Long Lost Fairy Tales

Chapter One: Australia

I walk down the shore of the Beach beside my best friend, Quinn. Her long, platinum blonde hair flows in the wind as we laugh and talk about our childhood.
Quinn is beautiful compared to me. She has tan skin and sparkling green eyes. My hair is short and chestnut and my face is covered in freckles. My eyes are deep brown.
Quinn says I'm pretty, but she has to say that. She's my best friend. Best friends have to say that kind of stuff about each other.
"Remember that time when we were four years old and you laughed so hard milk squirted out of your nose?" Quinn laughs. I smile, flashing back to the good old days.
I live on the coast of Australia with my Mom and Dad. I'm an only child, and I have a completely ordinary life beside the beach. It's great here. The sun is always shining (except for the night, of course), every day is summer, and there are plenty of animals and seashells and other sea stuff in this place.
I go to school at Starfish High, which is also beside the beach (hence the name). Quinn is super popular there. But, unlike most people, Quinn is popular because she's unique. She doesn't follow trends, she sets them. She doesn't bully others, she helps others. Instead of acting stuck - up about her amazing achievements, she helps others reach their goals and acts as a "role model".
That's why everybody loves her.
Me, on the other hand?
I'm just an ordinary teenager.
Yup. Ordinary.
The thing is, I'm actually not considered anyone really important at school. I'm just one of those people who get average grades and have an average amount of friends.
What really makes me stand out, though, is my love for reading.
When I read, I feel like I'm captured in another world; I get to escape from reality. I have my own personal little library in our basement of our house, and I choose a book every week to read. Then, a write in my reading journal about what I just read.
Lots of people think I'm dorky for being a reader. This is the only thing that I appreciate about myself though, so I'm not going to take my reading abilities for granted.
I check my watch. Four o'clock already! I have to get home in time to finish my homework.
"Quinn, I gotta go finish my homework," I tell her. She understands completely.
I run to my house, which actually is only a few minutes away from here, running distance. Like I said, our house is right beside the beach.
I feel kind of bad for just ditching Quinn down there, but she gets it, right? She won't get mad at me.

*****
I unlock the front door and step in our house. We have a very pretty house, it's fair - sized; not too big, not too small. "Mom? Dad?" I call out.
I can hear my parents' voices coming from the kitchen. They're sitting at the dinette, my mom's head in her hands. Both of them look stressed and sad, as if somebody just—
"Died," whispered Dad.
Tears roll down my mom's face.
"Wait," I say. "Who died? Is it someone we know?" I ask.
Mom just nods, without telling me who the person was. I still had many questions to ask. Who died? Were they murdered, or just really old? Or did they get into an accident?
I turn to Dad. "Who died?"
Dad takes a deep breath and a sip of his coffee. It's probably someone really important, I think to myself. Dad's hands were shaking, drips of coffee escaping the mug.
"An old friend of ours," he explained. "She was assassinated. No one knows who assassinated her, but everyone is worried."
"Which friend?"
It's Mom's turn to speak now; she stands up and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Quinn's mother."
My eyes widen. Quinn's mother? As in, my best friend's mother? I can't believe it. I was just with Quinn! How could her mom be killed in that little amount of time?
"No!" I yelp. "Why? What did her mother do to deserve this?"
Dad shrugs. He takes another long, deep, breath. "I can't really tell you. That's adult stuff," he says. Dad gently leads me out the kitchen.
"School is canceled tomorrow, by the way," Mom says. "You don't have to do your homework."
I nod, slightly happy that I could just go downstairs and read, but I need to find out more about what happened to Quinn's mom.
Dad closes the door to the kitchen and locks it. Great. Now I can never get in.
I head to the basement to my library, deciding to grab another book for the upcoming week to read. I just finished my other one two days ago.
The book shelf is full of books. The ones I've already read are in a pile next to the shelf. I skim the books with my finger, looking for a book involving mystery. Maybe, it'll help me find out, for some odd reason, who killed Quinn's mom and why.
I finally come across a thick black book called Solving It. I have a feeling about this one.
Opening it, I begin to read.
The moon shines bright in the night sky, as this quiet little town is at peace. Mia Mercer, an ordinary school girl, turns to her love gratefully...