The Legend of Hope's Edge

chapter 2

still being edited and changed, chapter 2 was written by Emily (the book is a collaboration:-)) haha! ermehgerd! double brackets! (don't judge me, I'm extremely cool. ish. well... anyhooooo, chapter 2...

the chapter is dedicated to Scarycandy because they're awesome. so, yeah. btw i'll dedicate a chapter for every follower so yeah YOU SHALL HAVE A DEDICATION okayyyyyy

The receptionist at the desk of the library is young, about twenty three. She is filing her nails and reading a magazine under the desk. I clear my throat as I approach the desk, and she lifts up her head in a bored fashion. Bright red lipstick and dyed blonde hair are the first things that I see as she comes into view.

I step forward again; now I am level with the desk. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” she replies.

“I’m Detective Inspector Smith, investigating the disappearance of Xavier DeLaney,” I say, flashing my ID.

“Ooh, are you really a detective? Can I help you with anything?” She is suddenly much more interested, and I give her a small smile.

“Yes, actually. I was wondering if you could help me find a particular census.”

She looks thoughtful. “Well, I’m not too sure where to find one of those among the, like, books, but there’s a free computer over there, so you could, like, Google it or something.” She points with a manicured hand to the opposite end of the library, where, along the left wall, is a row of computers and chairs. I nod, “thank you, um…?” She looks delighted to be a part of an investigation and replies,

“Trish parker, and if you need anything- like, to ask me what I was doing on the night he disappeared or something, I’m right here!” She flicks back her hair and grins. I smile indulgently and walk to the computers. By the time I get there, she is already texting on her mobile phone, no doubt telling everyone she knows that she has just been interviewed by the police.

“Nice to keep these things quiet…” I mutter under my breath, as she starts chattering excitedly into the phone.

I do indeed end up using Google to find out my information. I find the census, and it tells me what I already know: Xavier was a policeman; he was married and was not religious etc.

I log onto the police files webpage with my details, and run a search on Xavier DeLaney. He retired some thirty years ago, after a ‘particularly traumatic’ case. Interested, I look into the case details. I find Xavier’s report…and what I read astounds me.

15th December 1962

Three teenagers went missing in Hope’s Edge Wood, on the 15th November this year. Assigned to the case: Myself, Xavier DeLaney, Richard Burrows and John Phillips. Joined later on by four more (Ellen Pritchard, Tom Matthews and Hayley David).

After several expeditions into the wood, and interviews, we found no trace of the teenagers except the word of Helen Elmswitch (aged 65, widow) who told us of the Legend of Hope’s Edge- see file attached. Richard Burrows disappeared in Hope’s Edge Wood, and the backup team were sent in to take over. John Phillips was sent back, but I stayed, determined to solve the case. After the disappearance of detectives Pritchard, Matthews and David, I was sent back to the police station. There has been no other news since.

I stare at the computer screen, wide eyed. In the background, I can still hear Trish Parker babbling away into her phone. I search for the attached file, and, after locating it, I attempt to access it, but it has become corrupted and, no matter what I do, I cannot see the contents. Annoyed, I slump back into my chair, my mind working furiously. A minute later, I have a plan. First, I will see what I can find out about this ‘legend’ here in the Library. Then I will try to find John Phillips, who seems to be the only surviving member of the team of detectives in charge of the case. And perhaps I will try to find this Helen Elmswitch- if she, too, is not dead, for if she is alive, then she is ninety-five years old.

Trish Parker is only too happy to help when I ask her where I would find the books on folklore- all the reference guides have mysteriously disappeared. She searches the library database for ten minutes, finally coming up with “Well, it must be Isle Twelve, I mean, that’s the only one I can find when I type in ‘folklore’. Have I even spelled that right? I’m, like, not so good at, like, spelling stuff, you know what I mean?” Inwardly, I’m rolling my eyes. “Okay. Yeah…try Isle Twelve, if what you’re looking for isn’t over there…I guess you can just, you know, like, look around…I mean, I’m only here on work experience- it’s the only place I could find- so I don’t, like, exactly know where everything is…”She trails off and I head over to Isle Twelve, at the very back of the library, sincerely hoping Miss Parker is not considering being a librarian as a career. 

After an two hours of searching and flicking through annoyingly thick books, I can only conclude that someone has either taken it out, or that there is no book about the legend of Hope’s Edge in Hope’s Edge Public Library. I look at the other inhabitants of the library- it could be possible they have taken out the book I’m looking for. But there are only five other people in here on this miserable morning (It’s raining so heavily it’s as if the sky has suffered a major tragedy) and they are all milling around the Food, Romance and Children’s Books sections, and have been since I got here. I scan the bookshelf one last time, and something catches my eye. There is a gap in the bookshelf that I didn’t notice before; It is very thin. The rest of the shelves are packed so tightly with books it seems they will burst with the pressure of it- and it’s almost impossible to pull the books out of their places- and I find it hard to believe that this one shelf should be an exception. I check the numbers on the spines of the books next to the empty space (103 and 105) so as to deduce the number of the book missing. It must be 104. I hurry back to the desk and interrupt Trish’ new phone conversation.

“This is very urgent, Miss Parker, “ I begin, and she says to whoever she’s talking to, “Gotta go bye!” and turns to me expectantly.

“What is the title of book number 104, Isle twelve?” I ask, pronouncing the words slowly and clearly so she understands. She pulls the computer nearer to her and pulls up the Library Database search engine.

“Um…Isle twelve….book 114…” she types slowly, and I almost cry with exasperation, “No, no! Book one-hundred-and-four!” She laughs, “Oh, silly me! Yeah, okay…um, Isle twelve, Book 104- it’s….Oh yeah and here it is! Hope’s Edge tales and legends by Samantha Elmswitch.”

Yes! This must be it- it’s too much of a coincidence not to be! And the author! Elmswitch! Helen Elmswitch was mentioned in Xavier Delaney’s report! They must be related; this is such a small town. Just to be sure I rush over to the computers again and find Samantha Delaney on Wikipedia- celebrated author, specialises in legends and mysteries, father died when she was little…Mother: Helen Elmswitch! I go back to the desk, panting a little from all this running back and forth,

“has it been taken out at all? Who’s got it?” I gasp at Trish, who bites her lip with concentration as she finds the book’s details. Then, her face falls.

“Oh, I’m sorry! It’s missing; um…Whoa, spooky!” Her jaw has dropped comically. I push her for details, “What? What’s spooky?”

Her face shines with excitement as she turns to me, “That Xavier bloke you’re investigating! He took it out and never returned it!”

woah cliffhanger... DUM DUM DUUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!

I promise that the rest of the book will be more exciting but the first few chapters will be setting the scene okay