Do I Want To Know?

Chapter 1- Gloomy Days

   Nancy Drew loved a good mystery. Of course she did, she had solved so many she couldn't count them on a spreadsheet, let alone her fingers. She never made it professional, stating that she was an "amateur" to everyone she met, even with her notably extreme list of solved cases. While she could possibly admit that her amateur rating had boiled over to something more impressive, she didn't want to make it professional. She simply enjoyed helping people, and an occasional thrill.

   Imagine her surprise when no one called on her for a few weeks.

   She didn't want to pride herself, if insisting upon her amateur status was any proof of that, but she had to admit that she was, in fact, surprised. She was always shipping off somewhere, be that another town or another country to help someone with some obscure case.

   Now she was coming up on a month of dead silence. No calls, no mysterious letters, nothing. She couldn't help feeling surprised, and a little saddened at that. It was like a part of her had been ripped out, to put it dramatically. And it was dramatic, she knew she would have another case soon, and she knew she would feel a little embarrassed at her gloomy mood the past couple of weeks.

   But for now she let the gloom consume her.

   So much so, it even began to worry those who spent the most time with her. Her dad, her two best friends, Bess and George, and especially her boyfriend, Ned. They all knew her as someone who was happy and optimistic, never letting anything get the best of her.

   And she tried to be that, at first.

   But more and more, she and all the others were catching her staring off into space, an empty expression on her face, her optimistic façade slipping away.

   She thought, even now as she was sitting in her room at her desk, that she must have been doing it too. That became especially clear when she heard Bess' voice in her ear,

   "Hellooo! Earth to Nancy!" Nancy cringed at the sound, only because it was so loud and up close. She turned to face Bess, who was standing beside her, hands sassily on her hips. The fabric of her blue sundress was bunched up in her fists, but there was no anger in the gesture, only mild annoyance.

   George was behind her, taking a seat on Nancy's bed and looking around as if she had never seen the place before. She sported a simple green t-shirt, and sat back on her hands as she rested her ankle against her jean-clad knee. Nancy furrowed her brows in confusion, she didn't even hear them come in. George looked in her direction,

   "Your dad let us in a couple minutes ago." Nancy nodded in understanding, although picked at the collar of her own t-shirt in an embarrassed manner. Bess reached out in front of her and scooped up Nancy's hand, holding them in her own.

   "Nancy Drew! I can't stand to see you sulking any longer!" She had an intense look on her face, Nancy thought she almost never saw Bess this serious, unless she was talking about boys. Even then it wasn't to this degree. Nancy's eyes widened a bit in response, and let out a breath as she smiled at Bess.

   "Relax, Bess. I'm fine. Really." She stood up and paced to the other side of the room, eyeing the bookshelf on the wall to avoid looking at the two cousins. Bess crossed her arms, huffing to herself, a piece of her blonde hair falling into her eyes. She huffed again to get it out of the way. George glanced over at Nancy, eyes trailing down and taking note of her somewhat disheveled appearance.

   Her red hair was unkempt, as though she hadn't brushed it that day, or yesterday, its messy waves barely touching her shoulders. George also noted the sweatpants. Nancy Drew never wore sweatpants in the middle of the day. George briefly licked her bottom lip before breaking the silence between the three of them,