Summary: When a childhood friend of the Hardy boys starts acting strange her father calls Fenton Hardy in desperation. Fenton sends his sons hoping reconnection will help fix the rift between father and daughter. However, upon arriving the Hardy boys realise something seems to be very wrong with most of the girls in the small village and indeed the village in general.
Author's Note: The first chapter does not actually include the Hardy Brothers as it's setting the scene (sort of like a prologue). Oh, yeah and don't worry. This girl is in no way a Mary Sue and the rest of the story will be largely focused on the brothers. I already have the rest of this story planned (and a bit more written) but I thought I'd upload a chapter first and see what people thought. I've not written much in a while. Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy! :)
Warnings: Minor swearing and mentioning of mental illness in this chapter. The rating of this story is M for later chapters due to gore, slight religious themes and some nudity.
Prologue
"Lori, I'm home!"
James Ward had just returned home from a long and tedious day at work. There were days when being a professor had very few benefits other than the pay. His students seemed to take a strange delight in refusing to ask any questions when he gave them the opportunity to and then deciding they hadn't understood a single word he had said when the lecture had ended and he was eager to head home. Certain students were repeat offenders of this and he'd find himself watching them with tired eyes until they reached the front of the class. The onslaught of questions that would then come his way made him greatly regret his choice in career.
"Hey dad," Lori called, running in from the kitchen. "Good day?"
"Long day," James corrected, with a small smile on his face. He noticed a pleasant aroma wafting in from the kitchen. "I take it you've been cooking?"
Lori smiled clearly pleased with her achievement, "I can't take all the credit. Edward helped me a bit."
"Your brother was here?" James asked, shock lacing his tone.
Lori smiled but her expression grew slightly sad, "Yes he was. He was going to stay until you got back but Amy called saying the baby was kicking and giving her pain again. You know how worried he gets about her. He says he'll come back next week though!"
James kept his frown on the inside and smiled, "That Amy's definitely a character. She always seems to get pains whenever Edward's around here or she's supposed to come down. Must just be bad luck."
"Probably," Lori smiled but even her tone sounded slightly dubious.
"So… shall we eat?" James asked, motioning to the kitchen.
"Yes! Just give me a second I'll just set out the plates now. We weren't sure what you would want so we made lamb. I hope that's okay?"
"Sounds perfect," James said, smiling as his daughter ran into the kitchen. His smile slowly melted away into a frown as he remembered what he had to ask his daughter about. He hated this part of being a parent the most. He often felt he had no business enquiring into his daughter's personal life. She was sixteen years old and even though she was still a baby in his eyes he liked to give her the freedom to live her own life; a freedom he knew from experience he had appreciated at that age.
He walked into the kitchen and marvelled at the meal his children had prepared for him. It wasn't the best but their effort meant the world to him.
He sat down and looked to his daughter, expecting her to initiate prayers before eating. It was something his wife had always done before she went to the hospital and his daughter had continued that tradition from a young age. However, instead Lori just picked up her knife and fork and began eating. James was slightly shocked however reasoned that he was home late and Lori was probably just extremely hungry. He let it slide and began to eat himself.
"Thank you for this Lori, it's delicious," James complimented. It was a small lie. It was a little undercooked for his liking however, just from looking he could tell it wasn't undercooked enough to make them ill and that was what mattered. Lori didn't seem to hear regardless. She simply continued with her meal.
"Erm Lori…" his tone caught his daughter's attention and she looked up.
"Yes dad?"
"I hate to bring this up now but your teacher called today. Something about one of your art projects being a little inappropriate?"
"Don't worry about that dad," James couldn't help but notice the way Lori shifted her gaze back from him to her meal as her expression shifted. "Mrs Harthorn just doesn't like me."
James knew he couldn't let this drop despite how much he wanted to.
"What was this art project about anyway?"
This was again a small lie. He knew exactly what the art project had been. He just figured that by playing dumb he was more likely to get Lori to open up to him.
Lori sighed as if the whole conversation was something she really didn't want to talk about, "The art project was on expressions of emotion through art. Clearly me and Mrs Harthorn just express ourselves differently."
James ran his hand through his thinning hair inwardly groaning. Mrs Harthorn had told him everything on the phone but Lori was clearly avoiding the root of the problem. James gave up on being tactful.
"She said you drew naked women on fire with demons dancing around them?"
Lori rolled her eyes, "It was meant to be symbolic. The old bat just took it too literally."
"Lori!" James reprimanded.
"Sorry."
James couldn't help but notice that Lori didn't sound particularly apologetic at all. Again, he let it slide.
"Anyway, apparently as well as being metaphorical it was pretty graphic. She said it was a 'unique' idea but the nudity was just…"
"…so, she was fine with the demons burning people alive but nudity was the problem? Makes sense."
"Lori!" James scolded again. "Do not interrupt me."
"Dad you're missing the fact it was a group project! It wasn't just my idea. Lucy and Emily came up with it in the first place, I just painted some of it."
James groaned not liking the way this conversation was going. Lori's last statement just opened up a new can-of-worms and James realised with a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight without a headache.
"That was something else I needed to talk to you about…"
Lori put her fork down on the table a little too loudly, "What?"
James let that slide too. He was getting a little tired of letting things slide.
"Lori, Lucy and Emily are a little too…wild? I'm not entirely sure if that's the word I'm looking for but you know what I mean. The issue with you missing school last month, when you left the house in the middle of the night without telling me and now this issue in art. It all traces back to them. I'm not sure they're the best influences for you…"
"Dad I want to stop this conversation now."
"Lori, we need to talk about this."
"I don't see why," Lori said, tone even but looking up to face her father. James was taken aback. The anger glistening in her brown eyes was strong and her face was flushed slightly. "This isn't a conversation I want to have with you. Who I'm friends with in my own time is none of your concern. Emily and Lucy aren't just 'wild' they're also fun to be around. I made you a nice meal and I do not appreciate being subjected to an interrogation by you."
"Lori this is not like you!" James shouted, appalled by his daughter's tone. "You've started acting like this more and more since meeting them."
"Dad I was fine when you came home, have you ever stopped to think it could be you bringing stuff up that doesn't concern you in the slightest that puts me in this mood. I was already in a bad mood because of my bitch of an Art teacher and I don't need rubbish like this from you too. My friends are my friends and if I want to go out and see them I will."
"I allow you to see them! Just not at night. I think I'm being more than fair."
"No, you're not! You're being awful!" Lori shouted, standing up and slamming her hands on the table, sending her chair behind her tumbling backwards. James visibly recoiled. "Being friends with them is the most fun I've had in a long time and I'm not going to let you boss me around. Mum would never have done it."
James felt a shock to the system, suddenly feeling as if he'd reached the root of the problem.
"Is it that you miss your mum? Is that it? I can get in touch with someone to talk to you about…"
Lori's reaction threw him completely off-guard. It wasn't what he'd expected and it wasn't at all what he'd wanted. She laughed. It felt like the laughter went on for hours even though it was probably only a minuite. James was in too much shock to speak. The laughter wasn't kind or well-natured, it was cruel and angry. When Lori finally stopped laughing she had tears in her eyes, but they weren't sad tears. They were tears of frustration.
"You're trying to say I'm crazy too now? Just like her? No. I don't miss her. I'm glad that bitch was locked up. She's not sick, she's just messed up in the head."
James was in too much shock to speak and chose to just remain silent. The speech he'd had planned about her mum loving her dried up in his throat when he realised it wasn't needed. This time he was the one to break eye contact and look down towards his lap, the lamb he looked past suddenly looking like the most unappetising meal he'd ever laid eyes on.
Lori however, usually the one to let an argument drop instead grabbed her father by the arm and turned him to face her. Her grip wasn't particularly strong but the shock of his once timid and kind-hearted daughter doing this meant James moved anyway. She knelt down so she was on eye-level with him, expression hard and unyielding. "Still want to have this conversation now dad?"
James felt his resolve strengthen as the shock of what he'd just witnessed wore off. He grabbed her hand as gently as he could with his mounting anger and removed it from his shirt. He stood and, completely avoiding eye contact, moved in the direction of the front room.
He picked up a whisky bottle he'd left next to what had been his wife's favourite armchair and took a long sip.
He heard something slam before a sequence of smaller crashes in the kitchen but ignored it. The disappointment he felt in his youngest child had just floored him and he had to take a moment to relax from the adrenaline and fury that had built in his blood. It was easy to deal with other people calling his wife 'crazy' or 'sick-in-the-head' but to hear it from their own daughter was something he'd never be able to deal with. When the neighbours spoke about his wife in that manner he'd either drop a threat he knew he'd never actually carry out or just chose to ignore them. The threat was usually enough to shut them up.
He could never threaten his daughter though. Never.
He heard Lori begin to walk up the stairs, "Lori, you're grounded for the next week apart from school and whatever you broke in the kitchen you will pay for."
Lori's angry scream and the slamming of her door was his only response.
Two hours and half a bottle of whisky later James was suitably drunk. He wasn't sure exactly when the idea hit him or why. It could have been that his old friend had called him the day before to enquire as to how he was doing or it could have been the alcohol in his system that encouraged him. Regardless James found himself picking up his phone and calling Fenton Hardy. He usually thought about the pros and cons of a decision carefully but this inspiration had hit him like a truck and he wasn't in a suitable enough mindset to argue with his instinct.
Fenton answered on the third ring.
"Hi James. I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon after our last conversation."
"Yeah, sorry."
"There's no problem old friend." A heavy pause held for a couple of seconds before Fenton spoke again. "So was there something you wanted to speak about?"
"Yeah actually. Your sons. How old are they now?"
"Frank's eighteen and Joe's seventeen. Why do you ask?" Fenton asked sounding both surprised and vaguely concerned as he noted the grave tone in his friend's voice.
"I'm sorry to ask on such short notice but I was wondering if there's any chance they could visit soon? The semester ends soon for them too doesn't it?"
"Yes it does…" Fenton confirmed, sounding confused. "I have no issue with this and I'm sure my boys would be thrilled for the opportunity to spend some time with you and your children but may I enquire into why? You have to admit this has come a little sudden."
"You see, me and my daughter have had a few… disagreements. Her friends are bad influences on her and ordinarily I'd be understanding of this change in her life. She's wanting to spend time with a new group and I understand that. However, tonight especially she has turned into someone I no longer recognise. I feel if your boys stayed for a little while it may distract her from these bad influences. Lori and your boys were so close until we moved that I feel they may be the good influences she needs."
Fenton paused while he considered this.
"I'll speak with them but I can't imagine them arguing. Your daughter is going through a tough age though so I wouldn't worry too much about her. This new rebellious streak is probably something she'll grow out of."
"I hope so," James said smiling. "I should really go to check on Lori now. Goodnight Fenton."
"Goodnight James."
James sighed and proceeded to walk upstairs towards Lori's room, spirits slightly recovered. He opened her door quietly and noticed that she was lay on her bed. Believing her to be asleep James was about to shut the door.
"I didn't mean what I said dad. I just had a really bad day that's all."
James gave a sad smile at her implied apology.
"I understand."
He closed the door behind him. Her remorse had lightened his dread significantly.
When he returned to check on her again later he was less surprised than he probably should have been to see that her bedroom window was open and she was missing.
"