Neighborhood Watch (ON HOLD)

Chapter One: The Beginning

Ms. Catzby was dead.

Mellie's mom, Karen Houff, was bringing over a Mexican casserole when she found her on the ground, lifeless and pale. She was still in shock. The police confirmed it was suicide, and Mellie knew why. The late Alice Catzby was a fortune teller. She had "predicted" her own death earlier in the month, and must have killed herself just to prove she wasn't a fraud. Yeah right. The whole town knew that her fortunes were as fake as her eyebrows.

Mellie rushed around the scene, trying to get a glimpse of the blue-faced old lady on the stretcher. Ms. Catzby was 86, an age where most died of heart attacks and natural causes, while she electrocuted herself. You could tell by her clenched hands. Her death was pointless, only trying to prove something. She can't prove it now, Mellie thought. Now that she's killed herself.

The cop cars soon drove off, and so did the ambulance, carrying the late Alice Catzby's body. The scene soon was less crowded, and gradually, 182 Oakford Lane was silent, as it had been. Mellie strolled into her house, not prepared for the sight she was about to see. Her mother was curled up into a little ball, while her father, attempting to sooth her, patted and massaged her shoulders. Karen Houff had a wide look of insanity in her eyes, as if she had seen a ghost. A dead old lady, to be precise. Her father, Matthew Houff, had stopped trying. He was pacing back and forth, pondering the situation. He was a successful business man, owner of Diamond Ring Jewelry, which raked in many millions a year. "I'm home!" Mellie called, and her father gave her a "not the time" look. She climbed up the stairs of her home to her bedroom, a cozy room in the back of the house.

She sat down and went on her Instagram. She saw many pictures of her friends having a great time back in her old town of Wincosta, Colorado. Without me, she thought bitterly. One that particularly annoyed her was a post that her old BFF Justine sent out, a selfie with her new best friend, Kyra Jenkins. In the caption were these words. "Having a great summer with my best friend! Miss you Mellie! NOT!"
The two-faced liar. Mellie didn't even take the time out of her miserable life to favorite it. She had a new friend anyways. Alex Rayn. The blonde-haired, olive-eyed, sarcastic twelve year old was supposed to come over at five. Mellie supposed that her parents wanted her to call it off, considering the fragile state her mom was in. Mellie closed Instagram and started to text Alex. "hey wondering if I could go 2 ur house. my mom is sick." Mellie knew it was a small lie. Her mom was a bit sick though, after what she saw earlier. She hit SEND. A reply soon popped up on Mellie's screen. "yeah sure. what time do u want?" Alex had texted. "i'm coming over now. see u in 15." Mellie replied. She gathered up her essentials for going to Alex's place: phone, swimsuit, towel. Mellie slid on flip-flops and thundered downstairs. "Where are you going?" Her dad questioned. "Alex's," she swiftly replied. "I thought she was coming over here," he said. "Change of plans. Since mom isn't well, I figured you wouldn't want anyone over," She stated. "Wh-" he started, but stopped quickly, not wanting to wait to help her mom, who was sleeping on the couch. He kissed her on the head. "See you later, Hazel," he said quickly, and swiftly went and attended to her mom. Hazel was a nickname she had gotten because of her eyes, which were obviously a striking hazel. Otherwise, the nickname wouldn't make sense. Her short caramel-colored hair couldn't of been the cause either because.....well..... It wasn't hazel. Mellie walked out the door, greeted by a cold breeze. Even in autumn, her town of Shadow Falls rarely got breezy. It was either very hot or very cold. Almost never right in the middle. Alex's house was five blocks away, so she had a little ways to walk. Mellie marched down Ruth Hill Avenue, and up onto Fourth Street. She strutted to 450 Talkis Street, where Alex lived.

Mellie rang the doorbell, and was greeted warmly by Mrs. Rayn. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies filled the house, and Mellie breathed in the warm scent. "Alex is upstairs. Would you like a cookie?" Mrs. Rayn grabbed a platter of frosted sugar cookies and put it into Mellie's eager hands. "Take them upstairs, will you?" Mellie nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Rayn," she said, wanting to get upstairs so she could dive into a cookie. "Oh, call me Michelle!" She told like she has said that to her a thousand times before. Mellie climbed the curling staircase upstairs, and took the first door on the right to Alex's room. She was lying on her bed, listening to most likely Justin Bieber with headphones on. When she saw Mellie, she stripped off her headphones and tackled her into a warm embrace. "You haven't seen me for a week!" Mellie laughed. "Don't tell me you miss me that much!" "A week is long enough!" Alex giggled. Like Alex, Mellie is twelve, and they seem to love the same things. "So, down to business, have you heard what happened to Ms. Catzby?" Alex questioned. "It's the talk of the town!" Mellie decided to tell her she hasn't heard, just to see how much the story has changed. After a while, Alex's story is finally over. "I don't think she committed suicide," Alex said. "I think she was murdered!" Mellie kept in a gasp. "Mu- mu- murder?" She stammered. Her hands got clammy. Even the thought of old, defenseless, Ms. Catzby being murdered freaked her out. "Yeah," Alex said, her voice coming down to a whisper. "My mom doesn't want me talking about it. But someone could've as easily killed the woman and made it look like suicide." "That's true," Mellie said, unsure. "But who would do that?" "I have no idea!" Alex exclaimed, her voice rising up. "It could've been anyone!" Mellie concluded. "I still think it was suicide, though." She said, as if trying to reassure herself that it really was suicide, and not just a murder conspiracy that Alex concocted. "Just think about it. Catzby predicted she would die. She did. She wouldn't kill herself to prove a point." Mellie thought about what Alex just said. "It could have been murder," a tiny voice in the back of Mellie's head said. No. Mellie silenced the voice. Suicide is the only thing that makes sense. "Not the only thing...." Mellie shut the possibility of murder out of her head. "Let's go swimming," she said. "I just want to get off the topic of murder." Ever since her brother Scott was killed, she couldn't stand to hear anything having to do with murder. "I'm ok with that," Alex chirped, not saying another word about Ms. Catzby. Mellie changed into her bathing suit, and raced downstairs and outside to Alex's pool. "It could've been murd-" but Mellie cut off the voice as she cannon-balled into the cold water.

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