Ryland Strich has gone through life as a seemingly normal boy. He was normal, of course, but the events that will befall Ryland in this novel are most definitely not normal. He's lived all his life in Greensborough, Louisiana, and has yet to hear about the supposed mental retaining facility for young people that burned down way back in 1924. Going back to when he was eight, he explored Brentwood Hill. At least, he thought it was a hill, before he fell down under the weak foundation of Brentwood Academy's old, buried structure. Surprisingly, everything is pretty much intact. Strange though, for being in a fire. Ryland suspects there's more to this story than meets the public's eye. If only he could spread the word, but he'll have to climb out first. No biggie, he thinks, until he hears voices coming from the old phonograph in the sitting room. That's where it all went downhill.
3 parts