There's a famous uninhabited mansion in Lark Creek, Virginia where an accident occurred seven years ago. Mysteries surround it, and people say that you'll hear strange noises coming from the inside of the mansion. No one in Lark Creek has the courag...
"And at last I see the light And it's like the fog has lifted And at last I see the light And it's like the sky is new And it's warm and real and bright And the world has somehow lifted All at once everything is different Now that I see you." —I See the Light by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi
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After church, eating lunch, and going to Veronica Hanley's memorial that Dimitri had made after she'd died at the north side of Terabithia (he'd also gone there before giving himself up to the police) as respect, Leslie and I immediately went to our tree house.
Yep, it was officially ours now.
Yesterday afternoon, Leslie, Sarah, Groban, Conrad and I had also gone to the police station as witnesses. The four of us had been shocked to learn that Conrad's dad was the town's sheriff. Sheriff Miller had scolded us, asking why we did such a dangerous thing.
Conrad had rolled his eyes. "Please, Pops. Just be thankful we solved the biggest mystery here in Lark Creek," he'd said, then glared to the person standing beside him. "Too bad I missed the shuckin' climax because of David Beckham Wannabe!"
Groban had scowled at him. "You're blaming me again, Miller? Why're you always blaming me?"
"Duh! Because it's the right thing to do!" Conrad had exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "If you didn't act cool and tough and then got lost in the first place, then we'd have—"
"For the love of God, SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Sarah had yelled, her voice rising several octaves. "We're inside the police station! Continue your World War Three after we're done being questioned and already outside!"
That had immediately shut the two up, but they hadn't stopped having their glaring contest, and then Sarah just sighed in exasperation. I'd been impressed she'd gotten to stop Groban and Conrad bickering with each other.
When I'd told Conrad that Dimitri would lend him his Stradivarius for safekeeping, he'd fainted right on the spot.
And, of course, our parents had been called to go to the police station, which meant more scolding for us, but they'd been also proud of our achievement.
Thank God.
Earlier, my dad and mom had informed Leslie and me that the five of us were featured on the front page of the Lark Creek Times, showing our picture taken at the police station.
Five Teenagers Solved the Mystery in the Alsons' Mansion After All These Years! the headline said.
Earlier at church, after the pastor had been done preaching, he congratulated the five of us and even called us "The Teenage Detectives of Lark Creek," and then we received a round of applause, which I thought was embarrassing. But Leslie and Conrad had stood up and bowed to them proudly. Typical for them to do that.
