Skeletons in the Closet

Collab by everyone!
tdrgEqMKxqCyDcaHSHoaOiG6IDLND72_w2GpvbvLiNF-7dKbWKMZM6TI3rfY7MoHssfo8sM_zlNvXYaYMaKzinZKADzW1A_YMR775i2e1U8AuxiSIf3RBVJJBDCC2ESuz9LaRj3i
With Ethan’s attempt to calm her, London relaxed - only to startle moments later at Jace’s booming voice. “H-Hey!” She scowled as he snatched the keys from her hands. London had half a mind to grab them back - if only out of instinct - but his tirade gave her pause. Pulled the indignation from her soul and made her lip quiver, emotions infectious.

Ana was dead; Kelsey was missing; the rest of them were on a strict time limit. She’d said as much about Ana on her own, but the words hadn’t struck such a strong chord. Maybe it was her outrage at splitting up that distracted her before, or it was Jace, their rock, losing the battle against his feelings so openly in front of them that made their reality so much heavier.

When her lungs forced a ragged, shaky inhale she realized she’d been holding her breath. The emotions of the room were suffocating; London hated conflict, hated in-fighting, hated drama. She needed a distraction. I need-... Reaching for her Cryptodex, she felt the two halves beneath her fingertips. Her hand stilled.

Broken, ripped, and slobbered on.

Right.

Her eyes scanned the room for a different way out of the situation before it escalated. She found it in the mess Jace had made, throwing magazines to the floor. She could look for clues. Two birds with one stone, right? Stepping away and crouching down, she sorted through the pamphlets.

“Hey… Hey guys?” London stood with a book in her hands. “Nature's Bounty: A Fresh Outlook on Life - Herbal Medicine and Mental Health Care“ by Dr. Conrad Bellthorpe, Senior Botanist Rosebriar University, published in 1942. To the Author Bio the book lay open, revealing a photo of the ever-elusive Paul Hayes.

Ix5AK_XHJOY1XTahvAoDqcO4zl-u6uEkWocKFp9MAyShUGJCsHMzJF8IjxVgCrE7oySGOVTDRDn_hHk0XXPiMgD_eW70l7uaekOHkp9bdYZjAvc0dk7goSLO3ybwpJDl0xnBG5ho
The tension in the room skyrocketed once more, and Kitty became painfully aware of how they were all treading on eggshells. One spark was all it would take, the kids were far too broken from the tragic encounters they’d already faced throughout the evening.

She pursed her lips and looked disapprovingly at the bespectacled boy. “Your friends have a point, while time is of the essence, you’ll be no use to your friend if you’re dead.” Grim but true. The sooner they learned the better. Kitty remained quiet when Jace began to crack under the pressure, only pausing to walk toward the group when London brought up her latest find.

She’d never seen this before.

“Conrad Bellthorpe, huh, no wonder he never told us his real name.” Kitty had a thoughtful look on her face as her eyes scanned the Master’s photo. “The Master told us he used to be a botanist back in the day, but never anything specific about his own life before Henbard. He tries to be happy for the Madam and the kids, but the truth is all in the eyes.” Kitty shook her head. “That one, he’s as sad as sad gets.”

Kitty eyed the brief biography underneath. The information was dry, the usual where did he work, what did he do, and all that. “As interesting as this is, we need to go and find your friend and leave.”

7bMrLexUp-KWj9mrHyvSG6ByCVE-ZFXU5nRLttSo0DlWeyTFwpaJeJYu0Adj31CvXiAhTL5ZBxgRbxw0uhWJfL0G86Z9tOLFqcvI5vYpBmmDNoMCqL-K5jHsDtUo3JLzI7UU7cnf
If Jace wasn’t so shaken up, he might have been comforted by the fact that the others generally agreed with the idea of sticking together. At that moment, however, it mattered very little; Kelsey and Ana were still gone and one of them wasn’t coming back. He was on the verge of just letting Kindall go his own way if he persisted, with no intention of running to his rescue if he found trouble in doing so.

He glowered, an expression which seemed to slowly but surely be finding permanent residence on his face. His not-sister’s head’s words hissed in his ears. “Does that little bitch mean more to you than your own family?” How could he call himself their friend if he was willing to put one of them over everyone else? They were all, by extension, his family; even though he hadn’t known London, Milton, Ethan, or Marten anywhere near as long as Kelsey and Ana.

Jace took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and released his vice-grip of the keys. He made no move to take a look at London’s discovery, but listened keenly. On a better day, he might have laughed at the shade Kitty just threw at Paul.

“We should get going. Maybe we can use the map to prioritize search locations? Like where to start?”
shRLX7tLK4-zM3PEq1kpCkG0PK6sE9QcpkQsKfqgjf2or8jGls7i-zCp7znV9bdv9QSoRO5z9gnz5vqrcqEeGv9YNFx83SsmJ4QLJlSxedKcIK_HVA4qfBpWD7jUgkcWSdfkIZMR
Ethan’s reaction to his theory stung a little. Yeah, the two of them don’t always see eye to eye but Ethan never acted so shocked before. Kindle knew he wasn’t feeling his best at the moment but he wasn’t delirious. He turned away from London and faked a shrug. “I mean why complicate things. There must be a reason why this song is playing in a replica of Charity Gardens. Think about it, Adelaide would have been someone with a huge grudge against Jo Johnny.”

Kindle was convinced that Adelaide must have survived the fire somehow. He didn’t recall the news article mentioning anything about them finding her body. She was only one of the suspected victims. After all, in the chaos, she could have slipped away unnoticed. How she managed to lay low for so long was the more interesting question, in his opinion. He doubted she’d have any funds stashed away.

The other big clue was the song looping on and on. From the little he knew about asylums, he doubted the patients would get to enjoy the popular songs played at jazz clubs. Music therapy wasn’t an option back then. Instead, patients were subjected to all forms of torture in the name of therapy. A lot of which would be considered inhumane by today’s standards. So, the fact that she knew this song was the most telling evidence that she managed to escape somehow.

His thoughts remained solely in his head, unconfirmed but not quite forgotten, when London protested about splitting up. He was so taken aback that he didn’t have time to rebut before the rest of the group had their say. Annoyance flared up inside him. Kindle couldn’t see why they insisted on sticking together. It didn’t make any sense at all. Staying as a big group didn’t improve their chances of survival. If anything, it made them a lot more vulnerable. Provided there was an unseen threat to begin with …

A chill ran down his spine. As much as he wished to deny it, he suspected that there really was someone here. The creator of this dreamscape. This Adelaide they kept talking about perhaps. Adelaide, Adelaide, Ade … oh! Memories of a jovial hostess in a dress the colour of twilight filled his mind. She had seemed so alive compared to the rest of her family. There was a man, her husband. Kindle couldn’t recall his name but he remembered the names of the two children, Salem and Ella. Salem! The same boy they saw reading a book in the dark. The same boy they fought in the library?

Kindle’s eyes flit towards Lenore. He stared at the light washing down her feathers, making them appear a soft charcoal. No wonder the bird seemed so familiar! He had known her from before. Somehow, he lost his memory along the way. He didn’t know why. An accident maybe? A drug? He recalled his body feeling like lead earlier when he woke up. Wasn’t he murmuring something about Choral?

Choral!

Everything came back to him. Kelsey and him ended up in Ella’s room after being separated from the rest of the group. He had investigated the painting and they were sucked in. He was here. He tried to fight off the burly orderlies. He almost got away until one of them grabbed a syringe from a nearby trolley. He groaned softly, kneading his eyes with the heels of his palms. How long had he been out of it? He felt so tired all of a sudden as his overworked brain tried to reconcile his disjointed memories.

He must have missed quite a lot, he concluded. He had woken up after the two of them had been found. They were in this strange world called the Rabbit Hole. A place that led them back to Charity Gardens. A much more pleasant version of the place compared to the one he had been in earlier. He shuddered, recalling how overcrowded the whole place had been and how it stank of stale excrement. The constant moaning was slowly eating away at his own sanity.

He shoved the thoughts away. Kindall lowered his hands. His annoyance had been tempered somewhat when his memories returned. He could see why the rest weren’t keen on splitting up but he still felt that it wasn’t the best option. Time might have stopped for them the moment they set foot in Henbard but he doubted they had an eternity to do things at their leisure. Ana’s demise gave him a huge incentive to escape as soon as possible. Their mysterious host, Peter, seemed to have every intention of killing them off one by one.

“West Wing,” he said suddenly as he tried pulling himself back into the ongoing conversation. “That’s the future Languages and Social Science building. I believe the Creative Writing Lab is on the third floor behind the children’s ward. The private wards are on the fourth floor.” He frowned, realising he couldn’t recall anything more helpful. “I think you’ll find more clues about Adelaide in the lab and the private wards. That’s what … I don’t remember much else, sorry. I was taken into the lab earlier and … yeah, next thing I know I was being carried by Jace.”

His eyes met Jace’s. His stomach clenched as he reflected on what he was about to say next. He never liked heated arguments, so he could only hope that Jace remain calm long enough for them to come to a compromise.

“I think you should start there while Ethan and I search the East Wing.” He tensed up slightly. “I stand by what I said earlier. It’s more efficient this way and … well, Kelsey could be here somewhere. We found Jo here. So, splitting up means we’ll find her faster.”

He clenched and unclenched his hands nervously. “Marten can come with us if that makes you feel better and, and we could try signalling to each other from the windows. That way we’ll know if everyone is safe. Sounds good?”

7bMrLexUp-KWj9mrHyvSG6ByCVE-ZFXU5nRLttSo0DlWeyTFwpaJeJYu0Adj31CvXiAhTL5ZBxgRbxw0uhWJfL0G86Z9tOLFqcvI5vYpBmmDNoMCqL-K5jHsDtUo3JLzI7UU7cnf
Jace squinted at Milton. It was apparent that he had remembered a great deal of what took place thus far over the course of the night; although, he didn’t remember too much about being trapped in the painting. In spite of what he did remember, he still insisted on splitting up. Was he completely off his rocker? As much as he wanted to blow up again, Jace took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to keep calm.

“If you’re really so hell-bent on splitting up, then fine.” He said in a low, yet still threatening tone, as he pushed the keys he’d snatched before back into Kindall’s hand. “I won’t stop you; but I won’t come running to rescue you either.”

It was cold, so cold a thing for him to say! It was uncharacteristically cold. It was also strangely defensive.

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t waste anymore time.” Jace said, starting for the doorway into the rest of the building. He didn’t really wait for the others to follow. He figured that London and Kitty would; Marten was another story.
tdrgEqMKxqCyDcaHSHoaOiG6IDLND72_w2GpvbvLiNF-7dKbWKMZM6TI3rfY7MoHssfo8sM_zlNvXYaYMaKzinZKADzW1A_YMR775i2e1U8AuxiSIf3RBVJJBDCC2ESuz9LaRj3i
Head whipping between the two forming parties, London chewed at her lip. Jace had the keys to the Languages and Social Sciences building that she knew like the back of her hand, so she’d go with him, but… “Marten?” London’s eyes settled on the grunette. A silent plea to convince Kindall not to do this. Not to split up the team.

When splitting up seemed the final decision, London’s face fell. Hesitated long enough to commit Ethan, Kindall, and Marten’s faces to memory should they go the other way. Should she never see them again. Then she followed Jace without a word and stepped into the next area.
AfdrLLRrt_-ggBsXfnpvrcVEtYUcNjsCIRlTa6ZZsDZ0nBQ1HgOebfuMQjb4b9Uu1qIxyXCMmZW5Ij4W-6Q4y_SG0d81o6WA_ylfxgvlzh3VnV2ZjoJwVABXsuqh05MI1GrfLa_x
What was with all this fighting? At a time like this?! Weren’t they supposed to be a gang? Meddling kids and all, but together! This wasn’t Scooby Doo. There was a killer on the loose, even worse a malicious Petty bitch! demon-thingy that had no qualms about causing them mental and physical harm!

She was considering Mr. Hayes’ or well she supposed Conrad’s image over London’s shoulder trying to tune out the bickering to avoid the headache that had been courting her all evening. They were just being macho, alpha male… Nonsense. It was all bullcrap. The high emotions would blow over. They always did.

“Splitting up? That’s really dangerous at this point right? We have no weapons… not really. Just each other…” Marten’s voice remained level, not quite hushed with her own growing anxiety. She had some wax apples… or maybe they were real. She wouldn’t be surprised if they turned to garbage or rotted over time or something in her makeshift rucksack.

And Kindall, bless his heart, he was still trying to sleuth the whole thing out. Nothing made sense here. It was the Rabbit Hole for a reason. Freaking Alice in Wonderland logic was at play, and nothing was as it seemed. Who’s to say this whole place wouldn’t rearrange as soon as they took a path?! Or if everything was where it was supposed to be in the first place?

Too many variables. So many possible outcomes. How was this not concerning to him? Obviously because he’s got tunnel vision to get out of this heck hole. They had lost one man. Could they risk losing another?

“Kindall… Jace… Reconsider. We’re better as a unit! Ethan… come on, you’re the odd man out.” The grunette would look to the largest muscled team member for help before redirecting her attention. Wait! “No, Kitty! That’s right. You’ve got seniority talk some sense into them! Please!”
rigaz0SLE5eb5YnDERsx3Qt-a2qzpleOznzyngqqa81U3V7tdyemxJqHw200RdZIv52NEb6jMQkO7jx8J8f8qh1s6aW8Wzh7geIRkZOWAmoVDUelrIg9nUkDvzQMHpOrXu_6g-57
Ethan grumbled under his breath, all this in-fighting was just stupid. If Kindall and Jace wanted to go at each other’s throats then couldn’t they have done it after the whole hellhole trip?”Oy vey…” he whispered, expressing his disbelief. He cast a half-hearted glance at everyone else in the room, they weren’t feeling it either. He could tell. Most importantly right now, he didn’t want to deal with either of Kindall or Jace’s bullshit.

London called for everyone’s attention, and Ethan, being Ethan, couldn’t help but give a side comment to the-admittedly hot-picture of Paul. Err, wait. Conrad Bellthorpe? What, is that his gigolo name or something?

Overly-flirtatious jokes aside, what shook Ethan the most about this newfound information about Paul however, was the fact that he was from Rosebriar University! Damn, who knew someone like him was practically part of his and Kindall’s hometown’s history?

“Botanist, eh?” He never pegged someone like him to be a botanist, he didn’t certainly look the part, but he did exude an air of professionalism…

Jace spoke up, and, unsurprisingly, Kindall looked pissed...Though to be fair, he looked pissed most of the time. There was a brief pause and Ethan was tempted to crack another zinger or one-liner to break the monotony but his bespectacled friend just spoke up, and just said West Wing. Jeez, this guy doesn’t mince words…

Kindall was persistent, and Ethan had to admire that. “Awww, I thought we’d spend some quality time together, just the two of us…” He stuck his tongue out, trying to tease his friend. He forced a smile, knowing that Jace’s words tore the tiniest rift in the circle of friends and their friendship.

He was taken aback the moment Marten suggested the he do something, he raised his arms to his chest in protest. “Me?!” He exclaimed, voice dripping with surprise. “W-What do you want me to do about this?” Subconsciously, Ethan could feel that both Kindall and Jace were probably glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. He really didn’t have a strong opinion either way, whatever the group wanted, he’d follow. “Because personally I think both of you are stupid…” There was a pause, he just did that. “Seriously? Are we fucking going to fight over something like this? Do whatever the fuck you guys want, stick with it, and then maybe everyone else will follow. Go and hatefuck each other afterwards.”
1DWpxffzGMzXLJPrU6FGnMyHSGyaRMjDYB9UfZwZruRnZvs78nQTr0tH-jxOg-3d0yShyOKn3b2VZk5MFFqHHjbfYEYpLqFP5WBQIyyyCNETH91ZM1zDphNVAOkQoLpAA5TGSPjY
“We’re not even fighting,” Kindle retorted.

They were but he wasn’t going to acknowledge that. Keeping things as they were right now was fine. It was better than a shouting match. Honestly, if that happened … yeah, he didn’t want to even think about it.

“Well, you and Jace agreed I should do what I want. Eth, Marten, are you coming?” Kindall asked one more time as he strode purposefully towards the Recreation Room on the opposite side of the hall. “The door to the West Wing is down the hall that way.” he announced, pointing to a door further down from the office without even glancing that way.

He didn’t even bother checking if anyone was following him before disappearing into the Recreation Room proper. He figured that if anyone wanted to really follow him they’d be dashing over. Even if they chose to stick with Jace, he wouldn’t mind either. That way at least he’d less to worry about. He was sure he was fine on his own.

4aObSo6ipgd-Z4m4VlWTs4uMPZdO9uj6k4sotgxkVDEs4NJwLb79WcgYZVo7-TXC6_D_IZBa54asANsHrgl1eAZRp9_rIH0MP9dVy3twTQf5DgTxRuiFTDBCChYECsq4udS7kXvR
Ethan rolled his eyes. Sure you weren’t tough guy. Ethan couldn’t wait for the day when Kindall and Jace finally just fuck each others brains out while simultaneously also spouting verbal abuse at one another.

He cast a worrisome glance at Marten, whispering to her. “Seriously, how the hell did you even fall in love with this guy?” Which was sort of a hypocritical question, given how he himself used to have the hots for the bespectacled asshole in question. Most of the group seemed to be in favor of Jace, and Kindall...Well Ethan was sure Marten would probably follow him wherever he went. She’s that kind of girl.

Ethan rubbed his temples with a free hand, it was a major pain to admit, but Kindall probably would probably require an extra hand or something, not that he’d like to admit it. Pride comes before a fall, at least that’s what the textbook he read said anyway…He turned to Marten once more, clearly she was conflicted as well.

“Well, Jace has London and Kitty to fall back on...I say we even out the numbers and just go with Kindall. To hell with it!” He dashed towards the direction where Kindall was going, probably leaving Marten in the dust, shouting his name and telling him to wait for a goddamn second. When he was sure that he was right behind him, he made a point to say, “Besides me, Kelsey, Ana, and Jace..has anyone in the group ever told you that you’re such a complete ass sometimes?” This must be that pragmatism concept or whatever his philosophy professor was waxing on about one time.

He didn’t like telling his friends off, but he had just about enough of their bickering...Well, it was just Kindall and Jace, but regardless. “For a guy who’s so smart, you can be really fucking tactless at times.”
8KbeNbQzGTiJGI9cs8UpQHj0pt3zIXs9vbH1xsjjVVzrVMGuvE0vKn8fPAwdHLmr8nLBGRHnVsk7IH7tifwp0X4Q9kmjAYLCCW58TiHez7gg4z5sSsVOUDYWv5DEqwabfxICS2FD
Marten internally deflated as Ethan failed to diffuse the bomb. Dang it, you big lug! You were supposed to go He-man! And you went for Care Bear instead?! Cripes! The girl sighed, cutting a sideways glance at Kindall’s walking away figure, pointedly eying those glutes with a lascivious smile and wistful countenance. “Same way you did, of course.” What else could she say? She was an ass girl.

She’d cut a worried look back towards the half of their party cutting down the opposite hall before jogging after Kindall with a prayer in her heart for them all… humming “Stand by Your Man” all the way.

She could only hope that everything would turn out okay. It would be a tragedy that she couldn’t take if anything else went down. This was the second time they were having to find Kelsey, and Ana was… What did everyone like to say? In the garden? That was a nice, only-slightly-morbid way of putting things. If they did this quickly, hopefully no one else would end up as Miracle-Gro.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Cartoonicat

Intermission: Prologue

Whittle Grove: October 14, 2017
35nx9mW.png
On the day his dog went missing, Matthew Lyons heard something in the white woods. It was the sound of leaves crunching beneath the soles of someone's shoes, the barely audible sound of someone moving silently through the forest. He didn't think much of it, at least, not until Joseff barreled into the woods only to disappear as if he'd never been there.

He spent the whole afternoon searching but found nothing. It was 5:30 in the afternoon when he and Kelsey decided to stop. By then, the sun was setting and the sky was bleeding orange. The air was chilly, hinting at the changing of the seasons. In a month or two, fall would end and it would start to snow. "We should go." It was clear that merely speaking the words had hurt, but Matt had lived in Bellwoods long enough to know that staying in the White Woods after dark never amounted to anything good. He and Kelsey needed to go home and come back in the morning.
2NHTYeR.png
"Matt, let's keep looking." Kelsey could see he didn't want to go. She didn't want to leave Joseff behind either.

"You know we can't stay here."

Kelsey pursed her lips, and wondered if she ought to tell him about what she'd seen. Matt had never been superstitious, but he humored her, whenever she spoke to him about the creature in the woods. She'd caught a glimpse of it that day, a dark outline against the thick trees. A shadowy shape that lingered by the thickets before Joseff had lost in and ran off.

"We'll come back tomorrow, Kelsey. Let's just—"

"I saw something."

Matt went quiet, worry lingering on his face.

"Before Joseff disappeared. We have to keep looking for him."

The usually cheerful blonde didn't say another word, merely bit down on his lip before he followed after Kelsey into the White Woods.
 
tdrgEqMKxqCyDcaHSHoaOiG6IDLND72_w2GpvbvLiNF-7dKbWKMZM6TI3rfY7MoHssfo8sM_zlNvXYaYMaKzinZKADzW1A_YMR775i2e1U8AuxiSIf3RBVJJBDCC2ESuz9LaRj3i
After staring at the screen for so long, each blink hurt. London rubbed her eyes. Glimpsed the "Eat. Sleep. Anime. Repeat." clock over her bed that read 4:30pm. She stared at the clock hands, only half aware that she'd been researching since the same time the day before. When was the last time she'd slept? Her alarm to hit the hay went off early that morning but discovering several new cryptid sighting forums had put sleep to the back of her mind. A text about Jo taking off into Whittle Grove around 2pm hadn't helped, either.

Thumbing through her text thread with Kelsey, London barely registered all the article links and self-composed bullet lists of "What To Do in the Presence of [insert cryptid here]" that she'd sent since yesterday. Scrolled down to the text box, fingers typing in slow motion, as if wading through water; the dark circles under her eyes hadn't been so prominent in weeks.

London
4:33PM

Did you guys find him?
Kelsey
4:35PM

No. Jo disappeared. Can u come and help?

The weight of exhaustion tripled. Of all days for the fluffball to disappear, it had to be one where her bad habits made a harsh comeback. Her stomach grumbled and eyelids drooped. Much as she loved Jo, London didn't think she could keep herself awake long enough to walk to the woods - driving was completely out of the question at this hour. And on top of that, the woods...

Kelsey
4:37PM

really worried
saw something, didn't tell matt.
That woke her up a little. Her back straightened, teeth chewing on the skin of her lip. London dragged a hand down her face. Glanced at the her treasure chest of cosplay weapon props, considering leaving the safety of her bedroom. There were bugs and frogs and other scary things in the woods, but her friends were there. That'd make it okay, right? They'd protect her in case the Maine Monster decided to retire in a more cryptid-appreciative location, right?

They'd kill the bugs for her... right?

Downing the last few dregs of her long cold coffee, London typed back a lackluster "omw" and rose from her chair. Grabbed her favorite wooden katana, threw on a pair of stretch pants and an over-sized hoodie. Her usual look - comfortable and unassuming - but with a hood to hide the rat's nest of dark curls from the outside world. She didn't have the patience to tame it before heading to Whittle.

At least... until she remembered Matt was there.


Whittle Grove


A shower helped wake her up and the application of concealer hid most of the darkness under her eyes. With the help of her mom's blowdryer and a few snapped hair-ties, she managed to pull her hair up into a semi-decent bun. A frizzy bun, but it'd have to do. Though, because of her last-minute primping, she'd been late to the party.

By time London arrived it was time for them to stop searching; her heart plummeted. She'd spent so long getting ready that she missed the point of it all - they were there to look for Jo, nothing more. The search party stood at the edge of the woods now, looking ready to disband.

Then they headed back in.

London's brows lifted. Maybe she could help after all. Checking both ways before crossing the street, she scurried across pavement. Silently caught up with them, shooting whoever noticed her presence a sheepish half-smile.
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Fox of Spades
Jace_Banner.png
Jace had been there from the beginning. He had been in town with his dad, helping unload pumpkins from the bed of the old '72 Chevrolet truck, when he heard the news about Joseff. Come to find out that the Shiba was gone, missing, having run off into the woods. Matt's concern was almost painful and Jace felt for him. He couldn't imagine losing his own canine companion. This was arguably the reason that Jace offered to help, and the fact that he and Matt were decently good friends. They jogged and walked their dogs together; and it had been Matt who helped Jace acquire his dog in the first place. Kelsey had opted to help Matt search first and Jace followed suit as soon as he and Kele had finished stocking the booth. He made the quick trip back home to get some supplies and returned to Whittle Grove with his dog in tow. Kenai was an excellent tracker; Jace was proud of his dog's abilities, especially since he had done a majority of the training. With his multi-tool and a flashlight, and after a good long sniff of Jo's favorite chew toy to get his scent, Jace and Kenai set off into the woods. They took a different route from Matt and Kelsey in order to cover more ground.
Kenai eagerly and intently tugged Jace along behind him, nose to the leafy and mossy carpet of the forest floor. Jace had put Kenai on a lead in light of Jo's running off. He didn't normally use the leash, but considering the strange circumstances, he wasn't taking any chances. This doggo dad would not risk losing his dog child. Kenai had caught Jo's scent almost immediately; however, there was something strange about the trail they were following. It seemed to be going in circles, winding and weaving around the same areas before disappearing altogether and randomly picking up in a different spot. It was difficult too with Kenai's getting distracted. He would stop every so often and lift his head, ears pricked and alert to listen to noises that Jace couldn't hear. He would bark and growl or whine, his tail low. This wasn't particularly strange behavior for the canine when it came to the woods; although, it was strange that, it seemed to happen whenever he lost Jo's scent.


"What's the matter, bud?" Jace would ask while looking all around. If Kenai was seeing something, well, it wasn't making itself known to him. Whatever it was was well-hidden. As afternoon faded into the twilight of evening, the woods fell into shadow. Even though it was only 5:30, it was autumn, and the days were getting shorter and shorter. Jace turned on his flashlight and headed back to the place where they had all entered the woods. A familiar face had just arrived, that of his coffee buddy, London. He didn't see her too often outside of the cafe, though when he did see her, he would always give her a clap on the shoulder with a smile and say, "Hey, coffee buddy!" This he did now as she joined the friends' rendezvous. Apparently, Kelsey and Matt hadn't any more luck than he had. He gave London's bun a curious and playful poke.

"Sorry, dude. We had his scent, but it wasn't really going anywhere. Seemed to just be going in circles. I don't think we covered more than a two mile radius." He gave Matt an apologetic look. He visibly stiffened when Kelsey announced that she had seen something in the woods before Jo disappeared. It wasn't exactly a secret that something lingered in Whittle Grove. There were many stories about what it might be and these seemed to contribute to Bellwoods' popularity with the tourists, especially this time of year. Several of these stories, Jace was willing to bet, had come from his own grandmother. She liked to tell them to his friends when they stopped by his family's house and made a point to tell them to any tourists she saw. Jace didn't like it when she talked about them to his friends; the tourists apparently got a kick out of them though. The stories came back to him now in vivid detail. He shot an anxious glance towards the woods, adjusting his hold on Kenai's leash.

"Guys, I really don't think--"

It was too late. They were already starting back into the woods at Kelsey's behest. Jace groaned. She always did this. "Why couldn't she just wait until morning?" He scrubbed a hand down his face and started after them. "Hey! You need to slow down! It's getting dark! If you're going to keep looking, you need to go get flashlights! You could get hurt if you're not careful." Jace insisted, shining his own light. His big brother nature was kicking in, as if often did during Kelsey's escapades.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Cartoonicat