13 Silhouette St.
Part 1
Brittany Lupus lived on this street in a large, most of the time plain, house. But today it wasn’t quaint. It was ominous, for today was Halloween. Brittany was in her room, pulling on her costume. This year, Brittany was a Barn Owl. She was wearing a long, itchy, fancy white speckled dress with a mask to match. It had white tissue paper shaped in a heart for the center, but the rim was lined with light brown.
Brittany’s mom passed her the candy bucket, and she fled out the door, joining up with her two best friends, Hannah Forte and Kevin Bellum. Standing next to him was his little brother, Aidan Bellum. “Where’s Alex Forte?” Brittany asked. “Oh, he’s inside, getting into his costume. You’ll LOVE it!” Hannah exclaimed.
“Brittany, wait up!” called Brittany’s sister, Alisha. “Oh, hi guys! I’m a black cat. Kevin, where’s Grace?” “Inside. She’s a dancer.”
“Let’s get going!” Said Alex, dressed up like Harry Potter. All the children raced down the street, not missing one house. When they had visited all the houses, Brittany stated, “If we cut through the forest in your backyard, Kevin, I think we could save loads of time.” “Yeah, let’s do that! We could get more candy, faster!” said Kevin excitedly.
Everyone seemed to be up for the plan, so they walked, with their bags full of candy, all the way up to the edge of the forest. “Wow, its dark in there!” Aidan said, shaking. “Come oooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn! Let’s go!” Brittany boldly said, but she wouldn’t be courageous for long. As they tromped inside, Brittany, Alisha and Kevin began to hear voices. “So, how long till this forest begins…Oh, I mean ends?” Alisha fearfully inquired. “I’m beginning to get cold…Brrrrrrrrr!” “I hear voices, Brittany,” Kevin said. “You guys all told me NOT to be scared and now you are!” Aidan stated, and everyone understood what he meant.
“Come on, scaredy-cats, it’s not scareeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Run!” Alex Forte screamed. A ghost had brushed his cheek. “Look! Werewolves!” Hannah yelled. Thirteen Werewolves, fangs bared, encircled the group. Kevin pulled out his sharp pocket knife and heroically stabbed the largest of them, but he only aggravated it. Alisha attempted to run out of the forest, but she tripped on a root and fell. A burly Werewolf came up to her and bit her. Brittany and Kevin hurled themselves upon it and beat it up. Soon, it had enough and ran away, calling the others over.
“I’ve had enough of these tricks! I just want to go back home!” Aidan said. “Well then, let’s leave; we can go to my house and rest.” A worn out Brittany said. So they streaked through the forest like a dart, and didn’t stop until they saw Grace Bellum. “Alisha looks sick. Is she ok?” Grace asked, worried. “Oh, yes! Alisha received a bite from a Werewolf. I think she’ll be fine, though she might only turn into a Werewolf on full moons,” stated Brittany. “Let’s go inside. Grace, you can come in.”
As the children reached the front door, a girl said hi to them. “Lily! Hhhow arrre youuu?” Hannah stuttered, still shocked. “I’m just great! Brittany, Miss Lupus is so kind; she gave me five pieces of candy, see?” Lily held up five Dum Dums. “Come inside, Lily. You don’t have to, but it would be fun,” said Brittany sweetly. “I would love to come!”
Once the group came inside, Brittany led them upstairs to her room. Kevin Bellum flung himself upon her bed, and sat there, panting. “Hey, I like your room!” Lily exclaimed. “Mine is so…boring.” “Is it ok if I check out your closet, Brittany?” Alex Forte inquired. “Sure, but it’s not amazing.” Alex stepped inside, and closed the sliding door. “It’s so small comp…” Alex stated, but nobody understood his last few words, because they were fading away. Aidan shoved the door aside, and asked, “Where is he?” Behind him, Hannah shrieked. Alisha strode over, weak from her experience with the Werewolves. “He really isn’t there!” she said mutedly. “This is the worst Halloween ever!” Hannah cried, about to fall apart.
Part 2
A few days later…
Brittany tossed and turned in her bed. Visions of ghosts flashed through her mind. She forced herself to wake up, thinking that otherwise she would do nothing but sleep the entire day. It was a Saturday, and Brittany couldn’t wait to play outside with her friends. She got ready quickly, (by now everyone was already awake) dashed down the steps, ate a bowl of Cheerios, and skipped out the door. (By now everyone was already awake)
“Hey, Brittany, maybe we could have a lemonade and snack stand. It’s hot enough!” Aidan suggested, eyes swelling with excitement. Mr. Bellum considered that a good idea, and brought out all the necessary supplies, including Gatorade. “You don’t need to sell any snacks,” Mr. Bellum firmly stated, to Aidan’s disappointment. Five minutes in, and the two had already sold three cups! Then Kevin Bellum and Alisha came out and offered to help.
That was when Nick Avoco set up a lemonade and CANDY stand. Then it became a competition to see who could make the most money. Nick kept coming over and saying that his stand was better, and that he was going to make more money. His attitude was all over the place. Then Brittany left to get a sip of water. When she came back, all of their money was gone! Brittany asked Kevin if anyone had stolen it, but they said no! This must have been by the same creatures that captured Alex.
“Kevin, let’s leave to search the forest,” Brittany seriously said. “Yeah.” Brittany ran back to her house and grabbed a huge bug catcher. She walked up to the forest’s edge and trudged on.
“What are we looking for anyway?” Kevin asked. “The money, Alex Forte, and the creatures,” Brittany stated. They had merely been walking for ten minutes when Kevin whispered to Brittany that there was something invisible and lightweight on his shoulder. “Stand still. I’ll swipe it right off your shoulder.” Brittany gracefully caught the creature inside the bug catcher and placed a metal divider inside the catcher, so that they could catch more monsters. “I will give it some plum bits. I brought some in my pocket,” Kevin said happily, “We caught one!” “Just feed it the plum. Now!” Brittany mumbled through her teeth. Kevin fed the plum in through the hole, and they waited. After ten minutes, Brittany protested, “I think you were imagining something on your shoulder. This is ridiculous. I’m leaving this place!”
Once at her home, Brittany formed a list:
1. Form a hypothosis.
2. Ask the neighbors.
3. Find some proof.
4. Search the house.
5. Do NOT give up!
Part 3
“Hey, that guy’s creepy! I’ve never seen him before!” stated Kevin. A tall black-haired man with green eyes had just strolled by the house. He was wearing a top hat, what he does every day. “Nobody wears top hats anymore, they are outdated!” Kevin argued. “Kevin, have you seen the new family that just moved in down the street? Maybe they have something to do with this.”
Just a few moments later, the two were walking down the street to the new family’s house. Brittany rang the doorbell. A boy about her age stepped out. “Hi, I’m Dan. Hey, I know you! You’re Kevin and you’re Brittany.” “Dan, it’s great to meet you! We were wondering if you could, uh, come outside and, er, play?” Brittany said. “Yeah, sure!”
“Dan, have you been playing tricks on us?” Brittany inquired.
“No.”
“Did you sneak into my house?”
“Brittany, of course I didn’t. I don’t even know where you live!”
“Well, ok. Kevin, I’ll stay here while you gather some other witnesses. Hurry!”
Soon, Kevin had gathered no less than twenty people. “Who’s that girl?” Brittany whispered to Kevin. “Oh, I’m Maxi. I don’t play outside often. My dad is Fred Heatherwell, a lawyer; he likes top hats.” “Oh, him. Brittany and I saw him earlier today,” Kevin stated, not saying what he thought. Brittany began questioning Mrs. Forte, Lily’s mother.
“Have you been in the forest recently?”
“No, Brittany, but I have seen some odd activity.”
Well tell us. We trust you. You helped us with the Mystery of the lost Kevin.
“Well, uuuuuhhhh, there was a…there has been some odd activity nearrrrrr theeeee forest! I saw some, eeerrrr, kids, no, monsters with hundreds of arms and whole fields offffff… man eating dragonflies!” At this point, Brittany looked over and saw Kevin. “You are supposed to take notes,” she said. “That night, I went to bed and- yes, that’s a great idea- a ghost floated in through my window, aaannnnndddd…
“Miss Forte, just tell us the truth!” Kevin interrupted.
“Ok, the truth is that I never saw anything, and I only said that because I didn’t want you thinking it was me!” Miss Forte exclaimed.
“We would never think that about you. You are always innocent,” Brittany said, shocked.
The children continued to search, but there were no witnesses. “This is hopeless,” Brittany cried.
Part 4
Brittany sulked on her bed. How could they ever find Alex? She walked over to her closet, and went inside. Maybe there was a door that opened into the wall, and someone had pulled Alex through it. If there was one, it must be well hidden. Brittany felt around on all the walls and the floor. There wasn’t one. Suddenly, a door in the ceiling swung open. “Aha!” Brittany launched herself up onto the metal shelf, hoping that it would support her weight. She then slithered in, and closed the door.
There was an abrupt left turn down a hallway that was dimly lit. Brittany crawled on her hands and knees, noting the dust and strange noises. Suddenly, the floor turned downward. Brittany stared at a large spiraling slide, crept onto it, and let herself go. It seemed that the slide never ended! Finally, her feet hit the floor with a squish. There was mud everywhere! It was layered so thickly that Brittany’s feet couldn’t even touch solid ground. Here, the ceiling was higher, so Brittany did not have to crawl. She slowly made her way through the oozy mud. Soon, Brittany approached a door. She cautiously opened it, and stepped out. She was in a cave, and rubies were everywhere. There was a large window ahead of her, and she peered out of it. It showed a steep cliff. The window swung open, leading to a flimsy deck. Brittany stepped out upon it, enjoying the fresh air. She leaned against the railing, and it completely fell off! Brittany screamed for help. Not far down the cliff, Brittany noticed a small rope next to her. She grabbed it and was hoisted up.
Part 5
“Alisha! Kevin! How did you get down here?!”
“We followed you,” Alisha said, “I went inside and got a drink. I heard you going into your closet, so I peeked inside. When I saw a secret door, I got Kevin immediately.” “Alisha, Kevin, I came in here looking for Alex. Have you seen him?” “No,” Alisha and Kevin said in unison.
“Guys, it’s getting dark. We should get back home, and search for him tomorrow,” Kevin implied. Kevin led the team away from the cliff, and back to the neighborhood.
Before she opened the door, Brittany found a disturbing note on the doorknob. It read:
Damnavi Alexus. Eris necatum, Appiaria.
Brittany tore it off, unaware for she did not know its meaning. She got ready for bed, and fell asleep dreaming about the note.
Brittany awoke to a heavy thunderstorm. Lightning flashed, cutting through the regular stillness of the night. She got up, and strolled over to her window. She saw a shadowy figure sitting on the sidewalk. Brittany couldn’t resist investigating, so she slipped on her rain boots and coat. She shivered in the cold, wet presence of the outside. Brittany crept towards the person, to catch her by surprise. “Who are you?” Brittany sternly demanded. “It’s Maxi.” Said a high pitched voice. “Bye-bye!” Brittany’s vision went black.
Part 6: The crux of the matter
Someone was shaking Brittany. She opened her eyes to discover that everyone was staring at her. “Are you ok?” Lily questioned. Brittany nodded, and got to her knees shakily. She was ravenous! “Guys, my watch says that it’s 10:24am. I’m gonna go eat,” Brittany said.
After her late breakfast, Brittany was outside again, but of course she had changed clothes and brushed her teeth. “This is it. The big catastrophe is ending NOW! We have to find Alex! He could be starving out there in the forest or something! By the way, Maxi was the one who knocked me out. She is pure EVIL! Maxi has to do with this, I’m sure,” Brittany said, sternly.
The detectives made their way to the cliff. “He’s probably hidden deep in the cliff,” Brittany thought out loud. Brittany tied a rope around her body like a harness, and handed the other end to her friends. She slowly crept down the sheer rock. At the base of the cliff, she started scaling back up. No, Alex had not been seen. Brittany was about to search another spot when she remembered the note. “I forgot to tell you, but this note was taped to my door yesterday. Hannah, I need you to help me decipher it.”
Brittany turned on her computer and looked up codes. Maybe the code was written in Spanish. Nope… maybe Greek... no, it wasn’t written in Greek. Finally, Brittany found a Latin translator. She typed:
Damnavi Alexus. Eris necatum, Appiaria.
“Oh my!” Brittany inhaled. It was translated as: I punished Alex. You will be killed, Brittany. “Hannah, let’s run!”
Once back with her friends, Brittany told them about the note, and explained that maybe the criminal had released Alex. “But I still think we should search for him,” she stated.
So they spread out. Hannah and Kevin were together, Aidan and Lily were on a team, (to Lily’s disappointment) and Brittany and Alisha would search with each other.
Afterwards, all the teams were supposed to meet in the cul-de-sac. But when team 1, Hannah and Kevin, did not, Brittany returned to them.
Together again, Brittany peered down into a capacious hole. “We were digging when our shovels hit something hollow. I dusted away all the dirt and saw a door. We pried it open, and there was Alex, gagged,” Kevin said. Brittany still spotted Alex, looking up at them. She jumped into the hole, and tore off his gag. “Who did this to you?” She said, worry flooding her voice. Alex replied, “It was Maxi, Dan, and a tall black-haired man. Last week, when I was in your closet, Brittany, someone grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into the ceiling.” When Alex stopped, he pointed to the little dents on his arm. “I was dragged through a tunnel, and pushed down a slide. Then, I heard a female’s voice urging me to “Get a move on it!” I was shoved into a room with extremely high ceilings. My captor opened a door that led to this shabby hut. I walked inside and turned around to see who was doing this to me. When I saw Dan, Maxi and that man, Dan hit me upside the head and gagged me.”
Brittany rushed to Maxi’s house, and rang the doorbell. To her greatest surprise, both Maxi and Dan answered. “You two are criminals, and so is your dad, Maxi!” Brittany smirked at them, and pulled out her phone, dialing the police.
Minutes later, the police arrived on the scene. He interviewed them, then handcuffed the trio and put them in the back seat. “You know, these three have committed other crimes. We have a reward out for them. I’ll give you eight hundred dollars for ‘em,” the kind police man stated. He gave her eight hundred dollars, just enough for everyone on the team each to get one hundred dollars!
Before the police man closed the back door, Dan spoke up. “I was that ghost that brushed Alex’s cheek, ya know. I’m sorry, Brittany.” “Those werewolves you saw were actually my dogs. I have so many because my dad breeds dogs, and I secretly stole the money,” Maxi guiltily admitted. “Why does your dad wear a top hat? I know that’s an odd question,” Brittany asked. “He keeps a gun up there, and a rat, just to scare people,” Maxi sighed. “I’m sorry too. I captured Alex because I didn’t like you.”
Then the police man shut the door, hopped into his car, and drove off. Brittany sprinted to her friends and gave them each their designated amount of money.
The next morning, Brittany went to fetch the newspaper. She deeply inhaled, discovering that on the front page was an Ipad 2 advertisement, and an article titled NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN SAVE THE DAY!
Beneath it was a photo of the young detectives. Brittany smiled.
-Bella Dortch
2011-11-15
13 Silhouette St.
Bella Laney Dortch
