Chapter 2 Freshman Year 2007

Blue Bell accepted me once they noticed my last name and read my application. I've told Ella and Riley along with all my other friends. They had given me hell for leaving them for a boarding school for no good reason. "Audra, no one is making you go to Blue Bell!" Ella remarked to me while we were walking downtown Portland with Riley.

"I want a change of scenery; to go on an adventure. Blue Bell will help me start me on the way to my goal to become an award-winning author, if I work at the school newspaper." I shot back to her.

"We're about to enter high school, our golden teenage years! You want to miss out on the best years of our life!" Riley griped.

I continued explaining to Riley and Ella my reasoning on why I am going to go to Blue Bell. They did not like it, but they understood my argument. Ella and Riley also knew that my boyfriend, Josh and I had ended on good terms. Understanding we didn't want to have a long-distance relationship caused by my going to Blue Bell.

The big day came, I was thrilled; saying my goodbyes to everyone. I flew off to Blue Bell Academy in Rhode Island. Blue Bell looked like an old castle sitting all alone and surrounded by a beautiful lake, leading into the woods. Located ten miles outside Radcliffe Heights, the picture-perfect small town. It was everything I've dreamed it would be, with much more. Blue Bell is very charming. Little did I know, such dark secrets hiding within Blue Bell's walls.

At first sight my new Headmaster Dante Ashbrook took my breath away. Upon arrival, Headmaster Ashbrook stood commanding authority and welcoming the freshman class as we all arrived at the main hall of Blue Bell. Explaining the school rules. Headmaster Ashbrook, a handsome blue-eyed, salt and pepper brown hair, with a great, good-looking body. Also, there were Mr. Derek Baxter, the executive head-teacher, and my all-time two favorite teachers, Ms. Alice Weaver, and Ms. Grace Santana. In all 16 teachers live on campus along with the 400 students attending Blue Bell.

I made fast, wonderful lifelong friends named; Lindsay, Lionel, Chloe, Matt, Bryce, and Trent. All my new friends came from family wealth like myself - "old money." Lionel came from a blue-blood family New York City. He's pure English, born in London, England. The rest were American families just like mine.

They assigned Lindsay Kemper to be my dorm roommate, and we got along great. We had a blast decorating our room and were able to remain roommates' for the next four years. Like me, she came from "old money" a real southern belle; she still lives on her family southern plantation passed down in the family when not in attendance at Blue Bell. She's very proud of her ancestors' rich history in Charleston, South Carolina. She loves Gone with the Wind, while I favor That Hamilton Woman, another Vivien Leigh movie. My roommate, Lindsay becomes my best friend there.

I started up at my school newspaper as soon as they would let me. Hearing stories of murders and mayhem in the school, Stories of ghosts walk the school's hall peaked my interest immediately. I did not want to buy into these rumors since my grandma had never told me anything terrible of Blue Bell and brushed it off, but I kept being drawn to investigate. Still, I fell in love with Blue Bell. I loved to spend my Sundays off reading under a huge old tree right by the lake.

I've spent a lot of time with Ms. Weaver and Ms. Santana after school hours. Ms. Santana took me under her wing becoming a motherly figure in my life. One day I was running late for a meeting for the school's paper. While running in the hall; I smacked right into Headmaster Ashbrook, knocking us both to the floor, catching me in his arms, we look at each other for a moment.

"I apologize for rushing into you Headmaster," getting up from the floor and un-entangling myself from him. "It's all fine. I'm not hurt but are you?" Headmaster Ashbrook questions me.

"No, I am not hurt. I would have been if it weren't for you catching me, Headmaster Ashbrook. Will you be giving me a pink slip?" I ask the last question nervously.

He smiled at me. "Why would I? It's just a mistake; I'll let it pass."

"Oh, thank you Headmaster Ashbrook!" I exclaimed being thankful.

"Please call me Mr. Ashbrook. Headmaster Ashbrook was my dad's name and my grandpa's. My family has owned this school since day one," he laughs a bit awkwardly.

"All right Mr. Ashbrook," letting out a small laugh. "I'm late now!"

"Yes you are, better go... Freshman, right?"

"Yea," I told as I walked past him.

"What's your name?" Mr. Ashbrook asks.

"Audra!"

"What a pretty name. See you around!" waving goodbye at me and I smile in response to him.

After that, I kept on bumping into Ashbrook. We would start talking, walking the halls for hours on end, establishing a friendship with him he made me laughed, joking with each other. I found myself being sexually attracted to Ashbrook. I couldn't believe it, but yes, I did, feeling like I could tell him things that I've said no one. Lindsay called it a silly schoolgirl crush that would pass once I told her my feelings for Ashbrook.

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Fall and winter were just breathtakingly beautiful; the scenery of the estate grounds almost couldn't be described. Having a blast with all of my new friends, I reluctantly went home on Christmas break. My grandma began doting on me for going to Blue Bell like she did before me, at all of the Holiday parties. My Dad was proud of me too. I took note for the longing in his eyes for Charlotte, he liked her. Also, Ella and Riley told me had seen my dad and Charlotte kissing and holding hands without a care in a world at an outside coffee café.

Dad never had dated while I was growing up. He always told me that, "It didn't feel right for me to have a girlfriend while you were at home and I was caring for you."

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It turns to spring at Blueblood. Lindsay, Lionel, Chloe, Matt, Bryce, Trent, and I all decided to venture into the woods beyond the school's grounds on a sunny Friday afternoon, after school. We got lost in the deep woods, and wound up playing flashlight tag once the sun had set. I step on a piece of timber discovering that I've measured on a trap door on the groud of the woods covered by leaves and wood.

"Why would there be a trap door in the woods?" I ponder while we all voted to see who would look what was behind that creepy trap door since night had fallen on us. We all have flashlights and decide to climb down together; once we were below, we discovered the bodies of three dead girls. They looked as if they were beaten, naked, tied, and bloody. The bodies had been there for many years. Lindsey turned white as a ghost while she held my hand so hard. Chloe yelling and swearing, Bryce looked stone cold at the bodies while Lionel and Matt took charge, everyone talking at once about why there is something like this in the woods as our eyes wandering around the room taking in the scene.

The room had been built with bricks from the 1800 hundreds, I thought. A medium size room, with the walls covered with old blood stains with dangerous objects on the walls. Horror hangs in the air. What the hell had we found? Why were there three murdered girls doing there rotting away? My mind racing around for answers or some kind of reason, but grabbing on to nothing concrete that made sense.

My mind raced with thought about how my dad had let me read Stephen King, Nora Roberts, loving the good psychological thriller books and movies. Dad or Grandma made me watch with them because they loved them too. I spoke, telling them that I once read a psychological thriller with scenes like this and it was evident that there's foul play here and we must not stay in this room another minute.

Hearing the voices of Ms. Weaver and Ms. Santana calling to us as we each climbed out. We were relieved to see them. The teachers called the police to investigate the murders after we told Ms. Weaver and Ms. Santana what lay below the trap door. I had to answer questions from the police, Mr. Ashbrook, and Mr. Baxter. I was told that the three girls went missing in 1981. The missing persons case was considered a cold case because the authorities did not find enough evidence to develop a prime suspect or even figure out what happened to them. Mr. Ashbrook comforted me during this time by listening to me and consoling me.

I heard rumors, a prostitution ring that included sex trafficking of young girls was going on at the school, and that's how these girls had been murdered... did I wonder about it? Nope, I didn't... I could not begin to believe Mr. Ashbrook would allow that to happen in our excellent school.

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That summer, I returned home. My Dad was very angry with my grandma for most of the summer. "Look what you did, Mother! Audra, my princess, has become involved in the finding of the bodies and investigation of these three horrible murders! Audra must not go back!" He hissed to her one night while they had thought that I already asleep in my bed. They whispered more I couldn't hear what they talking about. Did they know something that I didn't know?

When fall came and against his better judgment, my dad let me return to school.