Hi all! It's been a while (by my standards), and I've changed the story drastically.
But first of all, I would like to ask, will someone please review? Reviews really help me improve my writing, and the more reviews, that much more motivated I am to write. I'm a review whore. REVIEW PLEASE!!!! *begs down on knees*
Back to the story changes. I'll be adding a comment to the beginning and end of each chapter, so that way I can add insight and such to my own writing. Also, in this chapter I've added 14 new characters, and now the large cast has become even MORE unmanageable. If that was possible. This way, I can have more suspects, more killers and more death. I'd like to know you're favorite characters, so leave that in the review section, so that way I can add your favorite characters to the story more. Anonymous reviews ARE on, so please, please review.
And, finally, I've changed chapter name meanings to anything that has to do with the chapters death.
Once again, please review :). Thanks peeps.
Chapter 3- Red
Katrina awoke next to Campbell, disoriented, with a headache. Like most of the wedding guests, Katrina was hung over.
Across the hall, Blaire awoke to look outside and see a town blanketed with snow. So much snow, that it almost piled up to her 2nd story window.
Down on the first floor, Carol sat at the hotel lounge with a cup of coffee, sitting next to Noelle.
"Carol, we're snowed in," Noelle declared, shaking her head. Noelle didn't care much for the cold- it gave her dry skin.
"No shit smarty. How are we going to get out of the hotel? What happens when the rest of the guests get here?" Carol asked Noelle.
"Other guests? Isn't this everyone?"
"No, actually Becca and Luke decided to have," Carol thought for a second, "14 more guests fly in from Seattle. They should've been here around dawn this morning. Is it even dawn?"
"I believe… It's about 11 AM."
"Everyone's still asleep!"
"They had a wild night, Carol, of drinking and partying."
"Campbell… I think you should see this," Katrina said, shaking her boyfriend awake. He looked out the window and gasped. In the Pacific Northwest, they didn't get much snow.
"Look it at! There's so much!" Campbell said, giggling like a little boy.
"Well, since there's nothing to do outside…" Katrina said, caressing Campbell's hand. He took the hint and lye down with her, kissing.
"Good morning everyone!" Becca cheered, and the crowd in the lounge responded. The guests were commuting, talking, eating coffee, and in Noelle's case, gossiping.
"Say, has anyone seen the Reverend? How about Tom or Claire?" Kenn asked, wondering.
"I don't know. Maybe they're still asleep?" Keith responded to his twin.
"Well, isn't the Reverend probably snowed in?" Devin said fearfully.
"Probably," Rachal and Greg said pessimistically. Kylie, Mason and David nodded.
"Mommy, can I go get Archie?" Asked Kaden, using his best I'm-a-cute-little-kid smile.
"No, Kaden, that's a job for big boys like Uncle Greg," Carrie replied, and eyed Greg.
"You heard her," Mason snickered, "go get the Reverend and Trent."
"That means you too," Kylie said laughing at him. She pointed at Greg, Mason, Devin, Luke, David and the twins.
"Does anyone want to go with me to the airstrip to wait for some new guests," Becca asked, smiling.
"Who's all coming?" Noelle asked.
"Well, Graham…" Becca couldn't get that far without Kylie screaming.
"DADDY! DAD'S COMING! YAY!" Kylie screamed, dancing around. Kylie and her father had always been close.
"My adopted sister Madison, Carmen, Wilson, Jeff, James and Shea, that's all you guys would know," Becca said. Shea was an old friend of her father's who had survived a massacre years back on some island. Wilson was Becca's ex, but they were still close. Jeff and James were two high school buddies, friends of Luke. James was an athlete, Jeff a ladies man. Madison was their sister that Roy adopted from Korea. And Carmen was another friend from high school.
"Then, there's also Andrea Caldwell, the wedding singer, and her husband Adam Caldwell, Daniel and Diane Buckingham, my father's business partners, Daniel is Blaire's father, Corrine Daley, their secretary, Raymond Spalden, their accountant, Frank Murphy, the wedding photographer and Wilson Jacobson, the pilot of the plane," Becca finally finished.
"You guys might also want to go rescue Roy and Moe from the mansion," Carrie said, ushering the guys out the door.
"Well, who'd like to come to the airstrip?" Becca asked, and she got Campbell, Katrina, Kylie, Carrie, Kaden and Drew.
"Will the plane even be able to land in this whiteout?" Katrina asked, as the gang pulled on hats, gloves, boots and coats.
"Probably. This pilot is GOOD," Becca replied, and they scurried out into the cold.
"It's freezing!" Carrie yelled, over the wind. They dug a little tunnel in the snow, and crawled through to the main street. Trent had already gotten out, and had managed to plow the road and small airstrip already; now he was headed in the out of town direction, to plow more.
The wedding guests shuffled across about an inch of snow and ice, slipping and sliding until they reached the airstrip.
About ten minutes after that, they heard the plane, and now, with Roy and Moe now outside, the plane landed on the strip.
Out stepped in designer black and fur winter clothes, a lively, beautiful, pale brunette.
Behind her walked a red headed pale man, well built and average in height.
Next were Daniel and Diane Buckingham, dressed lavishly in rich person clothing, holding hands.
After them, Carmen walked down, dressed in a black coat and scarlet boots, her black hair jetting out from her hat.
Jeff and James came after that, punching each other wearing nothing resembling winter clothing. They seemed warm.
Madison walked out next, dressed in stereotypical Asian clothing.
Shea Allen paraded out, smiling her warm smile, wearing about 5 pounds of winter clothing, prancing down the stairs.
Graham Collins barely had time to step out before his daughter and Katrina- mobbed him who was over at his home so much during her child hood, she was practically another daughter.
A middle-aged gentleman, lightly dressed, but yet in fanciful attire, walked out next.
The next two were Raymond and Corinne, the personal staff of the Buckingham's. Corinne was a petite blonde, Raymond tall and thin.
Finally, the man who was obviously pilot Wilson Jacobson, stepped out, managing a weak smile, succumbing to the cool noon breeze.
Becca pulled over the 3 unnamed figures. First, she pointed to the brunette. "This is Andrea Caldwell, my wedding singer," Becca declared smiling. Andrea smiled and waved, while Becca pointed to the red head, "This is her husband, Adam Caldwell."
"Finally, this is Frank Murphy, our wedding photographer!" Becca said with energy and enthusiasm, pointing at the middle-aged man, who looked VERY uptight.
Instantly, Katrina and Andrea were consumed in conversation. Graham and daughter Kylie started talking too.
Jeff and James were flirting with Carrie and Kylie, until James heard Noelle was back at the hotel waiting. James had had a crush on Noelle since the 1st grade, and she knew it. Noelle used James a lot.
Becca led the new guests and old guests back to the hotel, where they saw Devin looking very nervous.
"Devin, what's wrong?" Carmen asked wonderingly.
"Hey! Carmen! Oh. Well… We can't get into the Reverends house. We checked the church, we yelled for him from the outside of the church and got nothing."
"MADISON!" Cried Rachal, hurling herself at her adopted sister.
"SHEA!" shouted Claire, throwing herself into the weak Shea.
"Claire! I missed you!" Claire's childhood friend replied.
"How's Madison? Is she doing well in her senior year? What college is she planning on attending?" Claire interrogated.
"She's doing great. With her grades, she can go to almost any school she wants," Shea gushed gratefully. It was never a bad thing to have a child to brag about.
Andrea lye down on the soft comforter of her rustic Alaskan suite. It was great to leave the country music scene for a bit to come to this wedding- it was great publicity. The daughter of a wealthy, well-known tycoon. And not to mention the Buckingham clan was always good publicity. Filthy rich.
Next to her, Adam flopped face first onto the mattress, burying himself after a long couple days of travel that involved getting from New York, to Chicago, to Seattle, to here.
In a hotel room larger than her apartment, Corinne Daley sat at a solid wood desk, clacking her fingers on the keyboard. She was sending out emails to clients of her boss, Mr. Buckingham. How much she and Raymond resented the Buckinghams. Selfish, foolish, lucky, evil people they were.
Shea Allen stepped outside into the snow along with several others.
"Snowball fight?" Drew asked smirking, and several of the groomsmen, plus Trent, Carmen and Katrina started pelting each other with hard packed balls of ice.
"OW!" Screamed Shea, as Devin, who smiled and shrugged, hit her. "Oh it's on!" she yelled, throwing snowballs all over the place, hitting many. Carmen had a bloody nose.
"I think it's time we drink," Trent suggested snickering. He helped Carmen up, and most of the guests walked over across the street to the bar.
"Has anyone seen Tom," the newly arrived Claire questioned.
"I thought Tom was with you," Carol responded.
"No, I haven't seen him since we went to bed last night. When I woke up, he wasn't there," Claire said, rushed, now panicking.
There were murmurs among the guests, most of them worried. "Has anyone seen him?" Greg asked, frowning.
"No, in fact I didn't even see him come back up to our floor," Carrie said, as she was on the same floor as Tom and Claire.
"Oh god! He could be out in this blizzard somewhere. Oh shit!" Madison gushed, panicking.
"Madison, calm down. Everyone calm down. Tom has to be here somewhere," Luke said, even though he didn't know.
"I have an idea," Rachal admitted grimly. Carol glared hate at her. "Carol and Tom were having an affair. I think he could have left Claire," Rachal continued, frowning. Claire screamed and threw herself onto the ground in a fit of tears.
Her Tom, her husband, leaving her? For this skank? It didn't seem possible.
"Um… Well I guess that solves that," Becca declared, frowning. Becca, Kylie, Carrie, Noelle and Rachal dragged Claire back to the hotel.
"It's okay, sweetie, I bet he's just hiding here somewhere," Noelle said, lying through her teeth to Claire, who was an absolute mess.
"N-no… No! No, no, no… He's gone! He's gone! He left," Claire screamed, practically in a demonic state.
"Claire, calm the fuck down," Kylie said, and Claire nodded, still crying hysterically. She had though her marriage had been perfect.
Guess again.
Katrina, Campbell, Madison, Luke and Drew sat with Carmen, Jeff, James and Graham at the bar, drinking and talking for hours, catching up.
"I can't believe you're a male model! Really, I can't believe it," Madison said snickering to Jeff. Jeff smiled and playfully punched her.
"Carmen, what do you do?" Katrina asked her, and Carmen frowned.
"I'm a waitress in Seattle. I live in a studio apartment. Apparently being a straight A student and getting your bachelor's from Penn State means nothing," Carmen said, sighing soberly.
"Wow," Campbell said, also frowning. He was a lawyer. "We have a space open in a local courthouse, as a court stenographer," Campbell suggested, helping a new friend in need of money. Carmen smiled.
"How about you, James?" Drew asked.
"Oh, I'm just like, freeloading off of Jeff at the moment," James said, smirking, while Jeff was deep conversation with Carmen, Katrina and Campbell.
"That's just great!" Luke said sarcastically, and the three laughed, just like old times.
"Hey, look, it's snowing again!" Drew and Madison said excitedly.
"Oh. Great." Trent said, frowning. You definitely got tired of snow living in Alaska.
Although it was about 1 in the morning, the sun was just setting, and the sky reflected on the snow, giving it a reddish glow in the sunset.
"I'm off to bed. See you!" Kylie said, climbing off her perch on the bar, and hobbling out into the snow. Drew accompanied her back to the Inn.
Blaire Buckingham stood outside the Inn, out back, having a smoke in the red sunset.
She tapped her cigarette into the ashtray, as a someone came out from the back door of the Inn, wielding a machete.
Blaire didn't notice. Her 2 AM senses were in full swing - which meant she barely had any sense at all.
Up to their knees in snow, the machete-wielding murderer crept closer and closer, getting ready to make their move.
Blaire still stood blissfully in the snow, enjoying her last moments on Earth by smoking yet another cigarette.
It was too late for her. The murderer plunged their machete into Blaire's back, and she could only choke. Her cigarette dropped into the snow below.
Blood poured onto the snow below, as Blaire's arm dropped to her sides. She looked around and moved her mouth, but then blood started pouring out of the shocked expression she made.
Blaire collapsed to her knees, the snow covered in her blood. She face planted into the snow, her face pale, the snow now a dark, full red.
The murderer shoved Blaire's body into a garbage bag, and carried it down to the woods. They launched the body bag into the woods, to decompose, and hopefully never to be found.
Becca and Luke lay next to each other, sound asleep in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Becca shot upwards, from a nightmare, of Tom being murdered.
Little did she know, that nightmare had come true already.
DEATHS:
Blaire Buckingham - "The Business Partner"
I couldn't let Blaire live. I just didn't want to. But, on the bright side, as much as I thought this chapter sucked because of all the characters, her death scene was a highlight.
There won't be many chapters with only one death. I have 40 freaking characters for a reason.
Chapter title meaning: I really couldn't think of anything better, so I just made use of the sunset turning the snow red, and Blaire's blood also turning it red.
Please review:)
Next chapter preview: Two more victims are claimed while the guests scramble about to find Blaire and Tom, still missing.