Hello, my name is Mia, I am 13 years old and I live in the small town of Lockwood village. My town has always been a quiet one where everyone gets along. It’s the type of place that many people call the perfect place to start a new beginning because everyone is so kind and welcoming. Nothing fascinating happens here. It's always the same every day.

It was Friday when I woke up to an empty house. I searched around for hours and sent many texts to my parents asking where they went but no response. I sat on the couch trying to think if they said yesterday if they were going anywhere today, but nothing came to mind as I was looking for food when my phone started to ring.

Mia-” Hello”?

Mother-” Hey honey, sorry we weren’t there when you woke up. We um- had a small problem at your grandparent's house”.

Mia-” What do you mean a problem? Are they okay”?!

Mother-” they are- um... I’m sorry to tell you this but… While your grandma was baking, a fire started and the whole house burnt down.”

As those words reached my ears, I felt the whole room spin and my heart slows down. It was like someone but a heavy weight on my chest where I couldn’t breathe. My mom hung up the phone before I could ask any questions. (Thinking to myself) “It was so weird she didn’t sound sincere about it. She sounded like she was in a rush to do something”. 

I didn’t know what to do. I felt so overwhelmed by emotions- anger, sadness, and confusion. Just so much going through my head that I had to sit down.

I had received a text from my dad letting me know they were going to my aunt Mary’s to plan out my grandparent's funeral. I didn’t want to help at all, so instead, I left the house and walked to my grandparent's house. I walked through the house looking at where all the rooms once were. So many memories flooded my head like an annoying headache. In the ashes, I had seen something sparkle in the sun so bright I squinted my eyes, but when I opened them the house stood in front of me, all in contact like no fire had happened.

It was all the same as before- bright yellow siding and the carpeted blue porch with the broken swing on it. It was all normal. I stood there confused about how this could happen. I hurried inside to look around at all the familiar things, but as I walked through the house, the floral wallpaper started to shed, and the floor started to come up from the nails. Everything was falling apart as I walked from room to room. I was walking into the kitchen when I had seen the sparkle from an object like before, I reached down to pick it up but when I looked up the house was in aches once more.

My heart was slowly breaking while I looked around, begging to go back to the house that once stood tall in front of me. I take a deep breath and tell myself to calm down. I look down and pick up the sparkling object- It was a tin box. ( Thinking to myself) “But why would a metal box be here?”

I sit on the sidewalk and open the box to see what was inside. It was a letter that my grandma had written.

Dear Mia, there is so much I want to tell you about your parents. But I’m afraid they are catching onto me, I don’t have a lot of time but your parents aren’t who you think they are. They are murderers. All the mysterious fires happening and the missing people, are behind it all. Please my dear if you are reading this be safe and find a way to stop them. You are the town's only hope.

Love Grandma.

I didn’t know what to say, It was like the breath was taken out of me. As I was recollecting myself, my phone rang. It was my dad wondering where I am. I was very late for dinner. What I didn’t realize was that I had spent hours here and that it was already dark. I walked back home and my parents were waiting for me outside. The looks on their faces did not look very happy.

Father-” WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? It is way past your curfew young lady”.

Mia-” I’m sorry I was at my friend's house and I guess I lost track of time, I promise it won’t happen again..” I say with my head down

Mother-” You're right it won’t happen again or it will be your last time leaving the house alone, now dinner is on the table”.

I was sitting at the dinner table with my parents. It was very quiet… Almost too quiet like they knew. I know what they did. I kept trying to leave the table because I just wanted to go to my room, but they kept saying I had to finish my dinner. I wasn’t even hungry. My stomach was so twisted and in knots from that note that I had no appetite.

While Mom and Dad were clearing the table and cleaning up, I had snuck out of my room - down the stairs and was hiding in the dining room listening to the conversation they were having. 

Mother-” I don’t think Mia believed the story we told her”.

Father-” What makes you say that? She seemed to comprehend it quite well”.

Mother-” Well I won’t believe it until the funeral”.

Father-” I know you are stressing about this I can tell by your face, you are stressing yourself out for no reason”.

Mother-” THERE IS A REASON! Mia must never find out we killed her grandparents. She will be so angry - she won’t understand”.

My heart fell to the floor. I didn’t want to believe they did it but you can’t lie to someone you don’t know is there. As they continued talking a quietly went up the stairs and got back in bed. It was a very sleepless night. All I could do was toss and turn to wonder what they would do to their daughter if they found out that she knew they were killers.

It’s been a while now since this all happened and they never did find out. I’m still trying to figure out why they did it constantly going over the note and looking through my dad's office, but nothing so far. I’ll solve this mystery one day, but for now, it will stay mysterious.