Mystery of Harrow's Lake

Chapter 2

Maxwell's POV

Maxwell had a plan for the greatest winter ever. He knew that Jake and Rachel would not be in on it, but he knew for sure that Elizabeth would love it. So, he slowly tried to ease it in the conversation.

"So," Maxwell announced, "I have a plan to make this winter the best EVER!"

"It must be something reasonable," Rachel pointed out, "unlike last break when you said we should steal a car."

"No, I did not," Max said defending himself, "I said borrow not steal."

"Same difference," Rachel mumbled.

Lizzy asked curiously, "What are we going to do?"

"It is a secret! Follow me," Maxwell said cheerily jumping on his skateboard and rolling down the paths to the road.

Maxwell could hear Rachel rant about not bringing a mode of transportation and what not while Lizzy was saying that they can take turns. Jake sped up right next to Max and followed closely behind.

"What's the plan, Max?" Jake asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

Max grinned but kept silent, keeping the suspense. They zoomed past familiar landmarks—the town square, the old oak tree where they used to hang out, and the little pond where they'd catch tadpoles as kids. The quiet suburban streets eventually gave way to a more wooded area.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the outskirts of town. Maxwell stopped abruptly outside a walk trail, causing Jake to nearly crash into him.

"Here we are!" Max announced.

"Where exactly are we going to? I don't remember this trail here" Jake asked sceptically dismounting his bike and pushing it towards Maxwell.

"We're here!" Lizzy said tiredly wheeling her bike with Rachel behind her puffing like a train.

"Come on let's go!" exclaimed Max ushering them on.

The others walked straight pass a sign which the worn letters spelt out "H rr 's T ail. Going through the dense forest of the overgrown trail was a bit of a struggle as it was not taken care of for two years...

"Why is this trail so difficult?" asked Lizzy. "It looks like it hasn't been used in a while."

"Just keep going!" Max said, "almost there!"

As they continued down the trail, the forest grew denser, the air cooler and filled with the scent of pine. Maxwell's heart pounded with excitement. He knew they were close. After about ten minutes of walking, they reached a muddy dirt road and Maxwell pointed ahead.

"There it is," Max said, his voice filled with anticipation.

The others looked where he was pointing and saw a tall fence with faded "No Trespassing" signs and yellow police tape.

"Max, are you serious?" Jake's voice was tight. "This is Harrow's Lake. We can't go in there."

Rachel looked skeptical. "Are you sure about this, Max? This place is off-limits for a reason."

Elizabeth, however, looked thrilled. "This is so cool! We could totally explore it."

Jake shook his head. "No way, Lizzy. People disappeared here. It's dangerous."

"Come on, Jake," Max said, trying to sound reassuring. "It's been two years. The police never found anything. It's probably just an old campsite now."

Jake frowned. "Or it's still dangerous. I don't think it's a good idea."

Rachel crossed her arms. "I'm with Jake on this one. We should find somewhere else to hang out."

Maxwell sighed, feeling his plan slipping away. "Look, we don't have to go far. Just a quick look around. If it seems unsafe, we leave. Promise."

Lizzy nodded eagerly. "Yeah, just a quick look. Come on, it'll be an adventure!"

Jake hesitated, glancing at Rachel, who shrugged. "Fine," he said at last. "But we're not going deep into the campground."

Maxwell smiled, feeling a surge of victory. "Great! Let's do this."

"My mom's going to kill me," Jake cursed under his breath.

They carefully slipped under the police tape, climbed the fence. They walked along the road and entered the campground through the main gate.

"This place is creepy," Lizzy said, hugging herself.

Jake sighed. "Let's just make this quick. I don't like being here."

Maxwell nodded. "Okay, let's split up and look around. We'll meet back here in ten."

As they dispersed, Max couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. This summer was going to be interesting.