A Mystery At Ravenscroft

What Happened?

Madilyn

September 24th, 2021

I'm not okay. This is not okay. It doesn't make any sense what's happening. I just spoke to Claudia the other night; what is going on? I wipe the streams of tears off my face, holding myself together with my arms because I'm shaking uncontrollably. I had another episode at Viridian yesterday. In front of everyone. That was the last thing anyone expected to hear, especially me. Who would want to hurt them and then discard them in the woods like that? Claudia was a kind soul, one who wanted to help me. But now they're gone, just like that. I really thought we were on to finding out what happened to Ken. Eventually, the tears stop coming, and my eyes are red and dry. They sting every time I blink, which is the least amount of pain I'm feeling right now. Claudia's family is having a private funeral with just their immediate family, so I cannot go, which I feel bad about. Was I one of the last people they saw before they.... no. There's no way I was the last person they talked to. But how do I know that for sure?

I try to recount everything I saw at the crime scene in Nighbury Falls that day. Was there anything suspicious, out of place? Well, for starters, why was Yasmina in Nighbury Falls? Wasn't she the one in Claudia's friend group? How is it a coincidence that Yasmina happens to be at the crime scene where her best friend was dumped? How did she know that the body was of someone from Ravenscroft, where we all live? Who told her that, or did she know all along because she did it? But there's no way Yasmina did it; she's too pure and too sweet. She literally started crying at Viridian in the common room one time because a fly landed on her cup, and while she was trying to shoo it away, she accidentally knocked it into her glass. She saw the fly struggling to get out, but it died inside the bubbly liquid in her glass. She felt so bad, so she took the glass outside on the terrace and laid the fly to rest on the balcony. She cried over a fly, which only has a lifespan of only a few days anyway. There is no physical way she could murder someone and dump them like that without being in shambles. But do we really know anyone these days?

The way people were pushing and running to go see who it was in the woods like that... it makes me very uneasy. This is really big news in Nighbury Falls and in Ravenscroft. There hasn't been a reported murder in Nighbury Falls since 25 years ago. With it being a small town, there was little traction, and everyone there lived a quiet life. Usually, the only reason non-residents of Nighbury Falls go through there is to get to Ravenscroft. With Ravenscroft having one of the best universities in the country and a mall with every store imaginable, everyone is itching to go there once. But someone took the time to murder Claudia, then dump them in the woods.

I think about the night we spoke, trying to see if anything was off about that night. I remember their parents not being home, and them telling me the incident they overheard about Ken. But there wasn't anything that alarmed me. Wait, could it be... that someone killed them because of what they told me? It's just a coincidence that the moment they tell me something they've been holding onto for so long, they're gone just like that. There has to be a correlation here somewhere. I think about the note that was under my chair at Viridian. Could the same person who put the note there have done something to Claudia? It seems like every time we get a step closer to figuring out what happened to Ken, we get set back 10 steps. So if we can find out who killed Claudia, we can find out what happened to Ken. I can't ask Cass or Viv because as of late they just haven't been there for me. I honestly don't want to talk to them for a while. I'm just gonna give them the space that they clearly need. Who doesn't check in on their grieving friend after something this tragic happened? I really need to make some new friends because the ones I have are not very supportive. As I'm laying on my bed with a bag of gummy worms at my side, my phone buzzes.

Can u come to 2 school pls? I have someone I want u to meet. If u don't want to, I understand, but pls, I h8 doing these by myself...

I see this message from Toby, and I hesitate. I love Toby to pieces, but why ask me when he knows how bad I feel right now? As if reading my mind, he texts a second later saying:

nvm, stupid question. srry, feel better <3

I've pretty much known Toby since we were kids because our parents worked together at some big corporation, and since our parents were good friends, we were kind of forced to be too. But we didn't mind, and actually became really close up until 8th grade, when his parents decided to send him to a different school. He was bullied excessively for being the only black and gay kid at school, and he got severely depressed, as anyone would. We lost touch for a long while, but we reconnected after I found out he went to East Veridian with me. He's the same Toby I've known since elementary, but he's fully out. He does what he wants, wears what he wants, and doesn't care about any judgment. I'm so proud of him and glad to see he's winning at life.

But honestly, I do need to get up. My parents are away on another work trip, so I'm alone as usual. It would be nice to have some company. I forgot he said he had to do a tour for a new student this morning... Someone named Parker, I believe. Everyone at school is talking about her. Even though the uni is big, everyone still knows everyone because of... well money, of course. We know the rich parents, their kids, their cousins, etc. But we have never heard of Parker; no one has. Maybe I can get the inside scoop and tell Cass.. no, I forgot. I'm not talking to them, not now. But I rise out of bed and stretch. With a stream of sunlight pouring out of my window, I put up my arm to shield the sun from blaring into my eyes. I go to my closet and throw something on, and go outside to get into my car. I text Toby back with:

No, it's not a problem, see u in 10.

Within a good 10 seconds, he responds:

ur the best Mads.