x| chapter one
' the morning of ben rifkin's murder. '

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it was a normal morning. probably the last normal morning that the pike family would ever have. for none of them knew the horrors the day would hold for them, or better yet their next year of life. and so, their day started as follows;

robert pike got up nice and early, just like he always had every day for years prior. he took a shower, got changed into his construction management attire, went downstairs and made a bacon and eggs breakfast, all before the clock even hit 6:00 am. it was normal for him. he was always an early bird, never wanting to waste a single minute of the day moping in bed.

then there was elenore, his beautiful wife. she took part everyday in working at the local therapists office. she was a behavioral therapist to be specific, and she loved doing it. her days started remotely the same as her husbands, bright and early. she met her husband downstairs every morning to share breakfast and a cup of coffee before moving along with their busy days. it was all just so normal for them.

it was all just so happy.

and lastly, there was alice. you could say that like her parents, she definitely got the early bird gene. she could never manage to sleep in past 6:30 at the latest, it just seemed so pointless to her. unlike most teens her age who could easily sleep the day away, she had better plans. her day started with a simple routine as well. she showered, got dressed, did makeup, and made her way downstairs just the same for some breakfast.

by the time they'd all finished eating together on the thursday morning, her father needed to head to work, so he was the first to leave the house. they said their simple 'goodbyes' and 'i love yous' and then there were two.

alice looked to her mother who was now cleaning off the table and putting dishes in the sink. "would you mind if i went over to ben's for a bit before school? it's too early for me to leave right now." she shrugged, looking across the room to her mother. this was a true statement since it was a mere 7:00, and school didn't start until 8:15. they lived fairly close to the school, she usually walked there when the weather would permit.

her mother gave a quick nodded and hummed a, "yes, dear." before alice got up from her chair and walked toward the stairs. she quickly went upstairs being sure to grab her phone. she also was sure to grab a red sweatshirt that was lying on the edge of her bed. she folded it over one of her arms and then proceeded to run back down the stairs. "i'll be back for my backpack in a bit!" she called back to her mother before leaving out the front door of their home.

it was a simple walk next door to reach her good friend ben's home. the rifkins were also good friends with her parents since they'd been next door neighbors for years. alice had known ben since they were toddlers, practically still in diapers. he was really popular at school, but she knew him for how he really was. what he did at school was sort of an act.

she walked up the steps of their home, knocking on the door slowly, before a familiar face opened it. it was ben's father, a big smile on his face. "alice! how are you this morning?" he greeted her politely as always. he had always been a kind person to everyone and anyone. she looked to him with a soft smile back and nodded, "i'm good, how are you?" she questioned back as he stepped aside so she could come in. he replied with another peppy answer and motioned to the stairs as he shut the door behind her. "ben is up in his room, go ahead and say hi for me." he looked to her, quickly going back to his kitchen.

alice nodded and made her way up the twisting steps before going up to ben's room. "hey loser, let me in." she laughed a little bit, knocking on his bedroom door a few times. she then heard his voice, mumbling something and the door swung open. it revealed ben, still in his pajamas, his hair sort of messy. she couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

ben quickly rubbed his eyes, looking at her. "i definitely just woke up like ten minutes ago." he shrugged, moving so she could come into his room. she went in and sat down on a chair he had by his desk. he closed the door behind her and went over to his closet. "so what's up?" he asked her rummaging through his closet. he tried finding something comfortable to wear to school that day. he usually just wore hoodies. "hey, did you still have that-"

"this one?" alice quickly cut the boy off, motioning to the red sweatshirt she held in her hands. he had lent it to her a few days prior when they were walking home from school one day. it started raining and was sort of cold so he gave it to her until they got home. she had forgotten to give it back and her mom washed it. "here, take it." she tossed it over to him, he caught it.

alice looked away while he changed, putting the red sweatshirt on, and some simple jeans. "you ready for that math test today?" she questioned to him, making small conversation. she sort of zoned out about what he said to her question, but they talked for a long time about random school stuff.

soon enough she felt her phone buzz, it was her mom telling her to come home and get ready to leave for school. "gotta go, see you in math!" she waved off to ben, making her way down the stairs in their house and saying bye to his father before going back to her house. she talked to her mom for a while before grabbing her backpack and leaving.

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a/n: hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
i'm not sure how many people are going to read this, but it's fun for me to write so-
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i know it was sort of simple but that's how most stories start- simple!
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hmm so alice saw ben the morning of his murder, interesting...
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don't forget to vote and comment!

[next chapter: two!]
[publishing date: 04/28/20]
[word count: 1109]
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