived at the top, she stopped. Ali swallowed down a scream. Her eyes lay upon it. There, at the top of the staircase, laid Marley Slamm, a dagger inserted into her body. Her face was a mess and the look on it was a look of terror. Ali’s eyes shifted up to Ted standing next to her. He was deep in observation, searching for anything that could help him identify who was the culprit. A metallic odour hung in the air as Ali stopped and time froze. It seemed like countless hours before a siren came, and people wearing bright yellow costumes flooded the building. They wore yellow caps and their shoes were dirtied and muddy. But their faces were unreadable, a solemn and grave expression, concealing their fear and pain for a humans death. Alongside them came Marley’s parents.

They stepped forward, clutching each other so hard the nail marks could be seen on their skin. Their faces were full of hope, that their only child had survived, that the injury wasn’t as bad as described. But they immediately turned grey when they saw Marley being covered by a greyish white cloth. A tear rolled down both their cheeks, followed by another, an another, until their faces were wet with pain. Her mother wailed, her knees giving way and allowing her to drop down, and her father was alike. He cradled his arms, like re-enacting when he had first held her. And in the middle of this, Ali stood staring blankly at the body.

Ted had a solemn expression on his face, one that Ali couldn’t make out, but it told her he was in the game again, and he wouldn’t rest till he had found the answer.