536 PINEBROOK STREET. THE HOLLOW HOUSE.

Needless to say, the house was a statement piece. The whole house was a mixture of creme brick stones and black ceilings and doors, giving off a gothic aura. Large, Paris vases filled with fake flowers stood by the front door, a mini garden growing a few feet away. The whole house was odd, being the only one with a dark theme in a neighborhood that was pastel and light.

It drew eerie energy to it, one that reeked of death and fear from the start.

Phoenix and I arrived shortly after, pulling into the long black driveway. "Are you sure you still want to go through this?" Phoenix asked as we got out of the car and made our way towards the front door.

I nodded despite the heavy feeling that settled in my stomach, swallowing down my doubts.

He rang the doorbell with no hesitation. "This place looks like a funeral home" I commented, examining the big property. It was practically a mansion, with too many rooms and a big ego.

"Very fitting for what has happened" he commented just as a click of the door was heard. We held our breath as it swung open and a woman with strawberry blonde hair and grey eyes appeared in front of us. She wore a grey cardigan over her red dress, her glasses slipping down the slope of her nose. Her slender fingers held the front of her cardigan, a ring shining on her finger.

"May I help you?" Her voice sounded weak and tired like she had been crying for hours. Her gaze strayed over to Phoenix, her brows raising in surprise. "Phoenix, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise, a sudden hint of happiness in her voice.

He smiled kindly at her. "Hi, Mrs. Hollow? Can we come in for a minute? It's better to explain inside."

She nodded, opening the door wider and stepping aside for us to enter. "We've known each other long enough for you to call me Fiona," she said, laughing slightly.

We walked down a long lavish hallway filled with expensive statues and paintings right into a living room. It was bright and white, the contrast being the black furniture that stood out against the pearl-white walls. Vases stood near the coffee tables, and a tv plastered to the walls above a fireplace.

The large center table was glass and white, with a miniature decorative flower pot sitting in the middle. Phoenix and I sat down while Mrs. Hollow ran into the kitchen to gather something.

"You know her?" I asked him, raising my brows. He nodded, running his fingers through his hair.

"Back before this town corrupted us, Caleb and I were close friends. We practically grew up together" he simply explained.

"But I thought you never talked to Caleb. You told Ms. Rosenberg that he never benefited you and that you never interacted."

This time, he turned in my direction, his blue eyes burning underneath the bright lights of the living room. "That was just a lie to get me out of her plan but it didn't work."

I laughed, only briefly, and turned away. Mrs. Hollow returned with a tray and set it in front of us. There were three mugs, all filled with coffee except for hers which was filled with herbal tea. On a tiny plate were decorative cookies, small with frosting designs.

"I don't know what you kids like nowadays" she joked, taking her cup in her hands.

"That's okay," Phoenix said, taking his cup of coffee.

I hesitated but reached out for mine, taking a sip of the bitter drink. "This is Ivy by the way. She's new to ShadowHill" he explained, introducing me.

The lady smiled, reaching out for my hand. "Nice to meet you, dear," she said, shaking my hand firmly.

"You too," I said, smiling.

We sat in silence for a few moments, barely making any eye contact. Mrs. Hollow shuffled uncomfortably in her seat across from us, tapping her nails on the porcelain surface of the mug she held.

When enough silence had passed, Phoenix spoke. "Fiona, our condolences go out to you and your family during this horrible tragedy. I know how much you loved Caleb."

She sighed, nodding her head. "Thank you" she whispered, shaking her head. "It's just so hard to believe that he is truly gone. He was a shining star." She paused one moment, taking a deep breath. "Darren has been gone for the first few days since they found his body. He's been staying at his brother's house in Pennsylvania, arranging some plans for Elaine to come over and stay for a while. This whole experience has been traumatizing for her."

I looked around the living room but could not spot the tiny girl anywhere. "Is she here at the moment?" I asked.

She nodded, clearing her throat. "She is taking a nap upstairs. Poor girl has cried herself dry." Her voice cracked on the last words, her hands suddenly shaking.

Phoenix and I watched as she set her cup down on the tray, wiping her face dry. "Not to be rude but if I may ask, why are you two here?" Her grey eyes flickered between us, focusing on Phoenix. "I understand why you would be here, Phoenix. I know you and Caleb had a precious friendship."

At the mention of his deceased friend, he frowned, his jaw flexing for a minute before he cleared his throat.

"Ivy and I have been assigned to dedicate a memorial to him at school but we have tasked ourselves to uncover the truth. We want to bring peace to his death and let him rest in peace."

His voice was soft, no longer carrying that gritty undertone it usually did

Mrs. Hollow smiled, sorrowful and harsh all at once. Her eyes moved over to me, squinting. "And what is your interest in his death?"

It sounded almost as if she was questioning why I was involving myself in her son's death. Why I was in this town even.

I didn't blame her in all honesty.

Her suspicion was normal. It's not every day a new student throws themselves into a murder case with someone they've barely known for twenty-four hours.

But what was I supposed to tell her? That I had an affinity for all things dark and suspicious? That my thirst for adventure and solving things had me wandering in places I didn't belong?

Something about this town was unbalanced and I felt it the minute we settled into our new house. Something dark was looming over this town. And it was only growing stronger the longer everyone ignored it.

"To bring peace to a very unjustified case. Too many people gave up too easily."

My words seemed to pleasantly shock her but after a minute or two, she shook her head."Well, I am not sure how I can help you. It's not like I was there when it all went down."

"Just tell us what happened the night he went missing." Phoenix was growing more impatient as the minutes passed. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, placing it on the table and pressing the record. She looked nervously at him but didn't say anything, licking her lips instead.

A sigh escaped her lips, running her fingers through her distraught hair. "It was August Fifteenth. The school year was bound to start in a week or two. Caleb had this routine of meeting up with his friends early in the morning to run around the neighborhood and then go to football practice. Most of the time, he would come home before dinner time. When he wanted to stay over at a friend's house, he would make sure to contact me or his father before doing so. But he never came back that night. We assumed that he stayed over at a friend's house and just forgot to call us so the next day, we contacted his closest friend, Greyson. He said that Caleb had left with Tyson after practice so we contacted him. Expecting to talk to my son, instead, he told me that they had separated from their walk at a certain point and that he only watched him walk the main road before heading home himself. That was when we started getting nervous. We called and texted him for about two hours but all of it went straight to voicemail. Darren and I, not knowing what else to do, drove down to the police station and reported him missing. They searched for weeks but nothing turned up until yesterday when we got the call that an anonymous tip had led them to the discovery of his body."

Tears were rolling down her face, her face red and puffy. Her hands were covering her eyes, little whimpers escaping her lips. I sat in silence, not knowing what else to say or what to ask. For once in my life, since my mom died, I was in complete shock.

Phoenix got up and walked over to her, sitting down and wrapping his arms around her. "I know, Fiona," he said in a soft voice. "Don't hold it in. Just let it all out."

Words that would have sounded cruel to others were comforting in this situation. There was no point in sugar-coating the truth.

Her son was gone and there was nothing we could do but bring justice to his death.

"I just want the truth. That's all I want" she croaked between her tears.

"That's all we all want" I reassured her, folding my hands together. "But if I may ask, did Caleb have any enemies? People that weren't so fond of him?"

She paused between her tears, removing her hands from her face just enough so that we could see her bloodshot gaze. "No" she simply said, shaking her head. "He was a favorite. Everyone loved him."

Her statement seemed so sure that it broke my heart thinking about telling her otherwise. Phoenix and I shared a look but said nothing else, just sat in silence as we listened to her weep. Five minutes passed by before we stood up.

"Thank you for your help Fiona" he addressed her, getting up. "We'll do the best we can."

She nodded, watching as he got up but immediately grabbed on to his arm. Her gaze was fearful, her grip tightening on him. Her eyes traveled from me to him, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I didn't tell the police everything as it was just too much and quite frankly, I don't trust them to keep things under wraps for too long. They have already exploited my son."

Her grey eyes passed a weary look between the both of us."But strangely I trust you two more. Especially you, Phoenix" she whispered. "I know somebody in this town hurt my baby. Please, for my sake and his too, find whoever it is."

She looked between the two of us again, eager for an answer.

"We will," Phoenix said, squeezing her hand. He looked over at me and nodded. "You have our word."

We left in silence, leaving her to weep on the couch. On the car ride back to my house, we didn't utter a word, letting the silence do all the talking. When we pulled up in front of my house, the lights on the porch were still on, illuminating through the darkening night.

I got out silently, thanking him for the ride and pulling out my keys to unlock the door. It was only when I opened it did he drove away, leaving a cloud of smoke behind him.

My dad was sitting on the couch looking through papers when I entered, boxes opened and things scattered around. He looked up when he saw me, a smile on his face. "Everything arrived?" I asked, walking over to hug him.

"Yeah, this morning. I managed to set up the kitchen and bathroom and pack some things away in the storage closets but the living room and dining still need plenty of help." He gestured to the mess around him.

Boxes were in the dining room, sitting on the floor and unopened. The living room was the same, the couch the only thing that was in its place. "Your stuff is upstairs in your room. I put together the bed and your desk but everything else still needs a lot of work."

I hugged him again. "I'll get to it" I reassured him. "Where's Evan?"

"Asleep. He called in early tonight" he said, shaking his head. "For once, he was nice to me today." A smile pulled at his lips, wrinkles forming around his eyes. "I think we are progressing."

The happiness on his face was warming after the long and depressing day I had.

"That's good," I said. "When do you start working?"

"Next Monday. Hopefully, the house will be all set by then. I already called the cable guys to hook up the TV." A sigh escaped his lips, running his fingers through his hair. "How was school? Evan told me you were already assigned a project."

"That's a conversation for tomorrow," I said with a grunt, making him laugh.

"Alright, well I am going to call it a night. I ordered some pizza for dinner so the leftovers are on the kitchen counter. Just turn off all the lights when you're done."

I nodded, watching as my dad got up. "Night Dad. Love you"

"Love you too, Ivy." He gave me one last reassuring hug before bounding up the stairs.

Letting my bag hit the floor, I walked over to the kitchen where I ate the last four slices of pizza in silence. After I was done, I turned off all the lights and navigated my way up the stairs with my bag over my shoulder.

My room was dim, the moonlight dancing against the yellow walls. My bed was indeed set up, the air mattress gone, and in its place was my bed with a white and yellow sunflower bedspread over it. My desk was also set up although bare and the rest of the boxes were spread out, unopened.

Throwing my bag on the floor, I stripped from my outfit and ransacked my duffel bag to pull out a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt. I tied my hair in a ponytail, not even bothering to fold my clothes. Just simply crawling underneath the covers for a good night's sleep.

Except I couldn't sleep.

All I could think about were Mrs. Hollow's words.

"I know somebody in this town hurt my baby. Please, for my sake and his too, find whoever it is."

  Until death do us part

Got a bad cracked light, I can't see far

The gravel leaves me scarred, 

but this love's got me hooked  

~ Black Sunshine by Neon Hitch