Chapter I
✦ The Beckhart Estate✦

In the quiet town of Hollowgrove, there rode a slick black limousine; one of which was traveling straight from the airport, on the way through a dismal forest. Despite the light coming from above, the pathways within the wooded area were blanketed
by shadow. The winding road ahead of the Beckhart siblings--
the very same riding the vessel-- almost made the two carsick.
Audrey Beckhart, the younger, was the age of 21.
A natural beauty with long brown hair streaked with black, donning large expressive green eyes, that sparkled in the sunlight.
She was dressed in a soft lavender coat, knee-high brown boots, and a sky blue beanie atop her head. She was beautiful and everyone knew so; everyone knowing, of course, since she was a member of one of the richest and most popular families in town.
She stared out, maintaining the same deadpan expression for a quarter mile now. Something was obviously on her mind... something that she wouldn’t say aloud.
Seated next to her was her brother, Gabriel, age 22.
A rather classy young man with slick brown hair, that actively covered over his bright blue eyes. He was dressed in a buttoned-up suit, an aqua green scarf wrapped around his neck, while his pleasant, expensive cologne spread through the car’s interior and filled everyone’s senses.
With a cell phone in hand, he tapped the device against the edge of his car door, biting his lip nervously as he stared out his own window. He had just finished talking with the pair’s mother and father... though his facial expression indicated that the conversation did not go so well. His eyes slowly turned to his sister, who remained silent the entire ride, and his reluctance was made obvious.

“Audrey-”
“Let me guess.” She didn’t even bother to look his way.
“...Not home after all.”
He scrunched up his face in a manner that indicated he wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t surprised.
“...Pretty much.”

He cleared his throat, preparing to mimic their parentals.

“‘Hey son, welcome home! Sorry, but we’re actually out of
town right now and won’t be back for awhile. Don’t worry, you have the whole house to yourselves. Card’s on the counter, treat yourself to a homecoming party, have over all the friends you want, see you when we see you!’”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Great, not so much as an ‘I love you’... remind me again why they even had us?”
The last part was said in more of a whisper, as not to necessarily be answered aloud. But Gabriel took it upon himself to do it anyway. “I’ve concluded we were both mistakes, spanning one year apart.”
She chuckled softly. “That makes sense.”
The driver made several turns on the way to the Beckhart residence, which resided deep in the woods, far from the town itself. The three kept silent the rest of the way, until they finally reached their destination. A lavish mansion with a wide open courtyard was just ahead, which the limo turned into. It winded around a fountain in the middle of the area, before parking in front of the house.
Surrounded by nothing but trees, the mansion itself was a surprisingly plain white, with dark red trimmings and solid black double doors. Both the Beckharts pressed against Audrey’s window to gaze upon their home. A home of which apparently withstood four solid generations of Beckharts. Naturally, it had many remodels and improvements to survive being such a lush and modern residence; just looking at it, however, you could tell it had a great deal of history, sheltering so much of their family, for so long a time.
The Beckhart family had been around since the beginning of Hollowgrove, so they were told, which eventually earned them quite a bit of wealth and respect. Though it was theirs, the house before them seemed as foreign as if they were just discovering it. Coming home from college was like visiting as two strangers.

Every time they would return on their breaks, of course, their parents just happened to be away on another vacation of their
own, never awaiting their arrival. That really didn’t mean much
in itself, of course, as they were hardly ever around with their children to begin with. Too much concern about other matters that required a wealthy individual’s attention. Due to this, the relation-ship with their parents was saddening, to say the least.

Both the Beckhart siblings climbed through and stepped out of the vehicle gracefully. Audrey’s eyes were glued to their estranged estate the whole time, though Gabriel’s were more attentive to the sky above them, which was merely a solid white canvas that hovered over the world below. Audrey cut her eyes at her brother, curiously and silently seeking out an explanation as to why he was so concerned about the sky. Though Gabriel soon said aloud his reasoning.
“Is it supposed to rain, Henson? That sure is an awful overcast.”
Henson, the driver, stepped out himself, nearly straining his neck trying to look up as well. “The sky has been getting like that a lot lately, sir. Hardly ever get a sunny day anymore.”
He shut his door and lowered his head, shaking it in a strange
manner. “There always seems to be a storm coming...”
Gabriel and Audrey glanced at one another, pondering on this.

Gabe shook away the hair that was crawling over his glasses
and sighed, clearing his dry throat. “Still standing, I see.”
Audrey knew he was referring to the house; indeed, it looked untouched. She turned her whole body towards it and stared, as if attempting to reacquaint herself. Slightly shivering from the chilly Autumn air, she held both sides of her coat together and shrugged her shoulders, clicking her heels together.
“No place like home.”

Gabriel stood next to her, placing his hands in his pockets, as he faced the estate with little to no interest whatsoever.
“At least we have a home, I guess.”
“Still... it’d be nice not to arrive in a limo.”
Movement behind Gabe caught his attention, and he turned to
see that Henson was opening the trunk, beginning to pull
their bags out. “That’s alright, Henson. We’ll get them.”
Henson stood upright fast, as if shocked by what he heard, and blinked several times in outright confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“We can get them, Henson.” Gabriel advanced towards the tall, well built middle-aged man in a dark suit, who wore a professional little cap that Audrey found to almost be a part of him now.

Audrey soon joined her brother and the two pulled out their luggage from the back of the trunk.

“Are you sure, sir? I really don’t mind.”

“No, Hen.” Audrey spoke. “You just get home to your family. I’m sure they’re missing you terribly.”

Henson was at a loss.

“Oh, but your parents specifically instructed me to-”

“Please, we’re not in any need of a chauffeur or bodyguard.
We grew up in this town. We’re big kids. Go home already!”

Audrey smiled at him. Gabriel did the same. Henson was reluctant at first, but he eventually smiled back, nodding his cap at them. “Thank you, Mr. and Miss Beck-”
“Pleeaassseee, you’ve known us forever!”

Henson chuckled at Audrey.

“Alright. Gabriel... Audrey... thank you. I greatly appreciate it.”
Gabe moved the bags onto the gravel ground, just as Henson advanced for the driver door and began to climb inside.
“You have a lovely vacation, you hear?”
“You too.” The siblings sung at once. The humble driver, who had been serving the family for many years, started his engine and drove off, leaving the two alone on their property.
Audrey let out a breath, scratching her neck. “Here goes...”
Gabe handed her her luggage and, finally, they advanced for the door. The Beckhart siblings stepped onto the welcome mat, as Audrey set her bags down in order to retrieve the house key from her warm pocket.

She at first had difficulty jiggling the small object into the tiny keyhole, her hands freezing and in desperate need of the gloves she forgot to put on. But she at last got it and turned the brass knob. The black door creaked open, so loudly and unpleasantly that the two grit their teeth. The siblings sighed and cleared their throats, taking a deep breath before they stepped into the safety of their expensive domain.

Gabe shut and locked the door behind them, setting his bags

down. Audrey did the same, casting a look at the interior of their estate as she took note of all the changes made, despite their parents hardly ever being in the home itself.
“...I swear, they have this place decorated different every single
time we come home.” Gabriel shook his head in disdain, before he put a finger to his lips and typed in the code to the security pad. After he turned from doing so, he and his sister left their bags behind to venture deeper into the house.

“Geez, it’s freezing.” Audrey acknowledged, before hurrying to the fireplace, rubbing her hands together. “Let’s get the fire started. Be sure to turn that heat up, too. I am not turning into a popsicle my first night home!”

Gabriel adjusted the thermostat, before removing his coat and tossing it on the side of the couch. He sighed, however, upon noticing it and blandly turned back around, facing the kitchen.

“They got a new couch.”

“Figures.”
He, too, rubbed his hands together, as he studied around the mostly
white, modern-looking living room. He dropped this after a few seconds, falling into boredom very easily, and made for the fridge.

“Audy, I’m starving. What are you in the mood for?”
Audrey chucked in a fresh set of logs into the fireplace, setting them ablaze shortly before poking them with a firm grip.
“I’d eat anything at this point... as long as it’s not expired.”
Gabriel wasn’t in the mood for the food located inside the fridge, therefore stepped back and approached the counter in the middle
of the kitchen. It was glass, with many chairs surrounding it, and a glistening marble full of lights that shined from the bottom of the table itself.
Sure enough, his parents had indeed left one of their many credit

cards on the table, for them to blow money on whatever they chose. He took it and stuffed it inside his back pocket.

“They left us the card.”

“Joy. Lord knows we’re short of those.” Audrey fixed herself back up and slipped off her hat and coat, sighing tiredly as she threw them over a chair, revealing a cottony baby blue sweater.
She ran her fingers gently through her dark brown curls, trying to take out the tiny tangles. That’s when she heard a yelp. She gasped, as before she knew it, an animal had surprise-attacked her and
was jumping up her leg, showering her hands in tiny wet kisses and shaking so much, that it barely could contain itself.
“Scrooge, baby!!” She giggled, as she got on her knees and held the tiny dog in her arms, his licks transferring from her hands to her face. “Hiii, pretty puppy!” She exclaimed with glee, her voice reaching one that you only ever use for a dog.
“Oh my goodness, baby, you missed me almost as much as I missed you!”

Gabe grinned at the sight of their dog, appreciating the smiles that it brought Audrey. There was a deep sadness that had settled in

her for quite some time now, and it was rare for her to genuinely display true happiness anymore.

After the greeting, she picked up the small dog and made for a glass table sitting in the living room. She studied the contents atop of it that had caught her eye: a picture of her and Gabriel’s parents.

She took hold of the frame and held it in front of her. Their father, a successful and abundantly wealthy banker. Their mother, a

beautiful and famed actress. They stood in each other’s arms at an event in Casper City, which closely neighbored the quiet town of Hollowgrove. The two were well respected and adored by the people of both the town and city, and were always pulled from the family for their work there. Not that they minded. They had never put their children first, not even once.
Gabriel walked to her side and stared at their picture, his jaw tightening. “Look at them...”

Audrey noticed. “They look so happy.”

After a few minutes, she finally found it necessary to set the frame down. “Funny, I almost forgot what they looked like.”

Gabe looked around, searching for other frames. “There’s only one of us. The one from my 18th birthday. Remember?”

“No need to sound like a narrator, dummy.” She corrected, before smiling teasingly. “...Except you’re getting to be an old man. It was your 16th.”
He frowned. “...Oh.”
She chuckled and approached him, staring down at the photo.
“...I remember it clearly, because I was 15 and Carl Lanley, my humongous crush, was there. I was too embarrassed to be seen by him because of those accursed braces they forced on me. But you kept telling me, you needed one last shot of us, before they sent you to that school overseas, and you would hardly be seeing me. You were begging me.”

She touched the frame, in deep remembrance. “I felt too guilty to say no. So right in front of him, I grabbed you and had our friends snap the picture. I didn’t even care if he saw me at that point, as long as you were happy. To this day, it’s my favorite of us.”

Indeed, a teenage Audrey had her brother dragged into an embrace, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail, her wide beaming smile laced with metal. Gabriel’s partially longer and untamed
hair fell over his eyes, as he smiled in his sister’s company, the

two seated at a bowling alley.

“That was the most normal birthday I’d ever had.”

He stuck his hands into his pockets. “They don’t even have a picture of all of us. What does that tell you?”
“That we haven’t had a photo together in a long freaking time.”
Audrey sighed, clearing her throat and bowing her head, as her fingers gently stroked the fur of Scrooge’s ears. “Well...”
She took a deep breath and turned around. “Pointless to be thinking about all that and getting depressed. Let’s eat something.”

She moved away, advancing for the coffee table, where she picked up the remote and turned on the TV using the old-fashioned
power button, as opposed to the fancy voice-activated feature her parents installed. She insisted on doing everything as normally as possible, of course, with as much as possible.
Gabriel turned towards the television, folding his arms, the channel currently being set on the news.
“Well, I’m certainly in no mood for a party.” He went to sit down, as Audrey had made for the kitchen, where she smiled and peeked at him.
“So, another quiet, relaxing night of old monster movies and pizza?”

Gabriel smirked. “Must be psychic, cause you read my mind.”
Audrey smirked back. “Well, Mom and Dad said they were gonna be gone for awhile, so that probably gives us the week to our-selves. Why don’t we hit the town later? Maybe the library? Give you a chance to work on your book!”
Gabriel sighed, however, shifting uncomfortably.
“I’ve hit a block.”
She chuckled, as she poured milk into a cup and put it inside the microwave for cocoa. “That’s the whole point of visiting the town. Get those so-called creative juices flowing!”
“I just don’t like how the idea’s coming out. It doesn’t feel quite... me... you know?” Audrey turned as her brother fell into an awkward silence. She stared at the back of his head as she stood next to the heating cocoa, while Scrooge was roosted upon the couch, sighing contently at his masters being home.
“You’ll get it, Gabe. The idea will come. I know it.”
Gabriel stared at the floor, taking a deep and saddened breath.
“At least someone does.”

But Audrey didn’t hear him. She was too preoccupied with getting the whipped cream and cinnamon. As such, Gabriel fell completely silent, a common practice for him... until something caught his attention.
“It’s been two days, and young Melony Martin, age 16, is still missing.”
Gabe’s eyes darted at the TV and he leaned forward with intrigue, his mouth running agape.
“She was last seen near her family’s home in Crooked Creak road late Thursday night. Witnesses say at the time of her disappearance, a bright light occurred and quote... ‘a powerful and violent thunder sound’ came from the sky. It was then followed by reports that an unidentified aircraft ‘zipped’ through the sky. Said witnesses were separate individuals...
a hunter, Harold Roland, and a family of campers, the Zeplins, all of whom have claimed that young Miss Martin was undoubtedly... abducted by aliens.”
“Hey Gabe, when should I order the-”
“SHHH!” He exclaimed, halting his sister behind him, who then turned her attention to the television.
“This is the seventh abduction report, and the 12th missing person overall since June. Local authorities have urged residents to be cautious as they try to find the one, or ones, responsible. When asked for clarity on the situation, our very own mayor, Ripley Ravenwood, has stated that despite the disheartening number of missing individuals, there is nothing for his citizens to worry about, and encourages us to get back to ‘business as usual’. This is his fifth overall statement on the matter since the cases began in June. The residents themselves are desperate to get answers... on just where their loved ones are.”

Gabriel turned in his seat and looked up at his sister, with Scrooge perking his head, sensing that something was up. Audrey simultaneously looked to him, and the two Beckharts gained the same look of pure and utter shock.

“Audrey... what’s happening here?”