Murder at Raven academy

Chapter 1

New school.

Raven academy is your ordinary Secondary school for girls. Hazel and Lottie have been friends since they were young and now they, get to explore secondary school together. They have both have a love for solving mysterious cases and share a joy of reading books. The school is in one, singular, building and outside has a football pitch, a seating area, and a old shed for equipment and supplies. When you first enter, on first floor there’s two Cantines one for only year 7s and one for everyone, a hall used for assemblies and shows then straight ahead is these steep stairs leading you to the second floor which has four English and two maths classes, a library with the musty scent of yellowing pages mixing with the crisp smell of fresh ink and various sleek, stainless-steel hydration points. Then on the third floor is a drama and dance studio and classrooms for many subjects including art, languages and music. Across the white walls are posters of events or clubs that are taking place and maps of the school.

Chapter 2

First day

The heavy oak doors of Raven Academy felt like a portal into a different world. The morning was a blur of frantic activity. They navigated the first floor, dodging older girls who seemed like giants in navy skirts. The Year 7 canteen was fulfilled with nervous chatter. Over the warm toast and buttered pastries, they studied the school map they had snatched from the wall, tracing the route to the third floor .In their first Art class, they had a canvas each and the teacher told them to just use there wild imagination. Hazel found herself staring at the posters lining the halls—brightly coloured advertisements for the year 7 drama group while Lottie daydreamed she was in the Raven Runners. By lunchtime, they had climbed the steep stairs so many times their legs ached. They spent their break tucked away in the seating area outside, watching a group of older girls practice on the football pitch. High above them, on the balcony of the third floor, Hazel caught sight of a girl with a shimmering gold badge pinned to her blazer; Clara, the Head Girl. She walked fastly, leading a group of prefects effortlessly. “Imagine knowing your way around this place that well,” Hazel exclaimed, watching Clara disappear back inside. “We’ll get there,” Lottie said, opening her notebook to a fresh page. At the school day end of the day both of the girls tiredly walked home through the cooling September air, the mystery of the murder in Darkwood felt miles away, but little did they know, it was just around the corner.

Chapter 3

The blue door

The next day at school was unusually quiet. By lunchtime, the hallways were buzzing with a single name: Clara. The Head Girl hadn’t turned up for her morning classes, and even the teachers looked a little confused.On their walk home that afternoon, the air was crisp, and the September sun was just starting to dip behind the trees. As Hazel and Lottie turned the corner past the park, Lottie spotted something pale caught in a tuft of grass by the pavement.”Wait, what’s that?” she asked, leaning down to pick up a folded piece of paper. It wasn’t schoolwork. Inside, in neat but hurried printing, was a list of instructions that looked like a treasure hunt.

1. Start where the three oaks meet.

2. Follow the path to the cluster of houses

3. Find the house with the blue door that looks abandoned.

It’s a riddle,” Hazel said, her detective instincts kicking in. “The three oaks are just at the edge of the woods, near the old lane.”

Curiosity got the better of them, and instead of heading straight home, they followed the directions. “The cluster of houses , there the blue one on the end tucked away”. Hazel said nervously. There it sat an old, quiet house. It wasn’t scary, just forgotten. The garden was overgrown with tall wildflowers, and the “blue door” was faded and peeling, but it still looked like it had once been a happy home. ”Hazel, look on the step,” Lottie whispered. Lying right in front of the door was a small, shiny object that didn’t belong in a dusty garden. It was a gold Head Girl badge. The girls looked at each other, the quiet afternoon suddenly feeling a lot more serious. The treasure hunt hadn’t led them to a prize—it had led them straight to the first real clue in Clara’s disappearance.