SCARLETT. fear street (1994, 1978, 1666 )

one. miss american pie

"SOMETHING TOUCHED ME DEEP INSIDE, THE DAY THE MUSIC... DIED."

"Can you please tell your sister to turn off this crap?" Diana mumbled to her husband, the tone of her voice suggesting that she would rather jump off the car than listen to the girl in a pink summer dress who was softly humming the tune to her favorite song.

"So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie, Drove my Chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry..."

"She's clearly enjoying herself," Haruto Aoki glanced at his little sister for a moment, before diverting his eyes back to the rocky road.

"Singing this will be the day that I die... this will be the day that I die."

Niki Aoki was smiling brightly, her head peeking out of the rolled-down window. Ever since she could remember, she always loved the Nightwing summer camp. There was just something about spending every summer away from home, away from everyone, and getting stuck in the woods with her best friend for nine weeks that was just so appealing to her.

For a moment, no one talked. It was just Don McLean's voice echoing in the stereo and the sound of rustling trees and leaves.

The small second of silence was interrupted by the sound of a baby crying.

"Phoenix is crying," Diana called out, a deep sigh escaping her lips. "Again. Come on, kid. Time to grab her."

Niki smiled joyfully, even though she knew that her niece crying wasn't necessarily a great thing. It seemed like whenever she held the small girl, she instantly stopped crying. Her brother told her that she somehow had some sort of supernatural powers because Phoenix never stopped crying when she was with her own parents, but somehow magically stopped when she was around her aunt.

"It's gonna be a cry-fest when we drop her off." Diana sighed, watching as her husband's sister cradled the small baby in her arms as gently as possible as if she was to break any minute. "You really sure you need to go to this camp?"

Niki smiled down at Phoenix, watching in delight as the baby grabbed her pinky finger. She had stopped crying at this point. "I would love to stay with Nixie, but it's my last year as a camper. I can't miss this."

"Calling her Nixie makes her sound like a pussy." Diana argued, slightly jealous that her daughter was instantly put to rest by the fifteen-year-old girl. "Her name is Phoenix. Not Nixie. Where did you even get Nixie from, anyway?"

Niki wanted to argue with her sister-in-law. Why would it matter if calling her by the nickname made her sound like a coward? The baby was a year old: not like it really mattered.

And most of all— why would you name a child Phoenix? It made her sound like a cartoon character.

They pulled into a huge field, and from the backseat, Niki could already feel her heart beat faster from excitement when she sees the sign "Camp Nightwing,"

"We're here," Haruto concluded, turning the engine off. From the corner of her eyes, she could see a familiar mop of red hair standing next to a sign where she loved to take pictures at.

"I'll be back," Niki called out, opening the door and shutting it gently. Her pink dress shone underneath the sun, the ground was slightly muddy but she didn't mind. The girl ran over, a huge grin making its way onto her face as she stood in front of Ziggy.

"Hi, Ziggy." she smiled, turning around to greet her older sister. "Hi, Cindy! I love your polo."

Cindy, who seemed a bit stressed, smiled a bit.

"I'll take a picture of the three of you." Ziggy's mother called out, which surprised Niki a bit. She never saw Mrs. Berman, since she always seemed to be busy with her work. This was her first time seeing the woman.