Can You Keep A Secret?

9. Bianca: Saturday, 6th Of September

People were starting to raise eyebrows about Sylvie. The entire town of BrookSville was booming with questions about her sudden disappearance. Not a single person had seen or heard from her, and now...the police were involved. During our reunions, Iris had warned us that the police were becoming suspicious as rumors reached the station. Things were quickly taking a turn for the worse.

As I stood in front of the wooden house, my mind raced with doubts. Should I go inside or not? I knew deep down that Sylvie wouldn't be there, but I couldn't help but hope. After all, this was the place where she had spent countless hours trying to crack the case. With determination, I punched in the code to unlock the door: 31.08.22. The door swung open, revealing a surprisingly clean interior. It was as if no one had been there for months. But I knew better. Sylvie had definitely been here.

With cautious steps, I made my way to the room where we had tirelessly worked to uncover the truth. The same room that had driven us both to the brink of madness, but especially Sylvie. As I push open the door, I'm hit with a wave of familiarity. Nothing had changed since the last time I was here.
The walls were still covered in photographs, each one meticulously placed to connect the dots of the case we were working on. The familiar shattered board lay on the ground, with red strings trying to link the pieces to someone at BrookSville High. Sylvie had always believed that the murderer could be someone from our school.

I pick up a photo of Ava and flip it over, revealing a red marker scrawled with the word "REVENGE?" I place it back and continue scanning every detail, including pictures from the CCTV cameras that covered every corner of the school. But I knew there were places, like this one, hidden in the dark where no one would think to look. Sylvie and I had discovered several while investigating. Alongside the photos of the suspects, there were also pictures of me, Iris, Ava, and Skye, along with our parents.

I pull out my own photo and study it before I hear the sound of a door closing. I turn around, expecting to see Sylvie, only to come face to face with Skye. "What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised. I didn't think I had been followed, but apparently I needed to be more aware of my surroundings. I had never shared this place with the girls for a reason, but it seemed like the secret was out.

"I was worried about you," Skye says, looking around the room. "You were never supposed to know about this place," I explained, frustrated that my hiding spot had been discovered. Skye drops her things on the piano board, which had come with the house, and starts to explore the room. "Why did you call out Sylvie's name earlier?" she asks, not paying attention to me.

"I thought if there was anywhere Sylvie could be, it would be here," I admit, feeling defeated. But it was a futile attempt. Sylvie wasn't here, and coming to this place had been a waste of time.

"Did Iris tell you about the police?" I nod in response as Skye turns to face me, her face filled with confusion and questions. The main one being, "What is this place?"

I sit down on the piano bench, my fingers gently touching the keys. "Do you remember when Sylvie disappeared for a whole month last year?" I ask, bringing up old memories. I had never been worried about her previous disappearances, but this time it was different. She had gone without me, and that's what concerned me.

"I remember. She was a mess. Not sleeping, drinking, not acting like herself. It was like she had gone crazy," Skye says, but I stopped her before she could finish. We all thought the same thing, but I knew the truth.

My fingers danced across the keyboard, the sound echoing through the room. "She bought this house after her parents passed away. It was our secret headquarters, where we investigated everyone in BrookSville," I explained, raising an eyebrow at Skye. "Everyone as in..." she trailed off.
"All the citizens," I confessed. "One day, I got worried and decided to follow her. I found out she had stopped living in the manor after that day," I admitted, looking at her. Ava and Iris were wrong. Sylvie was planning to sell the house, she was going to let it go. It was never in her plan to stay and live with the family of Iris. "That's why this place exists," I said, tilting my head towards the ceiling.