the secrets of ocean shores - a paranormal murder mystery

Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Kella

"I don't understand!" I said it for the seventh time, pacing around my dorm as Eve rested in the back of her chair, relief on her face.

"Does it matter? You're back. You aren't dead." She said straightforwardly. That was Eve Chen. Always so straightforward, no matter the situation.

"I guess." Unconvinced, I turned away. I had never died. The last thing I remembered was everything going black. Suddenly, I woke up in a hospital bed, jumped out, and ran back to Highwater, somehow. My brain had just led me.

"I saw you, lying there, dead." Eve said it in such a bland manner that I almost for a second thought she wasn't sad about my 'death', but then I saw the fire hidden deep inside her eyes, the scorching-hot flames that barely anybody saw. I had seen it day to day, that deep hidden feeling that she kept secret, and she only let it go if you trusted her.

"But I wasn't," I argued back. "There was a clock right next to me. It said the time- 8:31 p.m. I left at 8 exactly, and right before I got hit, I looked at the time- 8:19. Somehow, somebody faked my body, because I was only sitting in that hospital bed for around ten minutes."

"It's so weird. You were gone for weeks. It was December and now, suddenly, it's January."

"But I was not gone, Eve." I sighed as I watched the soft snow fall outside the window. I wished I could be that snow- just for one minute, I wanted to be able to focus on nothing, forget all my problems, and breathe. Just fall slowly, drifting through the air. More than ever, I wanted to let go of everything that had happened and feel that calm feeling. 

"We have a field trip today, Kella. Let's forget about this and start new." She wrinkled her nose. "I sound like my mom. Ugh. C'mon, let's leave. I bet Dareth is waiting for you- I think he has a thing for you." she offered a sly smirk as we walked out. Her oversized red cardigan and black t-shirt hung loose on her hourglass figure. 

We walked down to the buses. Principal Rahni looked us up and down. One hour ago, she had been sobbing and hugging me, but now she was back to her normal sleek blonde hair, and judgy blue eyes. "Miss Chen and Miss Ravenwood. You both are late." She tapped her watch. "Pacific Paradise may be an arcade, but it holds great historical prominence for Ocean Shores."

A hint of a smirk lingered on Eve's face before she climbed into the bus and I followed her.

I sat in the back row, rubbing my temples. I felt somebody whoosh into the seat next to me, but I never glanced to look.

Staring out the window again at the soft, flakey snow, I closed my eyes and dreamed of the days before. The days when me and Carolina would curl up on the couch, watch movies, get take-out. I could almost taste the spicy food on my tounge, the animated flash of Carolina's eyes and her surprised scream when a jumpscare happened. If I thought hard enough, I could exist in that moment, feel those feelings, hear my parents laughing.           

When we finally arrived, I couldn't pay any attention. I took a pack of spearmint gum out of my pocket, and let the wrapped fall into the trashcan as fast as the snow. The gum felt hard in my hands as I slipped it into my mouth and chewed on it, letting the minty flavor wash into my mouth. 

Like usual, Eve and Erik were bickering. Their voices blending with the principal's sharp snap dulled into my head. I pulled the door of the arcade open and was greeted by loud, colorful flashing lights. I walked inside where a tour guide stood. She looked perky at first glance,  perfect redheaded ponytail, but her brown orbs flashed with a tired glare. 

"Hello everyone, my name is Sofia and I will be your tour guide for today. We will be exploring the history of Ocean Shores, which goes back to the early 1860's when first settler...."