The Carter Hollow Murders

Adam Bennett - Task One

User: THGF1234

I walked to the office and saw two of my co-workers in the office. I knew that the third would be coming soon. I motioned them, Gabby and Jane, to follow me out the front entrance. We walked out into the gleaming sunlight that gleamed the windows of the building and the trees in the courtyard swaying slowly back and forth in the vibrant air. A loud clack and a squealing screech brought my eyes to a limo entering the courtyard. It rolled around the fountain, water splashing on the side and stopped by the front doors.

A woman who I knew for a long time walked out stumbling slightly on her dark heels. I open the doors and Gabby, Jane and I emerged from the building. "Arabella! Welcome back!" I said in my deep voice smiling. She reaches her hand out and says, "Adam, good to see you again. I see you never left high school." I snort and give her a slight smirk as I grasp her hand.

"Wasn't that the plan?" I chuckled. She turns to Jane next to me. "And you are?" she asks her. Jane raises an eyebrow and step forward, holding her hand out. "Jane Rundolf, Vice Principal, its nice to meet you Miss Blackwell." Arabella shakes Jane's hand. "Please, call me Arabella." insisted Arabella, making Jane blush with a nod.

Arabella turns to Gabby. Gabby stumbles forward and gives her hand out to her. "Hello, I'm Gabby Caperella, its great to meet you," she says blushing red. "Arabella, the pleasure is mine." Arabella reply, taking her hand.

"Well!" she says, pulling her hand away and I raise my eyebrow slighty as she wipes her hand on her black skirt." She turns to me, "I'm her to do a job, not stand around and chit chat. So by all means, lead the way.

She raises an eyebrow as she gestures to the building. I ask her, "Right, yes. Your bags though, are you staying on campus?" She jerks back with shocked eyes. "Me? Stay here?" She laughs slightly, I spent four years locked away inside those stone walls and that was more than enough for me. No, I have a house down by the beach." I nod, digesting the information and step through the white doors, the three ladies following behind.

"Has the school year begun yet?" Arabella says, as she pulls out her phone and starts typing away. "No, not yet but Orientation is this afternoon and students will be arriving in about a hour, also classes will begin tomorrow."

She nods and says "I think I'll come to Orientation if you don't mind." I glance back, my right eyebrow raised. "Of course, in fact I was thinking if you could make a short speech." She frowns at me surprised. "What? Why on earth would you want that?" she asks.

I shrug and turn left. "You'll be staying all year, I think you should acquaint yourself with the students." she snorts and replies, "I know the students enough to know that they act like we did in high school and frankly, I didn't like teenagers then and I don't now."

"I see you haven't changed then." I grumble with a bitter voice. "I could say the same for you." she snaps. Gabby glances at the both of us as we reach the office. "I'll just be...." Gabby walks to her office and clicks it shut.

"Would you like to see the campus? I believe there have been major changes since you attended." Jane cuts in. " I imagine I don't have a choice." Arabella sighs. I'll leave you to it then, but pleasebe in the theater at noon and not a moment later." I gripe with a glare. I start to walk away muttering under my breath, "God, she hasn't changed a lot."

At noon everyone is settling down in their seats. Jane, Arabella and I was backstage. I had to force Arabella to do a speech for the students much to her disapproval. I announce, "Okay I'm going to start" i step out into the light and get in front of the pedestal and tap the mircophone letting a crackling sound pop out into the room. I clear my throat and smile.

"Welcome to the Carter Hollow Academy and a new year of learning! Welcome to the new and to the old, welcome back! I am Adam Bennett and I am your principal for this year. Students please help the new people around and new people work hard. If there are any clubs, learning, sports or other things then come by my office and tell me. I am here to help. So let the year begin and grow!"

Applause echoes for a moment before I speak again. "Also I'd like to introduce Arabella Blackwell. She'll be evaluating our campus and student progress." I glance over to see her giving me a dirty look.

She steps on stage and clears her throat grasping ahold of the metal frame. "Welcome students to Carter Hollow Academy, I'm happy to be here with you and I look forward to watching you all grow over the course of this year. I hope that you can all leave this school with the same level of appreciation for it I did." She steps off and walks away off stage shoving me in the shoulder and muttering, "I hate you sometimes."

My lips twitches with amusement and I move out of her way. "You just hate that I push you out of your comfort zone." I said with a smirk. She scowls and stalk off muttering under her breath.

Later i was giving a couple assurance that Carter Hollow was safe and no threat to their child. Then a loud earth shattering shriektore through my ears like a tiger. The scream comes again. I mutter an apology yo the couple and run to the chaos.

I run to the front office to see student shrieking and teachers was trying to ease the chaos. Gabby came to me and said a boy was dead. I walked with Gabby to the crime scene and see the body. His body was limp, his eyes and mouth open in shock. "Get the police." I muttered to Gabby. She runs to the office.

Soon the police arrive and encloses the crime scene. I look at the lump when Arabella touches my arm and asked, "Adam, what the hell happened?" Then I turn to her, a haggard look on my hard face as I stare at her. She snaps her finger and shakes my arm. "Adam?" I blink but i don't reply. She huffs and my cheeks turn a crimson red. I hiss and lifts one hand to access the damage before I turn my raged eyes on her. "The hell , Arabella!" I growl anger overtaking my features. "What happened?" she snaps, ignoring my problems before us. I clench my jaw and glance backat the body before I give a heavy sigh. " I have no idea, this has have never happened before."

"Was he murdered or was it an accident?" she asked with a concerned look. I sigh and say, "I dont know, Cordelia found him." "The girlfriend right? She's already given her statement?" she asks.

I sigh with a deep concern. "yes she said they were climbing the tree here and she left for a few minutes to welcome her friend on campus. When she got back, he was lying on the ground, dead, It looked like he had fallen." "What do you think? She asks.

I knew it was someone. Someone who murdered him and left him dead. Could Carter Hollow survive the chaos? I lied and said, "I don't know, it seems probable that it was an accident but if its not that means we have a murder on campus. And Arabella," I lower my voice,"I don't know if Carter Hollow can survive that type of scandal. One of the most prestigious academies becoming a murder scene?"

I sigh, taking in a heavy breath. She nods and pulls at her hair nervously. "I know," She says. Then her phone starts to squeal like a pig. She pulls it out and glance at it. "Its them." I turn a ghostly white. She bites her lip.

"I'm going to tell them exactly what they want to hear, that it was an accident and we're terribly apologetic for leaving our students un attended. I'll tell them it won't happen again and we intend to rectify the lack of supervision immediately." I nod, my jaw clenched tightly.

"Will that work? Will they believe you? She answers, then lowers her voice. They have to, Adam, when those medical records come back we'll make sure it says it was an accident or every form of hell will come down on ths academy. And Carter Hollow is not shutting down on my watch." she says rapidly.

A wall of determination came over me. I sigh. "OK, answer them." I turn away and think in my head, Carter Hollow may be coming to a chaotic disaster.