A Mystery At Ravenscroft

Claudia's Confession

Madilyn

September 21, 2021

Claudia didn't give me a specific time to meet up last night, so I shoot them a quick text to confirm.

When is a good time to come over?

I hit send and pick up my book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, continuing from where I left off. I have a deep love for literature, especially classics. I'm engrossed in the book, where Dorian is trying to cover up his wrongdoing with a chemist when my phone buzzes violently.

I'm home, now is great. Come alone.

I set my book down, get up off my bed, and check the time; it's 11:00 AM. My parents are both at work, and they won't be back until later tonight. I've grown accustomed to being on my own; my parents, too consumed with their work to care for their daughter. Showered in gifts and expensive things, I have no one when I actually need them. Nineteen years of the same routine, so I've learned to care for myself. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise; I can cook almost anything without a recipe, run errands by myself, and be independent from a young age. It's who I am.

In my pajamas, I open my sliding glass closet door and grab a navy blue crewneck and some gray sweatpants. It's chilly outside, and I'm sure it's been raining. I slip on gray and white New Balance shoes and head downstairs to go out the front door. Claudia's house is only a few minutes away; many girls from Viridian live in Ravenscroft. I don't know many girls there, and I've never been to the subdivisions. Claudia and I haven't always gotten along; they used to be close friends with Viv, Cassandra, and me. However, once they started hanging out with Priscilla and Georgina, everything changed. It's as if their personality morphed into whatever the new girls wanted them to be. It's sad; we could've been a group to this day, but now they've been replaced—by Ken.

Walking down the concrete sidewalk in front of our house and to the right, towards Claudia's, the atmosphere outside today is eerie. It's kind of chilly, the sky dark blue, with crackles of lightning in the distance. The only sound is the wind whistling gently. The roads glisten from rain showers, reflecting Ravenscroft through a mirrored-like shine. No one is walking their dogs like usual—granted, it's cold and rainy—but there isn't a soul in sight. Creepy. Rain sprinkles on my face, and as I walk, my shoes slosh in puddles. I pull out my phone and text, "I'm here." Looking up, I walk towards the house that stands in front of me. I'll never get tired of this view, I say to myself. I'm greeted by a beautiful white stone statue of the goddess Athena, water spouting out on each side like a fountain. Green shrubberies line the front of the house with light poles on each side. I make my way upstairs to the right, although the left staircase would take me the same way. The house is white, with many windows, each emitting light. After reaching the top, I ring the doorbell, the only normal thing about this house. I wait in the cold, my arms covered in goosebumps. I'm shivering involuntarily, seeing my breath in the cold, frosty air. I look around; there isn't anyone else home. After contemplating leaving, I hear a noise beyond the door. About twelve locks unlock, and the door opens, revealing Claudia in their pajamas. Great, I could've stayed in mine, I think.

"Hey, thanks for coming," Claudia says, extending their arm. They stick their head out of the door, look both ways, and go back inside. "Follow me," they say.

I follow them through the maze of their house. If they left me alone for two seconds, I would never be found again, lost within the wonders of this house. After taking many stairs and turns, they direct me into a room at the end of a short hallway—it's their room. Claudia plops down on their bed and pats the space next to them, expecting me to follow suit.

Claudia's room is about the size of a classroom at Ravenscroft High, where we used to go to school. Which means the room is pretty huge—slightly larger than mine, I admit. Stepping into the room, I'm greeted by an obvious pink theme. A fancy pink rug covers the floor, baby pink walls, and their bed to match. A rustic wood theme with hints of pink complements the décor. A silver chandelier hangs in the middle of the room, acting as the light source. Two doors at the far end lead to their balcony, which likely offers a nice overview of the whole town.