Oubliettes

Chapter 1 : Mystery was her Drug of Choice

Blue Williams had always been fascinated by the unknown. Mystery was her drug of choice. As a child, her and her brother Danny would constantly play detective. They would go around the neighborhood finding whatever they could find and pretending it were clues. Together they had solved some of the biggest mysteries the world at ever seen or at least they imagined they had. Blue and Danny had found and captured Jack the Ripper, they'd tracked down Cleopatra's tomb, they'd discovered where the city of Atlantis was and much more.

Both siblings had found a way of making a living out of their passion. Danny had followed a more conventional path by becoming a detective while Blue opted for a more modern approach. She had created an Instagram account fully dedicated to exploring unsolved mysteries. It all started when reports of weird sightings in and around an abandoned school started coming in. Blue's brother worked for the Suffolk County Police Department which serviced the hamlet of Brentwood, New York where Blue's family lived. He would often tell Blue about the calls they'd receive at the station. When Blue heard of the sightings at the school, she knew she had to take a look for herself. She ended up going and, after about a week of investigating the matter, she found out that a group of boys from the neighborhood had been trying to scare the people of Brentwood by using rudimental special effects equipment they had found online.

Her friends loved it when she told them about the events at the school and insisted that if she ever did something like that again she had to vlog it so they could see it in real time. Blue agreed and from then on that's what she did. The account was originally private and only available to her friends, but Suzie, her best friend, had the idea that she should make it accessible to all. She was certain that it would garner attention and even be a source of revenue.

She was right. Within a year, Blue had gained over six million followers and had become quite the online phenomena. At 23 years old, Blue had found the job of her dreams. She had quit her position at one of Bentwood's financial institutions and had began investigating mysteries daily and she loved it. People were constantly contacting her with mysteries they'd like her to investigate.

Blue had recently been contacted by the staff of a hospital in the south of Oregon where the patients had been complaining of odd noises at night and some had even claimed to have seen objects moving. Blue surprisingly didn't believe in the supernatural. She believed everything had a logical and scientifically explainable reason for happening which she had been able to prove thus far. Blue had always found rational ways to explain the "supernatural" whether it was a broken pipe making strange noises or someone purposefully messing with people. One thing was sure, and it was that the explanation was never magic or witchcraft. Her grandmother called her a non-believer.

"You don't believe in ghost, in aliens, in spirits," said her grandmother with disapproval. "You don't even believe in God, heaven and hell. What's left for you to believe in?"

"Science and facts," affirmed Blue. This was always her answer when confronted with a similar question. It did not please her grandmother at all; she was a fervent worshipper, and she was certain to be haunted by the ghost of her high school nemesis. Blue loved her grandmother, but she thought her beliefs were ridiculous not that she would ever tell her so bluntly by fear of driving the poor old woman to an early grave.

Blue had every intention of going to that hospital and finding the answers to their problem and she knew it wouldn't involve any type of supernatural phenomenon. The young woman was packing her bags for Oregon when her friend Suzie walked in her room. The two had been roommates for three years. They had moved in together when Suzie's parents sold their house and moved to Italy to spend the rest of their years drinking wine and eating pasta leaving their only child without a place to stay. They figured she was old enough to live on her own, but Blue hated the idea of Suzie living alone knowing full well that she was as dependent as they come. She decided to move into an apartment with her friend which Suzie was incredibly grateful for.