The Murder At Midnight

Chapter 1: The News

Lyvia woke up feeling refreshed on a typical Saturday morning. Although her sleep had been slightly interrupted due to catching up with a friend who had moved to Italy, she still managed to get a good night's rest. As she made her way to the dining table, she was greeted with a simple yet satisfying breakfast of cheerios, fresh orange juice, and a side of sliced strawberries. It was a relief for her that she didn't have much homework to do, except for some Math, which she planned to tackle later in the day.

As she finished her breakfast, the sun began to shine through the window, she hopped down from her chair, which made a weird cracking noise. It was a bit of a surprise since the chair had been sturdy enough until now. But then she remembered that it was old, probably even older than she was, given that they were living in her grandma's old house. The chairs were already half-broken, and the new ones they ordered hadn't arrived yet. She hoped they would soon though, as that noise did not sound good one bit. She didn't want to risk falling and hurting herself, not when she had a long day ahead of her.

Lyvia's parents had decided to treat their children to a fun day out at the local park. The youngest among them, Amelia, who was 5, had been eagerly looking forward to the trip for a whole week, and Lyvia knew her parents would insist that her brother come along too, despite his probable reluctance. The park was a favourite destination for Amelia, who had a group of friends that she would always meet up with there. Lyvia was usually roped into playing games of 'princesses' or 'tea parties' with the younger girls, but she didn't mind too much. After all, they were just children, and Lyvia wasn't too far removed from her childhood at the age of 13, which was technically the early stages of her teenage years. 

As the middle child, she often heard people say that her life must be crazy. But the truth was that her parents loved her and her siblings equally. However, her older brother Alex was a different story. He was always causing trouble and disobeying their parents. Despite their efforts to discipline him, he continued to think he could get what he wanted whenever he wanted it. As a result, it was clear that her parents didn't despise Alex, but they certainly found his behaviour difficult to tolerate. In contrast, she felt lucky to be the middle child and grateful for the love and attention her parents showed her and her siblings. 

Lyvia loved spending time with her best friend, Charlotte. They had fun together, studying, hanging out and talking about their favourite things. However, Charlotte's experience at home was not always as pleasant. She had many siblings, and while the younger ones were cute, they could also be very annoying. Charlotte's older siblings were not much better, as they often teased and bullied her and her younger siblings without any apparent reason.

Despite this, Lyvia always looked forward to visiting her home. With Lyvia around, her older siblings seemed to behave better and were less likely to pick on Charlotte and her siblings. This made Charlotte feel more comfortable and happy to have her friend around. 

Lyvia walked over to the sink to set down her plate, and then quickly made her way to the sofa where her father was sitting, drinking his coffee and reading the daily newspaper. Her sister was playing with her Barbie dolls on the carpet, creating a little fantasy world of her own, while her brother was seated at the dining table, scrolling on his phone as he always did.

"Good morning, Lyv!" her father said with a smile as she approached him. "Good morning!" Lyvia responded cheerfully, taking a seat next to him and picking up the TV remote. "Can I turn on the telly?" she asked, hoping to catch up on the latest news. Her father sighed and asked, "Watcha gonna watch?" Lyvia shrugged her shoulders and replied, "The News?" Her father nodded in agreement, "Go ahead then," he said, returning to his newspaper.

Lyvia sat down on her couch and reached for the remote, turning on the TV. As the screen flickered to life, a woman wearing a black suit appeared on the screen, and an image of a house with police tape all over it showed up. Lyvia's interest was piqued as the lady began to speak. The woman revealed that the police were involved in a recent incident and Lyvia listened intently. "Yesterday morning, at exactly 3:50 am, Ms Angelica Smith was found in her kitchen, murdered, with a stab wound. Someone had called the police after they heard screams coming from inside her house. Unfortunately, neither the police nor the ambulance arrived in time to catch the murderer or save her life. The murderer is still at large, and many believe they are still lurking around here somewhere. Therefore, it is important to stay safe and lock all doors and windows at night. The police are actively working on the case, so there's no need to worry. That's all for the daily news," the woman said before the screen went black. Chills went down Lyvia's spine. A murderer? In their town?

Suddenly she heard a loud gasp from her sister who was still sitting on the carpet across from them. She looked over to see her sister staring at the TV screen with a horrified expression on her face. Lyvia quickly realized that she should have turned off the TV sooner, as what was being shown on the screen was too disturbing for her sister.

As she fumbled with the remote, trying to turn off the TV, she heard Amelia burst into tears. Lyvia looked at her sister, whose eyes were now wide with fear. "DADDY! A BAD MAN is COMING FOR US!," Amelia wailed, running towards their father. Her dad chuckled but there was a hint of concern in his voice, "It's okay Amelia, the police will find him" he said, nervously laughing it off.

Lyvia felt bad for not turning off the TV sooner and causing her father to react the way he did. She walked over to Amelia and her father, hoping to calm her sister down. "It's okay Amelia, it's all fake!" she said. As she examined her sister's face, she saw that it was more relieved and happy. She reassured Amelia that it was just a fake case, and there wasn't anybody bad.

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