Chapter One: A Phoenix Bottom and a Messy Bedroom
I walk up to my front door; grab hold of the handle and twist. Locked. I twist again despite knowing what will happen. I knock. No reply. I press the bell. Still no reply. My body slumps down against the hard asphalt ground, I sit there for a while before re-trying the doorbell. I let out a slow sigh before grabbing out my phone, two new messages, one is from Mum. Good. I opened the message
'Hey Hun howya doin? Just letin ya no Harv wont b home 4 a while an I'm goin 4 a nap so wil prob b asleep wen u get home from skool, if im not awake u no where 2 find te key. Love ya! XOXO'
Oh well that explains the locked door. The other message is from Vodafone about some pre-pay top up thing. I return my phone to my pocket and grab the key from inside the little gnome's hat, then unlock the door and return the key. The moment I lift my foot to enter a car pulls down the drive way, then an average height girl my age wearing glasses with short black hair steps out.
"Caitlin!" I exclaim "Hey Kayla!" "I like only just got home Caitlin! Good timing!" Caitlin just grins at me then retrieves her stuff from the car and gives the driver a brisk good bye before totting over to meet me. "So howya been buuuudy!" I say in a cheerful tone "dude you saw me yesterday! So Kayla did you remember to rent the Sherlock series?" "Tell me Caitlin… what makes you think I would forget?" "Just checking! Gawd you expect me not to ask!" "Well that is true" and that was enough to make us chuckle and giggle a bit
"So ya gonna tell me what's so funny?" comments a short girl with brown hair and stunning eyes, going by the name if Faye, My other friend. "Oh Uhhh nothing… how long have you been here Faye? And where did you come from?" Reply's Caitlin warmly "-Sighs- I got here after I trekked through mud, snow, fought a couple of dragons, stopped to speak to a couple of elven folk, tamed a feral flying pig, accidently killed Firestar and had to face all of Thunderclan, oh! And I stopped for ice cream!" Caitlin looked a little bewildered then remembered Faye lives down the road "well aren't you lucky" giggles Caitlin "I was swallowed by a phoenix and had to escape it's rear end!" we all burst into fits of laughter "all right come on you two!" I say, beckoning them in.
We all stood in the stairwell an eerie silence floating around us. My voice broke the quietness "something's not right" my buddies nod in agreement. We go into my den and I hurriedly put away some clothes that have been strewn across the floor. Red faced I apologize for my messy habits "it's so quiet" admits Faye "yeah where is everyone?" adds Caitlin I give them a brisk nod before saying "Ya know our border Harvey?" "Yeah" "of course" "well he has gone away for a while, my siblings are both at friends' houses, Mum is asleep and I think Dad is on call if you know what I mean"
"On call? No I don't know what that means" pipes in Caitlin, Faye puts on a disgusted face before saying "Doesn't that mean your dad burns dead people?" "Yeah I wish" comes my sarcastic reply "It means he digs holes for the dead people! His boss at the cemetery gave him a promotion now he doesn't have to do that horrid job" "ooooh" Chime in both of them at the same time.
I reply with "uuuh sit down make your beds or whatever I'm gonna go make some snacks" I drag my lazy lump body up the stairs, peer round the corner and see a stone angel placed in the middle of the kitchen…