Pilot - June 20, 2010

(Shara's POV)

 

"You can't move from here, Shara, you just can't," Jacquel Rassenworth said when I told her my family was moving from San Francisco, California to a small town in Oregon.

 

"Well, I don't have much of a choice in that matter," I said.

 

We were hanging out on Pier 39 eating giant ice cream cones and talking about why my family decided to move. There were three reasons why we were moving:

 

1. My grandparents are in their late 80s/early 90s; they're having a hard time getting around their house. (Being that old tends to slow you down.) So, mom decided that she'd move back to her old home to take care of them.
2. Dad's job decided to shut down instead of hiring people who weren't Indian. That incident happened when a black woman raised a stink when the company dad worked for (Boar Microsystems) refused to hire her because she didn't come from India and her ancestors were slaves. She sued Mr. Thaker, claiming that he was racist and only hired Indian men. Mr. Thaker, in a fit of anger that she insulted his company and him, shut down the company. (I don't blame him, as you don't insult people who make products that you use every day. I wonder if Olishia Blake realized what she's done by filing that unnecessary lawsuit, as she angered many people who use products produced by Boar.) Dad's not too happy about that, as he's worked at Boar since before I was born.
3. The apartment building my family lived in since my parents married and had me is scheduled to be demolished, as the mayor of San Francisco heard enough complaints about "that eyesore that's destroying our city". He told the residents of the apartment that they had 15 days to pack their things and leave.

 

Well, this sucks.

 

Now, as my family is packing everything they have (and selling everything that could be sold), mom sent me away to spend one more day with Jacquel before I leave. As we all know, Jacquel is notorious for making memes out of pictures of people she didn't like. That, and making funny YouTube videos that get over 1 million views per hour when it takes me three months to get 10,000 views on my YouTube channel.

 

How is she so talented and I'm not?

 

Anyway, Jacquel continued, "I can't imagine why your family's moving to Oregon out of all places."

 

"I know," I said. "I half expected we would move to Fresno, Irvine, or even Monterey. In any case, why would we want to move to Harrison Creek? Who on earth would name a city Harrison Creek?"

 

"I don't care for small towns," Jacquel said as we walked down Pier 39. "The people there are gossipmongers and the women have extramarital affairs with each other's husbands."

 

"To make things worse, you could disappear and nobody would find you until it's too late," I said. "Makes you not want to live in a small town, am I right?"

 

"Of course you're right, Shar," said Jacquel. "There's nothing worse when you deal with a missing person and nobody in that small town knows anything about that person. If that happens while you're there, leave."

 

"I'll try to remember that," I said while thinking about what would happen when I get to Harrison Creek. I knew my Uncle Raven and my cousins Arthur, Spenser, Jamie, Trevor, and Tallulah were there. I also knew Uncle Raven would force me to hang out with my cousins, as he always does whenever they come to visit us. I never got along with them because Spenser, Arthur, and Jamie were boys and Tallulah preferred to hang out with Aaliyah. Trevor and I never got along for reasons that I can't say.

 

"Oh, and make sure to slap Trevor across his face for me," said Jacquel. "I'm still stung over him making fun of me for not being Hispanic. He has a white mother, for crying out loud!"

 

"I’ll do that," I said. "He'll learn that his behavior toward you is unacceptable. Plus, he doesn't have the right to insult you, not where it counts."

 

"And I'll make a meme out of him as well," said Jacquel.

 

"Can't wait to see his reaction to it on Facebook," I said.

 

At this point, we saw the family van driving by, with mom, dad, and my siblings Aaliyah and Rufus piled inside, with bags filled to the brim with junk crowding the trunk and the back seat. Mom said, "There you are, Shar. We were hoping you'd be at Pier 39."

 

"Mom," I began, but dad said, "We've got to leave now before the 5 o'clock traffic jam begins." To Jacquel, he said, "Can we give you a ride home?"

 

"Nah," said Jacquel. "My dad's coming to get me in a few seconds." To me, she said, "You better take care of yourself, Shar."

 

"Don't worry, she will," said dad as I climbed into the van. "We'll see you in a few months."

 

After I was tucked in, dad drove the van onto the highway, driving over the Golden Gate Bridge over the San Francisco Bay for the last time. The kids fell asleep after the city of San Francisco became a blip on the horizon. I pulled out my copy of "The Legend of Arastforth" by T. Y. Clarence and began reading. Mom and dad didn’t talk much, with mom going to sleep and dad using most of his energy with the driving.

 

You’re wondering why I didn't say anything about the move, but I’m not one to protest, as fighting with adults doesn’t get you anywhere, am I right? What I knew was the moment we reached Harrison Creek, I would be involved in something bigger than myself, something I didn’t understand…

* * * * *

 

(Normal POV)

 

While Shara was on her way to Harrison Creek, Trevor Shinnok, Grace Gifford, and Jacalina Gilmore were at Trevor's house. Actually, they were in Trevor's perpetually dirty room. They weren't happy because they were the cause of yet another Tanya Shinnok-related incident. Now Tanya had written about their latest bullying attack on a disabled boy on the popular social networking site TheChitChat.com. Due to that post, Trevor, Grace, and Jackie were banned from the school library for the remainder of the school year.

 

Trevor, Grace, and Jackie were known throughout Harrison Creek Middle School as the Bullying Trio. That was because an incident involving a girl named Tara Schindler ruined their reputations and made them enemies of many kids living in Harrison Creek. No one wanted to hang out with them or talk to them, let alone be in a classroom with them. Tanya Shinnok (their most hated enemy) saw to it that they would never change their ways. She and her friends Mara Llewellyn, Stuart Greer, Irene Haughton, and Pearl Tanner promised to stop the Bullying Trio from hurting other people.

 

"I say it's time for us to get rid of her," Grace snapped as she sat on Trevor’s desk. "She’s degraded me long enough."

 

"Not yet," said Jackie. "We agreed that we're going to humiliate her at the promotion."

 

"You do know the Teen Rebels will be there," Trevor warned them. "They won't go for that! They'll tear us into pieces before we can even blink."

 

"You do know it's only four of them and over 75 other kids who don't like Tanya," said Grace. "If we can get Tanya away from those Teen Rebels long enough, we can humiliate her and publish the video of us humiliating her on TheChitChat. When the rebels see the video, they'll drop Tanya like a junkie quits antihistamines."

 

"You can dream," said Jackie. "If they find out about the video, Mara can find and erase the video in less than five seconds. She’s that good."

 

"She’s a geek," said Grace. "We don't mess with geeks. She’ll ruin us faster than we can say "Dick Robertson". As for Stuart, he'll claim that we're terrorists seeking to blow up his homeland. Plus, Irene can get her dad to put a restraining order on us so we can't get to Tanya…"

 

"Wait," Trevor cried out. The girls stared at him. "Did I tell you my cousin Shara’s coming here in two weeks?"

 

"I didn't know that," said Grace.

 

"Wait, who is Shara?" Jackie cried out.

 

"Why do you ask?" said Trevor.

 

"Because I remember her for some reason," said Jackie.

 

"Yeah," said Grace. "Jackie and I saw her while we were on that trip to D.C. last spring."

 

"Yeah," said Trevor. "What of it?"

 

"She was rude to us," said Grace. "She and her friends wouldn't let us join them. And that one girl insulted us."

 

"She said we had no class," said Jackie.

 

"Typical Shara," said Trevor. "She always judges people on sight."

 

"So, do you think she’ll want to hang out with us when she gets here?" Jackie said with a hopeful look on her face.

 

"Don’t get your hopes up," said Trevor. "Once you've seen her, you'll wish you never met her. She doesn’t want to mingle with the commoners and she doesn't hang out with bullies. You two should give up any idea of befriending Shara before you end up hurt."

 

"Aren’t you her cousin?" Grace cried out.

 

"Well, that doesn’t stop her from rejecting me," said Trevor. "As far as I know, Shara and I never got along. Sure, she gets along with my brothers and sometimes Tallulah, but never with me. I keep praying that everything would change since she's coming here, but God doesn't answer all prayers like you want him to."

 

"Yeah, there is that," said Jackie. "God does things in his own time. He might not answer your prayer regarding Shara because you're going about it the wrong way. It's like I have to deal with Sterling, Austin, and Drake, and they have autism. Every night, I ask God to make them normal, but He doesn't. So I had to accept that they will never be normal, as you'll have to accept that you and Shara will most likely never get along."

 

"Sad but true," said Grace as she stared at Trevor. "It’s like Irene Haughton and I were friends once when we were younger. Thanks to that bitch Kara Roehm-Marchske, Irene and I are no longer friends. It's sad that God tore our friendship apart and threw in someone who I don't like, but that's how it is sometimes. Friends come and go, but family always stays. I'm sure you and Shara will have it figured out soon."

 

Trevor nodded, knowing that the moment Shara came to Harrison Creek, his life, as well as the lives of Grace and Jackie, would change forever...

 

* * * * * *

 

As the Bullying Trio plotted to get rid of Tanya Shinnok, Tanya and her friends Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl were having their end-of-middle-school impromptu party in an old camper behind a house by the end of the lane. They were excited about finally leaving Harrison Creek Middle School for good.

 

"Can you believe the graduation is happening in ten days?” Stuart said as he, Irene, Mara, Pearl, and Tanya gathered around the table in the middle of the camper.

 

"I know," said Mara. "We're finally leaving this place! Isn't it great?"

 

"It is," said Irene. "But I can't help but wonder if we're really ready for high school. As far as I know, everyone here knows about our friendship with Tanya. If it's anything like what happened when Jackie got Tanya expelled, I don't see how we're going to survive."

 

"Don't worry about high school," said Mara. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

 

"Besides, we gotta think of the graduation," said Stuart. "Eyes on the prize, remember?"

 

"Promotion, Stuart," Irene corrected him. "We’re being promoted to the ninth grade. Graduation is for high school. You know that."

 

"So you keep saying," Stuart muttered as he pulled out another slice of pizza and ate it. He had a list of things he planned to do at the promotion, but the girls talked him out of doing those things. To them, dancing around and waving a flag (especially a flag that wasn’t American) was disrespectful. That act would offend many people, especially those who had relatives fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

"You keep waving that flag and it's going to come back to bite you on the butt," said Mara. "Karma has a way of getting back at those who displease her."

 

"Jail," said Pearl in a strange tone. Since they could remember, Pearl was the youngest member of their class when she was six years old. She had skipped over the first, second, third, and fourth grades to join their fifth grade class. The other kids thought she was weird and shunned her, but Tanya persuaded Irene, Mara, and Stuart to befriend the odd girl.

 

"OK, I don't want to go to jail," said Stuart. "You’ve made your point, Pearl."

 

"Then don't do it," said Irene. "When your name is called, go to the podium, take your award, shake hands with the principal, and return to your seat. That's all."

 

"I'm sure he’ll remember," said Tanya. "I'll watch him. He won't do anything crazy on my watch."

 

"There’s something I still don't understand," said Mara. The others stared at her. "How come I saw another Tanya during our trip in D.C.?"

 

The others groaned. "Oh, we're back to that again?" Stuart frowned. "Stop, OK? Please stop. Stop it now. This is getting old."

 

“You’re the one who needs to quit acting like you’re 25 years old,” said Irene. “So stop being old.”

 

“Act your age, not how old you want to be,” said Pearl.

 

"Mara’s right," said Tanya, interrupting the fight between Stuart and Irene. "There’s more than one Tanya out there. I bet there's several girls named Tanya Shinnok living in the United States. We were fortunate to meet another person named Tanya."

 

"And this Tanya was nothing like you," said Irene as Tanya glared at her. "She was fun to be with and you're no fun at all."

 

"Indeed," said Tanya as she shook her head. Another Tanya? That was absurd. It seemed that her friends wanted to discuss the "fun Tanya" rather than "same old boring no-fun Tanya". She stood up, saying, "I’m going to step out for a second and wait until you're done obsessing over "fun Tanya". It’s annoying."

 

"Well, don't stay out too long," said Mara. "It’s not safe to be outside at night. Kidnappers could be prowling the area, searching for people to steal. You don’t want to end up on the six o'clock news for that."

 

"Oh, mind yourselves," Tanya scoffed at them as she stepped outside the door.

 

As Stuart, Irene, Mara, and Pearl talked about the other Tanya and other kids they didn't like, Tanya wandered around the backyard. She held the club meeting at the camper since the sixth grade. To be honest, though, the clubhouse was losing its appeal. Irene had fought with her to change the group's meeting place from the camper to her family's pool house. The pool house was on the right side of her mansion and safer than the dark and ugly neighborhood they currently met in.

 

Tanya had no idea that someone was watching her and her friends. The person wore bright yellow clothes, a long black overcoat, a pair of dark sunglasses, and a fedora. When he saw Tanya, he approached her, saying, "Are you Tanya Shinnok?"

 

"Yeah," Tanya said. "What’s it to you?"

 

"I've noticed you’ve caused trouble for this city," said the person, "and I think it's time for you to go."

 

"Where am I going?" Tanya said as she panicked. She knew most people living in Harrison Creek hated her; some of them weren’t above cruel stares and cruel remarks. Tanya should have known there were some people who planned to remove her from the Teen Rebels. Those people also planned to force the kids to find new friends instead of hanging out with each other.

 

The person pulled a rope from a pocket of his jacket and grabbed Tanya, tying her up. When the girl was tied up, he whispered into a tape recorder, "Tanya is captured. Soon, she'll be gone and the city will forget about her."

 

Tanya attempted to scream, but the gag prevented that from happening. The person dropped something on the ground, then took his prisoner and walked away. The note said, "I've taken your friend and ringleader. If you Teen Rebels know what's good for you, you'll be smart and forget that she existed."

 

Yet, the note would never reach its intended recipients, as a strong wind blew the paper away. Despite many people being in front of their houses at night, no one saw the kidnapping. By the time the city learned about the kidnapping, it was too late to help Tanya...

Episode 1: Where's That Girl?

In the neighborhood of Holly Point, a group of concerned neighbors gathered at a house on 245 Newham Road. A girl was reported missing several hours ago. The missing girl in question was last seen with her friends before her disappearance.

 

"I don't like where this story is going," a woman said to another woman standing next to her. "It appears that they finally got her."

 

"We don't know that," said the second woman. "How do we know they have her?"

 

"We don't," said the first woman. "But I'm sure we’re going to know about it soon."

 

"I can't imagine this," said a man who stood next to the women. "Who would want to take Tanya? Why would they want to take her? What did she do that she deserved to be kidnapped?”

 

"Other than being mentally disabled, I don't know," said the second woman. "Who would want to steal a girl like her, anyway?"

 

"I can think of several people who would want to do that," said the first woman.

 

"Like who?" said the second woman.

 

"The parents of the students suspended for bullying her," said the first woman. "The parents of those boys who she had expelled after they beat her up for defending that gay student. Or maybe it's that Susanna Brezetta."

 

"I never liked her," said the man. "She's nothing but trouble."

 

"She almost destroyed this city," said the first woman. "She and that son of hers."

 

"Michael is not her child, he's a disgrace to the Brezetta family," said the second woman. "Between them, our city has a bad reputation as the graveyard for mentally disabled people, especially girls."

 

"And with Tanya's disappearance, this is the straw that'll break the camel's back," said the man. "Just who do they think they are? What gives them the right to ruin this town with their stupidity? I wonder why Archibald won't divorce Susanna and send Michael to a mental hospital instead of prison."

 

As that gossip continued, Raven Shinnok and his sons Spencer, Arthur, and Jamie were surrounded by news reporters. The reporters asked them questions such as, "Did you know where your daughter went the night she disappeared? Is it true that she had over 20 people suspended from Harrison Creek Middle School? How long has she been hanging out at Jan's Clubhouse?"

 

As Raven struggled to answer the questions without panicking, he stared at his sons. They all tried to keep calm, but they too were panicking. None of them knew that something was wrong with Tanya, nor were they aware of any problems she had, save for her being bullied by the other kids. To them, her disappearance was a sign that something was wrong in the Shinnok household.

 

Raven said, "I'm not sure if it was the bullies she got suspended and their parents are retaliating by kidnapping her or those boys who killed Carson Snider and beat her up when she tried to stand up for him. All I know is that someone living in this town kidnapped my daughter. I will find out who they are, and I will make sure they are punished for their crime against Tanya. There's no reason why a mentally disabled girl shouldn't be allowed to live in this town, especially since we're known as the "Dead Girls Zone"..."

 

The first woman said, "Did you hear that? He said our town was known as the "Dead Girls Zone"."

 

"It's true," said the second woman. "Remember several years ago when Tansy Dorkins and Lavinia Nadler disappeared from their foster home? They were found dead two weeks later. Then there's the 90s, when at least 22 girls between the ages of 12-16 who had some form of mental retardation, were killed. And let's not forget Janice Fraser, who was stolen from her home in the middle of the night in 1984 and hasn't been seen since. Now it's Tanya Shinnok. How many more mentally disabled girls have to die before we do something?"

 

"Maybe we should do something about it now," said the man. "Archibald runs the magazine as well as the newspaper in this town, so maybe we should get him on board before his wife does."

 

"We should," said the first woman. "If only to prevent another incident like what happened five years ago, when Susanna forced the jury to declare Jeff Colton not guilty in the deaths of Tansy and Lavinia. Remember the riot that took place after the trial?"

 

"The mob killed him and his mother," said the man.

 

"Indeed," said the second woman. "I hope the same thing doesn't happen in this case."

 

"If there is a case," said the man. "Remember, we can't declare people dead unless we see a body."

 

"But there were times when we found the body of a person and it's a fake," said the second woman.

 

"When did that happen?" said the first woman.

 

"When Raven Shinnok's wife Lila and their daughter Katrina disappeared when the family was on vacation seven years ago," said the second woman. "The news reported the women were found living in a tunnel in Las Vegas, but that ended up being a hoax. Their bodies were found in a wooded area outside Reno."

 

"That's what we're worried about," said the man. "Someone could have forced Tanya into a situation no girl should be in; to make matters worse, they might claim she is dead. We must stop this now before things get out of hand."

 

Things were out of control, if the news reports about Tanya's disappearance were any sign. Rumors swirled around the city, claiming that Tanya was stolen by a vigilante group bent on destroying the city. Others claimed that Susanna Brezetta had something to do with Tanya's disappearance. But no matter what the rumors were, many people agreed that they needed to put aside whatever feelings they had about Tanya Shinnok and find her.

 

Now, I'm not saying that the city of Harrison Creek, Oregon was right to hate Tanya, as she exposed many bullies and cruel adults to the city. Those people were given lengthy jail sentences for their crimes against children. (The boys who killed Carson Snider were sentenced to life in prison without parole, thanks to Tanya's testimony about them killing him.)

 

Yet, some people didn't like Tanya's efforts to rid the city of the bullies living there. They sent her harassing emails threatening to destroy her unless she stopped going after bullies. But they too were humiliated when she published the threats and the names of those who threatened her in the city's newspaper.

 

Now she was gone, with many people wondering if her enemies decided to make her disappear for exposing them. If that were true, someone would have said something about that by now.

 

Little did the people know that several of its young residents would be involved in a dangerous scavenger hunt...

 

* * * * *

 

While the people in Tanya's neighborhood discovered that she was missing, Mara Llewellyn, Stuart Greer, Irene Haughton, and Pearl Tanner were celebrating the end of their middle school years at Jan's Clubhouse.

 

Or as this story goes:

 

"I can't believe it! We’re finally finished with middle school!" Stuart said as the kids threw themselves onto the pile of bean bag chairs in a corner of the trailer. "If I don't see the inside of Harrison Creek Middle School again, it'll be too soon!“

 

"I hope not," said Irene. "I hate to go back to that dreadful awful school. Why can't we find a nice school to go to instead of these second-rate places they insist we must attend?"

 

"Why indeed," said Mara as she remembered the eighth grade promotion, which happened only yesterday…

 

Mara found herself glancing around the music room. 300 students were graduating from Harrison Creek Middle School. Many parents and grandparents came to the school auditorium. The incoming sixth, seventh, and eighth graders sat on the right while the spectators sat on the left.

 

Mara found Stuart standing in a corner of the room, fiddling with a miniature Tibetan flag hidden inside his sweater. “Can you believe it, Mara?" he said excitedly. "In a few minutes, we'll be freshmen!”

 

“We’re not in high school yet,” Mara said.

 

"Yeah, but we're still going to graduate, " said Stuart.

 

"Promotion, Stuart," Irene said while approaching Stuart and Mara. “We’re being promoted to the ninth grade. Graduation is when we're leaving high school.”

 

“Yeah yeah,” Stuart frowned as he stood up and faced Irene.

 

“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper,” said Irene. “You’re lucky you get to go through this once.”

 

"Yeah, I know," said Stuart.

 

Mara sighed, wondering what had gotten into Stuart. Did he have another fight with his foster parents? Did he stay up too late on that forum he frequented? No matter what the answers were, Mara knew that Stuart wasn't his usual self, not where it counted.

 

Just then, Mara heard Irene saying, "Mara, tell me you're not wearing THAT!!"

 

"What?" Mara snapped out of her reverie and stared at Irene. Irene frowned as she grabbed a part of Mara's dress and held it up. It was a sky-blue gown patterned with daisies with an attached apron. "PLEASE tell me you’re NOT wearing that hideous dress to the Promotion."

 

"It was the only dress my mom could afford to buy," said Mara. "You know my family can't afford nice clothes."

 

"I understand," Irene said as she led Mara away from the crowd and towards the girl's bathroom. There, Jackie was at the sink, putting on some makeup. "It shames me to think that you can be so smart, yet wear such hideous clothes," Jackie smirked as she stared at Mara. "No matter. We'll get rid of that dress and find something better for you to wear."

 

"Uh, what does Mara's dress have to do with anything?" said Pearl.

 

"Well, you know how Jackie's always helping me when I come to school wearing bad clothes," said Mara.

 

"Yeah," said Stuart. "But let's get to the part where our promotion actually began."

 

"Indeed," said Irene.

 

As the principal of Harrison Creek Middle School made his speech, Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl sat towards the back of the crowd, looking for Tanya. Something wasn't right. It wasn't like her to miss her own promotion ceremony. Mara saw her mother, Angelisa, and twin sisters Jaden and Gwen standing in the back of the auditorium. Tanya’s family was in the middle fourth row. Stuart’s foster family was in a corner. Lil’Marie’s mother was in the front row. Jackie’s family sat towards the back. Tanya wasn't there.

 

"This isn't right," said Jackie when she stared at the kids. "Tanya can't miss this ceremony. How can she not be here?"

 

"Who knows?" said Stuart. "I bet she got lost on the way here."

 

Pearl was about to respond when the entire eighth grade class had to stand underneath the signs that read "St. Paul Academy", "Kladenmet High", "Asennica Preparatory School", and "Harrison Creek High School". As luck would have it, Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl stood under the sign that read "Harrison Creek High School". They weren't alone, as 142 other students stood under the sign.

 

"Well, this is the worst day ever," said Mara.

 

"It’s not that bad," said Stuart. "In fact, it could get a whole lot worse. Believe me."

 

Unfortunately, he was right. Things did get worse.

 

Just then, Mara's Razor phone began ringing, which broke the reverie. Irene said, "Your phone is an embarrassment to humanity. Why can't you get a smartphone like everyone else?"

 

"Because I can always take an old phone apart and make it run faster than the latest Samsung models," said Mara. "Besides, what would I want a smartphone for?"

 

But she did pick it up and said, "What's going on, Jackie? What? You gotta be kidding! No? OK, I'll tell them. No problem."

 

"What's going on, Mara?" said Stuart as Mara hung up her phone.

 

"It's Jackie," said Mara. Irene and Pearl stared at her. "She says that Tanya's been reported missing."

 

At that, the entire clubhouse was filled with panic. "Missing?" Irene cried out in anger. "How can she go missing? And especially after Mara warned her not to disappear?"

 

"People don't like her," said Pearl. "They don't like her because she goes after bullies."

 

"And those who are bullies always get in trouble, no thanks to Tanya," said Mara. "I bet someone was looking for a chance to shut her down."

 

"They saw her hanging out with us and snatched her before she could yell for help," said Stuart. "And judging by how fast she went missing, I bet that we're next."

 

"And that's what worries me," said Mara. The others stared at her. "Why did it take 10 days for someone to report her missing?"

 

"Why indeed," said Pearl.

 

"I know, right?" Irene cut in. "Usually, it takes a few minutes to report a person missing, but this is ridiculous. You don't wait 10 days to report someone missing, not unless something sinister is going on here."

 

"And that's the big issue," said Mara. "Tanya is missing and we don't know why."

 

"I don't know how we're going to do it, but we're going to find out what's going on here," said Stuart angrily. "Nobody messes with our friend and lives! NOBODY!!!"

 

Mara and Pearl cheered in agreement, but Irene shook her head. Whoever kidnapped Tanya would go after the other kids because of their friendship with her. Irene knew that there were no shortage of people who didn't care for Tanya and wanted to get rid of her and anyone associated with her. Knowing that she, Mara, Stuart, and Pearl were friends with Tanya Shinnok, Irene knew they would be next.

 

Not on my watch they won't mess with us, she thought as she watched her friends plot to tear the city apart in their search for Tanya. Tanya is gone and someone knows why she disappeared. I will find out who did it and make them pay.

 

She slipped out of the clubhouse and ran down the street. She had an idea of who made Tanya disappear.

 

* * * * *

 

While the city of Harrison Creek was horrified over the disappearance of Tanya Shinnok, Trevor Shinnok, Jackie Gilmore, and Grace Gifford were at Grace's house, celebrating their rival's disappearance. They hated her because she exposed them as bullies in their seventh grade year; that incident cost them their reputations and friendships with other students.

 

Thanks to Tanya, they were known as the Bullying Trio, a trio of kids no one liked or wanted to be around.

 

"I don't care what everyone else thinks, Tanya is gone and good riddance!" said Trevor.

 

"Good riddance to her," said Grace. "I never liked her anyway."

 

"I don't know about you, but it's not as much fun with her gone," said Jackie. Trevor and Grace glared at her. "I mean it. It's not the same without her glaring at us."

 

"Jackie, are you all right?" said Grace.

 

"What are you talking about?" said Jackie as she glared at Grace.

 

"It's not like you to talk like that, like you actually care about Tanya," said Trevor. "You don't care about Tanya, or do you?"

 

"Why do you ask?" said Jackie.

 

"Because word on the street is that you do care about Tanya," said Grace. "Did you forget she called you a bully for pushing Carina Martin down the stairs while we were in the seventh grade?"

 

"Carina is a liar," said Trevor. "And from what I recall, Vicki Daniels pushed her down the stairs and blamed Jackie."

 

"Who cares about who pushed who down the stairs?" Jackie snarled. "I'm tired of being a bully! It's not fun anymore!"

 

"Well, there is that," said Grace.

 

"What are you talking about?" said Trevor.

 

"The fact that things went wrong for us since Tanya called us bullies," said Grace. "She literally destroyed us."

 

"Yeah, and your point is?" said Trevor.

 

"My point is that bullying hurts people, and the day Tanya called us bullies was the day she hurt us," said Jackie. "Sure it was fun to harass people and laugh at their misfortunes, but when Stuart Greer called me a dumbass and spread that awful rumor about me having three disabled little brothers, I found myself feeling hurt by his cruel words. Suddenly, I realized that being a bully was no longer fun."

 

"See? That's how Tanya gets to you," said Trevor. "She exposes you as a bully and has her helpers make you feel guilty about hurting people. Some people deserve to be oppressed; in all honesty, they're asking for it, if anyone cares to hear my opinion on the matter."

 

"Trevor, don't be stupid," said Grace. "Don't tell me that you don't feel guilty after making fun of that Oscar Alston for his disability because you did."

 

“Oscar is a stupid kid who should have stayed in the special ed classroom,” Trevor began, but he fell silent as Grace and Jackie saw Irene Haughton standing in the doorway of Grace’s bedroom with an angry look on her face.

 

* * * * *

 

At the same time, Mara, Stuart, and Pearl (who remained at the clubhouse) quickly cleaned up the place and left; they were too upset to continue the after-the-promotion party. Not when Tanya was missing.

 

"I don't think this is fair," said Stuart as they climbed into a golf cart Mara's uncle Jonas refurbished for her when she refused to ride a bike. "Tanya is missing and we ignored it until it was too late. What kind of friends are we?"

 

"Not unless Tanya was kidnapped by people who like bullies," said Pearl.

 

"Well, there is that," said Stuart.

 

"It doesn't matter," said Mara.

 

"What?" said Pearl.

 

"It doesn't matter how long she's been missing," said Mara. Stuart glared at her. "All it matters is that Tanya is missing and we have to find her."

 

"You're right, Mara," said Pearl. "Tanya is missing. People are setting aside their opinions about her and searching for her as we speak. The police have been notified and they're coming here to assist in the search. But what worries me is that Trevor Shinnok and Grace Gifford might have had a hand in Tanya's disappearance, if you know what I mean."

 

"Yeah, I hate those jerks," said Mara. "Why do we bother with them, anyway?"

 

"Why is Jackie friends with them?" said Stuart.

 

"Why indeed," said Mara.

 

"We are Jackie's friends as we are Tanya's friends," said Pearl. "Trevor and Grace are not nice to her because you expose her secret to the school..."

 

"OK, so I did something stupid to Jackie last year," said Stuart. "What's your excuse?"

 

"You have no excuses, not where it counts," said Mara. "Plus, you still haven't apologized to her for hurting her feelings."

 

"I'll get to it when I get to it," said Stuart as Mara pulled the golf cart to his house. "But she needs to get rid of those jerks first."

 

He stepped out of the cart and ran into his house, saying, "Don't say anything if the reporters want to shove their microphones into your faces."

 

"Well, the last thing I need is to be plastered all over Harrison Creek for being friends with the Bully Punisher," said Mara.

 

"Exactly," said Stuart as he went into his house.

 

"Funny," said Pearl as Mara drove the cart away from Stuart's house.

 

"What?" said Mara.

 

"Stuart says Jackie needs to dump Trevor and Grace," said Pearl.

 

"And she will, as soon as we tell her the truth about them," said Mara. She shuddered, knowing that while Jackie was friends with Trevor and Grace, Jackie also hung out with her, Stuart, Irene, Pearl, and Tanya. Jackie needed to know where her allegiances laid. There was no way she was staying with the Bullies, not where it counted.

 

* * * * *

 

"Oh, so that's how this is, isn't it?" said Irene as she walked into the room. She found out that Trevor, Grace, and Jackie were holding a "We Got Rid of Tanya" party. That angered her more than anything they had done. "You wanted to get rid of Tanya, didn't you?"

 

"What's it to you?" said Trevor.

 

"Just wait until your father finds out," said Irene.

 

"You would dare!" Grace snapped, but she knew that Irene wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone in Harrison Creek that Trevor would celebrate his sister's disappearance instead of being concerned for her safety.

 

As the confrontation between Irene and the Bullying Trio continued, nobody saw a video camera behind them, recording everything...

 

* * * * *

 

Shara knew it was a bad idea to get her hopes up.

 

After all was said and done, (meaning the road trip from San Francisco to Harrison Creek was completed and Shara's family was at her grandparents' house) she found herself standing in the middle of her mother's old room. A simple country rag rug adorns the floor in the room. The walls were a  soft amber color with a border of deep amethyst along the top and bottom. The scent of autumn leaves is noticeable, until the unexpected breeze from the open window dissipates it.

 

Shara wore a black long-sleeved shirt, a pair of blue shorts, and a pair of high-top Converse sneakers. After the excitement of coming to see her grandparents died down, she went upstairs to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower.

 

After the shower, she got dressed and went to the kitchen in search of some food. After several hours of eating fast food, Shara wanted to eat a meal that wasn't dipped in fatty oils. Hopefully, her grandmother would have some fresh fruit in a basket for her to eat.

 

But there was no such luck, as Janine noticed her eating an apple and said, "Don't fill up on just fruit, because we're having dinner at our new house tonight."

 

"Why not?" said Shara. "I'm tired of fast food. Plus, the food we ate on the road was disgusting and unhealthy. Can't we eat some real food?"

 

"And what new house?" said Aaliyah. "You never told me about a new house!"

 

"You're right," said Janine. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

 

"Mom, you do know I hate surprises," said Shara. "Why are we moving to a new house in the first place?"

 

"Well, I was against her buying a house here, but she refused to listen," said Shad. "She's always thinking for herself and not thinking about this family as a whole. I mean, what's so wrong about us living in an apartment?"

 

"Well, the kids are growing up and I know that Shara and Aaliyah don't need to share a room anymore," said Janine.

 

"What are you talking about, mom?" said Aaliyah. "Shara and I have always shared a room since we were kids. What's so wrong with us sharing a room now?"

 

"Well, according to these rules made by the people who run the city, children over the age of 12 are not to share a room with their younger siblings," said Janine as she held up a pamphlet, "which I think is fair. Besides, I don't think there's anything wrong with Shar and Aaliyah getting their own room."

 

"But what about their sisterly bond?" said Shad. "Isn't sharing a room supposed to make you feel...closer?"

 

"Not a chance in Tinbucky," said Janine. "You and I both know that Shar needs her own space and Aaliyah needs to learn how to keep up with her own toys and not rely on Shar to clean up for her. There's nothing wrong with the girls getting their own space."

 

"But Janine," Shad began, yet Janine cut in by saying, "You'll thank me someday. Now let's go see the new house, shall we?"

 

 

"This is going to be a nightmare," Shad said as the kids nodded in agreement.

 

* * * * *

 

"Would you look at this place!" Janine shouted as the family got out of the car and walked towards the house. "Isn't it grand?"

 

"If you say so," said Shad. "Providing that you got the house at a steal."

 

The small one-story house in front of them looked old-fashioned and in average condition. The interior was done in colors that remind you of a tropical forest. The yard is small and overgrown with wild plants. Not particularly the kind of house that a family of five would be living in for the next few years.

 

Of course, the house was located in a community known as Sandy Court. Sandy Court was a gated community, where houses could run up to $100,000 for purchasing, usually by the upper middle class. Shara was completely unsure how her mother could have gotten such a place like that for less than $5,000. Unless it was a scam, that was.

 

"Well, don't you want to see what's inside?" said Janine. "I know I do."

 

"Sure mom," said Aaliyah, who was still unhappy about having to get her own room.
Shara found herself walking into her new room. The small, rectangular bedroom has coordinating metal furniture. The floor is covered in a gray carpet and the walls are covered in a forest green wallpaper. Light is provided by several wall lamps scattered all over the room. The room is done in murky colors and looked  old-fashioned. Among the first things one notices walking in are several stuffed animals in a corner and a well-stocked bookshelf.

 

"Well, this isn't too bad, even though the room could use a bit of work," Shara said to Jacquel on the phone. "But how and why my mom decided to buy a house here is beyond me."

 

"Ah, who knows," said Jacquel. "Anyway, I've got some bad news."

 

"Like what?" said Shara. "You've been transferred to Kehillah Jewish High School and you won't be attending St. Francis High School? That's so unfair!"

 

"You wish," said Jacquel. "My dad's job is sending him to Forks, where he'll be staying for at least four and a half years. Guess who has to move?"

 

"Wow," said Shara. "Things just got interesting."

 

"Yeah, I wish," said Jacquel sadly. "I just don't understand why I have to leave San Francisco. I'm not the one with that job, you know."

 

"I see what you mean," said Shara. "But let's leave the business work to the experts, shall we?"

 

"OK," said Jacquel. "Enough about me. What about you? What's your new place like?"

 

"Well, I can't say that I like it, because that's being dishonest," said Shara. "However, I hate my new room, as it looks more like a prison cell than an actual room."

 

"Ooooohhhh, that sucks," said Jacquel. "Well, at least my dad's smart enough to rent a small house, seeing as he's not just going to jump in and buy a house he might have to leave behind in a few years. But who cares?"

 

"I know," said Shara. "Right now, Maddy's gone to Fairfield and Scott's gone to Victorsville. Who knows what Kelsey is up to, now that her father's being sent to Montana. How did we end up separated when we swore to remain together?"

 

"Well, I honestly don't know the answer to that question," said Jacquel, but Janine said, "Shara, you need to come to the front door and meet the new neighbors!"

 

"Yeah, yeah," said Shara, but in all honesty, she really didn't want to meet her new neighbors, not when she looked out the front door and saw two people handing her parents missing child posters instead of greeting them properly...

 

* * * * *

 

While Shara was exploring her new house, Irene, Stuart, Mara, and Pearl were in the city park. They were talking about Tanya's disappearance and how it was affecting the city. Various social groups and gangs were blamed for her disappearance, which was tearing the city apart.

 

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I must say things around here are beginning to look bad," said Irene.

 

"You think?" said Mara.

 

"I bet they're hypocrites," said Stuart. The girls glared at him. "No, I mean it. One day, people in this city don't like Tanya. Now, they're "concerned" about her safety. I'm shocked no one has called them out on their hypocrisy yet."

 

"Oh they will," said Pearl. "Already people on Facebook are saying that Tanya was kidnapped by people who like bullies, people who would do anything to keep a bullied person hidden from the world and not let them escape or get help..."

 

"OK, that's enough of that," Mara said to Pearl. Pearl was notorious for overexaggerating, especially when it came to worst-case scenarios. "We already have problems dealing with bullies and people who like bullies, so we don't need any unnecessary issues."

 

"Indeed," said Pearl. "But you should all read this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. The letter said:

 

"Hello Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl, I heard that you all made it through middle school; congratulations! However, I must warn you of the things that are yet to come:

 

"Your friend Tanya has disappeared, and I am the only one who knows where she is. Don’t tell her family that she has disappeared and don’t contact the police. I will know if you do.

 

"If you want to see her again, you must do the following things: I have set up a scavenger hunt all over the city, a hunt where you must look for information leading to the recovery of your friend. The game will begin in a few hours.

 

"Also, a new girl is coming to town from another state and she must not know that Tanya exists. You are never to be friends with that girl! She has already exposed me once, and she'll gladly do it again if she gets the chance.

 

"Pearl the Alien must remain “Pearl the Alien”; her origins are unknown, and they must remain that way. There will be no snooping around the city in search of her identity; and if I find out that you have been looking for her family, you will be very sorry for your actions.

 

"Jacalina Gilmore and Grace Gifford are not to be trusted. If you are friends with them, you must end the friendship immediately. No exceptions!!! (Also, Trevor Shinnok is a disgrace to his family, so you must see to it that he is severely punished for his bullying and stupidity.)

 

"A new girl is coming to live with Reeves family. Her name is Mina Mushashibo, and she is from Tokyo, Japan. You are to treat her with respect and dignity. Do not mention Tanya in her presence, or you will be severely punished.

 

"Remember, the scavenger hunt begins at the crack of dawn, so it's best that you get some sleep now, as you might not get the chance to rest for the duration of the hunt. Also, remember my rules and follow them to the letter. If you break even one of those rules, things will be bad for you. I hate to see bad things happen to you, since you are nice children.”

 

"Well, this is insane," said Stuart as they read the letter. "Like who does that person think they are?"

 

"It's like Tanya being missing is some sort of game," said Irene. "Well, if it is, I don't find it funny!"

 

"Should we call the police?" said Pearl.

 

"We can't," said Mara, "not unless we want to get in trouble."

 

"Well, we're already in trouble for being friends with a girl that nobody here likes, so what's the worse we can do?" said Stuart.

 

"Nothing," said Irene. "We can do nothing. But doing nothing means that the villain has already won. Besides, we want our friend back, and doing nothing isn't going to bring her home."

 

"And the only way we will be able to get Tanya back is to play the game," said Mara. "But I'm not sure if we should fall into that trap, seeing as we've never been fooled before."

 

"But the person wants us to play their game," said Pearl. "We must do what they say, lest we want trouble for ourselves. If we don't, we won't be the only ones this stranger would destroy."

 

"You're right, Pearl," said Stuart. "This stranger won't hesitate to hurt our families and friends if we don't do what he or she wants."

 

"Well, to be fair, it seems as if we have no choice," said Mara.

 

"Yeah," said Irene. "We'll play his little game. But if I have to do anything stupid, he'll be sorry."

 

"Indeed," said Stuart.

 

The kids sat back in their seats and wondered how much of their summer was compromised no thanks to the unexpected scavenger hunt. If anything, they knew that the moment they agreed to the game, everything they thought they kept secret would be exposed to the city…

 

* * * * *

 

Little did Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl know that someone had seen them at the park. The person in question was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and a fedora. The person whispered into a walkie-talkie, "They have taken the bait."

 

"Good," said a person on the other end. "The game starts tomorrow. We must do whatever it takes for the kids to find Tanya and ONLY the kids will find her. The police will not get involved in any way."

 

"But the cops have already been notified about the kidnapping," said the first person. "They won't stop until they have the girl in custody or arrested someone who kidnapped her. We have to be extremely careful so that they won't know it's us."

 

"Well, they already have that Susanna Brezetta under suspicion, so let's make sure that all circumstantial evidence in this case points to her," said the second person. "She won't be able to get away this time. we already know what happened when they allowed my sister's killer to go free..."

 

"And Susanna's fingerprints were all over that "not guilty" verdict, I bet," said the first person.

 

"And we had to kill the killer and his mother, which was a shame because they both deserved it," said the second person. "Anyway, we must start the game tomorrow. I have the girl secured in the Green Hill Manor in a place where no one will think to find her. We will have those Teen Rebels in our clutches and those bullying brats in prison before the summer is over."

 

As the second person spoke, a girl sat on a bed in a dark closet. Her feet were bound so she couldn't escape or get help. but she knew she could send a message. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote, "My name is Taylor Parker. I'm being held captive in the Green Hill Manor. If you get this message, please find Mara Llewellyn, Stuart Greer, Irene Haughton, and Pearl Tanner. They will tell you what you need to know."

 

She stuffed the folded note inside an empty water bottle, then crawled out of the room and rolled the bottle down the hall. With any luck, someone would find the bottle and find her friends before it was too late...

Episode 2: The Reality of the Situation

Within a few hours, Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl woke up to a letter being shoved under the front door of their houses. The letter read:

 

"The hunt has begun, there's so much to do; I wouldn't waste any time if I were you. If you want to find the person that you seek, you must go to the place where you first meet."

 

"Well, that's interesting," said Mara as she stared at the letter. Upon receiving the message, she called Stuart, Irene, and Pearl to tell them about the message. They had received the same message as Mara did. "I received a letter telling me to look for a blue scarf. What message did you guys get?"

"I got a letter telling me to look for a locket," said Stuart.

"My letter says that I should find a diary," said Irene.

"Children's book," said Pearl.

"Well, that's interesting," said Mara. "Although I don't know what these particular objects have to do with finding Tanya."

"Maybe we should meet at the clubhouse," said Stuart. "That way we can compare notes."

"And also know where to go," said Irene.

Mara jumped out of bed and took a bath. After that, she put on a medium-length dress that was the color of a key lime pie and white sandals. (She never liked wearing t-shirts and jeans.) She then left her house, as a citywide curfew didn't allow children between the ages of 12-17 to be at home between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

"Well, in all honesty, I think the people who made the curfew were asking for this situation to happen," said Irene as she climbed into the golf cart. "I mean, any teenager living here can run away from home if they wanted to. Nobody's that stupid."

"Yet, they want us to live like how they used to live back in the day, where it was OK to stay out as long as you like," said Mara. "Did this city learn nothing from the tragedy of little Ella Carter?"

"Dead," said Pearl as she climbed into the golf cart. "She meets a stranger, is taken away, and she dies. City did nothing to help her family."

"You're right, Pearl," said Irene. "And it was such a shame, as that poor girl needed some help."

"But how will her death help us?" said Mara.

"By reminding us that we were children once," said Stuart as he climbed into the golf cart. "And if we're going to find a missing child, we need to think like a child. Where do children go during the day?"

"School," said Pearl.

 

"Right," said Stuart. "And what school did we attend as children?"

"Well, I wouldn't rightly know, since the children I know usually aren't allowed outside without their parents' permission," said Irene.

"Don't be silly, Irene," said Pearl. "Children go to school. We go to school. School is where we first met Tanya."

"Yes, but which school did we first meet her?" said Mara.

"Well, it wouldn't be Harrison Creek Elementary School, wouldn't it?" said Stuart.

"It is," said Mara. "That's where we met Tanya in the fifth grade."

"OK, when did that happen?" said Irene.

They all thought back to the day when they first met Tanya...

October 4, 2006

Harrison Creek Elementary School

10-year-old Mara and 8-year-old Stuart were sitting by themselves on the playground. Mara, as usual, was reading a fantasy book while Stuart was staring off into space. 10-year-old Irene approached them, saying, "I don't know why the teachers insist that we play outside. Don't they know that you can fall off the playground and get hurt?"

"Yeah," said Mara, who wasn't paying attention to anything Irene was saying.

"Plus, there's the matter of how rough the other kids are," Irene continued. "Don't you think it's better for them if they learned to sit down and play quietly?"

"I wish," said Stuart.

"And there's the awful stories I've heard about people stealing children from playgrounds and we never see them again," said Irene, but Stuart said, "Wow, you're quite the cynic today. Who slapped you when you were in kindergarten?"

"Don't be such a realist, Stuart," said Mara. "Besides, it's better for us to sit and digest what Mrs. Wormwood is teaching us instead of running around acting like hoodlums as the other kids are doing."

"You don't say!" said Irene.

"Oh yes, she just did," said Stuart. "What are you going to do about it?"

Just then, the sound of car alarms cut into their thoughts. Somewhere in the neighborhood, several car alarms were going off, with the loud noises being spread all over the place. "Who keeps setting off those blasted car alarms?" Stuart yelled.

"Nothing but those blasted squirrels that keep running around here throwing their nuts at our heads and never giving us a moment's peace!" Irene shouted. To the squirrels, she yelled, "Shut up, squirrels!"

"What happened next?" Pearl snapped. Everyone glared at her. "Go back to the story!"

"Oh, you won't believe what happened next," said Stuart as the memory began again...

As Mara, Stuart, and Irene sat on the bench outside the playground, a yard monitor came to them, saying, "I'm sorry, kids, but I can't allow you to sit on the bench while the other students play. You should get up and play or I'll report you to the principal."

"Oh, I'm *so* scared," Stuart mocked her. "You can't make me do anything!"

"Plus, playing at recess is a waste of time, time that could wisely be spent reading books," said Mara.

"I wouldn't dare touch any surface that peasants allow their children to roam," said Irene.

"Did you not hear me?" said the yard monitor. "Get off the bench or else I will make you."

"You can't do that," said Irene.

"Yes I can and I will," said the yard monitor. "Since you children won't do what I asked you to do, I'm taking you straight to the principal's office. We'll see how long you can defy him."

"Wow, so even back then, you refused to follow the rules," said Pearl. "You guys were pretty badass."

"And proud of it," said Mara.

"And you won't believe what happened next," said Irene.

The yard monitor led Mara, Stuart, and Irene to the principal's office; many students shrank and ran away in fear as the woman guided the three disobedient students down the hallway. Mara frowned, wondering what was wrong with sitting down and being quiet. Wasn't that what children were supposed to do while they were in school? Kids don't need to play all the time, not when children everywhere were being dumbed down by boring video games and pointless TV shows.

Stuart said to her, "Wow, guess I never took you for the genius type."

"I know," said Mara. "I never liked to go outside, not when there's a world of imagination waiting for you inside a book."

"And I thought book readers never liked to have fun," said Irene.

The monitor reached the front office and shoved them into the principal's office, saying, "You just wait until Mr. Marshall gets here. He's going to straighten you brats out."

"But what if they don't want to be straightened out?" said a girl who was sitting in a chair in the office. "What then? You can't make kids play outside; they have to want it for themselves."

"Not another word out of your mouth, Miss Parker; you're already in enough trouble as it is," said the monitor. "Don't make it worse for yourself."

"Please," said 11-year-old Taylor Parker as she narrowed her brown eyes at the woman. "How much more trouble can I get myself into?"

The monitor left the office and slammed the door shut, causing everything in the room to rattle. The kids were startled for a few moments, but when everything calmed down, they all stared at Taylor Parker.

She had dark brown eyes, short brown hair, and deeply-tanned skin. She was taller than most people in the fifth grade and she was a year and a half older than the other students. She looked out of place at Harrison Creek Elementary School.

"Well, it seems that I have some company today," Taylor said as she stared at Mara, Stuart, and Irene. "What did Shaffer get you in for?"

"Well, she was angry that we weren't running around playing on the playground like the other kids, so she brought us here," said Stuart. "As if I'm going to be like everyone else when pigs fly."

"Pigs don't fly," said Irene.

"For shame," said Taylor. "Shaffer caught me trying to sneak into the computer lab, as if I was a juvenile delinquent. Like doesn't she know I don't like to go outside?"

"Really?" said Mara. "Why not?"

"I'm older that most of the kids here," said Taylor, "and it's already weird that I'm here when everyone my age is already in middle school. Isn't that sad?"

"It is," said Irene. "Shame on your parents."

"Yeah, who cares?" said Taylor. "Anyway, I'm tired of having to follow a bunch of stupid rules and being around people who follow the rules. Those rules are stifling and pathetic. I say we find a way to break those rules. Are you guys with me or not?"

* * * * *

While Mara, Stuart, Irene, and Pearl were on their way to Harrison Creek Elementary School, Shara was in her new house, getting ready to meet with her uncle and cousins. She hadn't seen them since she was 9 years old, when an incident involving a wheelchair-bound girl named Christina McAllen and Shara's inflatable pool drove a wedge between the Shinnok cousins. Shara banned them from visiting her for the next ten years.

Today, however, was the middle of the ten-year ban; Shara's uncle Raven wanted to call a truce and get Shara to reconcile with her cousins. She had not seen them since the ban was enacted, nor did she have her cousins visit her for her birthday or Christmas. Raven was alarmed at the ban and he told his brother that the ban was destroying their own relationship.

"I don't know why Shara isn't speaking to her cousins," said Raven to Shad when he was able to get away from the media circus surrounding his house. For the last 24 hours, Raven was surrounded by reporters asking questions such as, "did you know your daughter exposed a violent gang three weeks ago" and "has your daughter been exposing predators online". Raven's sons Spenser, Arthur, and James were too distraught to leave the house, and no one knew where Trevor went. Only his sister Tallulah was interested in seeing Shara, which was because she preferred her cousins Aaliyah and Rufus over their older sister. "Is it because she's sick?"

"Well, for your information, I recall Shara telling you not to bring the boys over because of Christina McAllen," said Shad. "The girl almost drowned, for crying out loud!"

"But they got her out," said Raven.

"Only after I screamed at them for almost killing her," said Shara as she came into the room. "What they did to her can never be forgiven. You're lucky Christina's parents chose not to press charges against your sons, charges that would have landed them in juvenile hall until they were 21 years old."

"My sons are your cousins," Raven began, but Shara snapped, "I don't want to hear any of your lies and excuses! They almost murdered a helpless handicapped girl; they don't deserve to have a cousin like me!"

"But that incident occurred five years ago," said Raven. "Can't you just let it go?"

"I can't let anything go when I'm still having nightmares about Christina drowning in the pool and Jacquel not warning me about her," said Shara. "Plus, I still can't believe that you defended their actions to Christina's parents, as if telling them that "the boys were just playing with her" would be acceptable. Christina keeps telling me that she should have sued you when she had the chance! I hope you have a good lawyer because as soon as it's possible, she's going to drag you into a California court and sue you for everything you have!"

Raven and Shad could only watch in shock as Shara stormed out of the kitchen. Janine saw them and said, "Let me guess: Shar's still not happy about Christina, isn't she?"

"Yes," said Shad.

"Well, you know what they say about karma," said Janine. "And I'm guessing something bad must have happened to someone you know because of that karma. If you do something good, good things happen to you, but if you do something bad, bad things happen to you. That's how karma works. Now, why are you here?"

"My daughter Tanya has gone missing and so far, no one knows where she went," said Raven.

At that, Shad found himself snorting. "You're not laughing, are you?" Janine glared at him.

"No, I'm not laughing," said Shad. "This is terrible, just terribl—-hey, wait a minute! You don't have a daughter named Tanya! What's going on here?"

"I don't know," said Raven. "Five years ago, a social worker handed me a girl. No one knew who she was or where she came from, only that her name was—-"

Just then, the phone rang. Shara picked it up and heard Kelsey Johnson's frantic yelling, "They totally stole Tanya from me!!!"

"What's going on?" Shara snapped.

"I don't know!" said Kelsey. "All I know is that someone stole my stage name and was using it without our knowledge or consent!"

"Indeed," said Shara. "I should have known something was up during that D.C. trip!"

"What happened during our trip to D.C.?" said Kelsey.

"Remember when we met that other Tanya and her friends?" said Shara.

"Of course," said Kelsey. "Those kids were weird, if I do say so myself."

"Indeed," said Shara. "I wonder how on earth did she get your name. Why would she do that?"

"I don't know, but maybe this person was so bored with their life that they decided to steal mine," said Kelsey. "Who knows?"

"Well, all I know is that we should find out who stole your stage name and sue them for fraud," said Shara. "They had no right to take your name away from you, not where it counts."

"And it counts on my YouTube channel," said Kelsey. "Not just that, but think about the videos I starred in. I know that Maddy, Scott, and Jacquel are definitely up in arms over this. Especially Jacquel. She's the one who created Tanya Shinnok in the first place."

"I'll have to set up an online conference soon," said Shara.

"About that," Kelsey began, but the sounds of yelling were heard outside Shara's window. Shara looked outside and saw a teenage girl yelling at a police officer, saying something along the lines of "I didn't have anything to do with that brat's disappearance! If anything, I'd say good riddance to her! She put my boyfriend behind bars, that's what she did! I mean, he didn't do anything to that boy, I swear!"

"Yeah, yeah, save it for the judge," the police officer snapped as he took the girl to the car. The girl's parents protested the arrest, but the officer said, "Well, you should have known she was involved with a bully, and anyone involved with a bully is guilty through association. You better hope she doesn't go to jail for that."

As the police officer and the girl got into the car and the car took off, Shara said to Kelsey, "I don't know who did this, but when I get my hands on them, their social accounts won't be the only thing that's missing."

"Good," said Kelsey. "I mean, can you believe it? A person called Tanya Shinnok who goes missing just as you came to that city? No way are we going to let that fly."

Shara had no idea that someone was at her house listening to her phone conversation. The person said, "I believe we must be extremely careful."

"Why?" said the person on the other end.

"I've tracked down Shara Shinnok, who recently moved into Susanna Brezetta's former house," said the first person. "She knows more about Tanya Shinnok than we do."

"This isn't right, what she knows," said the second person. "If she reveals her knowledge of Tanya Shinnok to the police before the Teen Rebels can find her, we'll be ruined."

"Now don't fall apart yet," said the first person. "For all we know, Shara might be talking about a different Tanya Shinnok. I need you to look up this "Tanya Shinnok" on Google and take notes on what you find. We cannot let anyone else get the upper hand or allow the police to get involved. If either of those things happen, we could be destroyed before we can destroy the Teen Rebels."

"And why do you want to destroy the Teen Rebels," said the second person. "Whatever did they do to you?"

"It's not what they did, per se, it's the fact that they forgot about my sister," said the first person. "Tansy and Lavinia were once friends with Mara Llewellyn, Stuart Greer, and Irene Houghton and they dropped them like a bad sandwich."

"Blaming the kids for the deaths of your sister and her friend won't solve anything," a third person cut in. "Besides, Tansy and Lavinia were already too old to be attending Harrison Creek Elementary School, so they had to be removed from the school or else there would have been a huge scandal."

"What kind of scandal?" said the second person.

"A few years ago, the Harrison Creek School District came under fire for having students two or three years older than most of the students at its elementary and middle schools," said the third person. "With that, most of those older students were removed from their schools and sent to Georgeus Green Special Education School, where they would stay until they were 21 years old. But Tansy and Lavinia had to run away from that school and end up as murder victims. I mean, they could have benefited from being in a school where they could learn something instead of being judged by their ages or mental disabilities."

"I don't know why my sister left the school, if but to be with her friends," said the first person. "But no matter. If Mara, Stuart, and Irene want to forget about her, that's fine with me. But when I begin destroying them and everyone they love, those brats are going to learn that it's not wise to ignore my sister and her best friend and pretend they don't exist, and to replace them with another older girl who got them into nothing but trouble. Mark my words, they're going to be begging me for mercy when I get done with them."

 

Little did they know that Kelsey Johnson was standing right behind them, planning to take them down. "Nobody steals my name and makes up stuff about me and lives," she fumed. "NOBODY!"

* * * * *

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 22.02.2018

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