Deadly Hallows [Complete]

Chapter 1: Victim Identified

The dismissal bell rang three hours earlier than usual, filling the hallways with aimless chatter, and my fellow classmates. We had been told that we were getting out of school early due to a local emergency, and that we were all supposed to go straight home. Of course this early dismissal paired with talk of a local emergency led to rumors about what was going on. There was talk that a body had been found, but no one truly knew what was going on. Everyone was just listening to what others were saying and adding to the story when we were all just as clueless as the next.

The rumors stated that a girl's body had been found in the woods that surrounded our small town. I heard people saying stuff about how there was probably a serial killer or an axe murderer on the loose, but I couldn't find it in me to take any of them seriously. Nothing ever happened here. The most exciting thing to ever happen in this town was when I was six and our town held a meeting and changed our name from Seaside Hallows to Shady Hallows. Apparently everyone agreed that there was more shade here, thanks to the woods that surrounded us, than there was sea. Therefore it was obvious why I had my doubts about a murder happening here.

Apparently I was the only one who didn't believe what was being said through the grape wine. A few people claimed they heard the teachers talking about it, but there was no way for them to be completely sure. Our cell phones had been confiscated, the televisions in the school were turned off, and the computer labs were closed down for the day. The only people that had access to these technological advances were the faculty members.

The only thing that made me worry was the fact that police officers were scattered around the halls, staring us down as we passed them by. One of the officers focused his eyes on me, noticeably watching me as I walked past and headed straight to my locker. I could still feel his heavy gaze as I put in my combination, stuffed my textbooks inside, and slammed the door shut. One peek told me that he still had his eyes on me, and despite the fact that I had no reason to be worried, I felt uncomfortable and like I had done something wrong. His eyes shifted away from me, and with that, I hurried toward my second period class to claim my phone. Like everyone else's, it had been taken in the middle of the class after my teacher had received a very peculiar phone call that set her on edge for the rest of the period.

Finally ready to head home, I made my way through the halls, following the stream of students who were headed out of the main entrance, smiles plastered on their faces. School was cancelled for the next few day, and as people got their phones and internet back, it was clear why. While there was no information being released by the police station at the moment, there were news updates about a body that was found in the woods. Even with the now confirmed news of a dead body, everyone was talking excitedly about the early dismissal, and school being cancelled; faulty priorities. 

The body hadn't been identified yet, but that was enough to spark some fear into the population of our small town. Just seeing the words "body found" in bold on the screen of my phone sent chills down my spine. I tugged at my backpack strap, re-positioning my bag higher on my shoulders as I headed down the staircases and off of campus, wanting to be in the safety of my own home more than ever now that I knew that the rumors were true. My heart pace increased as thoughts filled my head.

What else had been true? Was the victim a female? Hold old is--was she? What if she went to my school? I had to have known her. Everyone in this town knew each other. This was the kind of place where you grew up and lived forever. The main additions to the population were new births, and the subtractions were, well, death. If the victim was a teenager, she went to my school. It was the only school in the area other than the elementary school. Since the town was so small, the middle and high schools had been combined to create a whomping total of 266 people that attended the school.