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PROLOGUE: BLOOD STAINS & BITE MARKS ( trigger warning; explicit mentions of murder, blood and gore )
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RED AND BLUE LIGHTS glistened along the forest floor as thunder clouds loomed over La Push, crashing and roaring with relentless fervour. A river of red soaked the damp dirt beneath Maggie Sullivan's feet as she sat with her back pressed against a tree, faint cries slipping through the dark-haired girl's lips as she buried her face in her hands.
Trying desperately to erase the scene before her from memory.
But instead of finding solace in the darkness, Maggie was met with her mother's face. Pale cheeks, gaunt and drawn, void of their usual peony blush. Wide brown eyes, bright as ever yet fearful. Lips once stretched in a smile frozen in a stricken cry.
There was so much red everywhere. Painted along her mother's skin like a splattered canvas in an art class. A once cream carpet pouring blood like an overflowing glass. Maggie, no matter how hard she tried, would never forget the way her mother's blood decorated the living room of her childhood home as she lay motionless, terror coating her features from her last moments alive.
The sight was eerily similar to what Maggie had stumbled upon now. A boy no older than seventeen sprawled across the dirt path that Maggie walked down every morning and afternoon for school. The same transluscent skin, wide eyes full of terror and agony. The same pool of blood that stained everything it could reach.
"Miss." A police officer shook Maggie's shoulder, pity in his eyes as he stared down at the girl who was peeking up at him through her fingers. "Miss, is there someone I can call to pick you up? It's not safe for you to be out here."
His words barely registered in Maggie's brain as she peered over his shoulder at the body. There were other police officers crowded around him, blocking off the scene with bright yellow tape as the students of La Push High School who also walked that path stared at the scene in shock and sadness. But Maggie wasn't focusing on the officers or the students; her eyes were locked on the boy's face.
Carson's face.
A face that had smirked at her earlier that day during lunch as he stole food from her tray, Maggie smacking his arm in annoyance despite the grin she also wore.
This wasn't just any boy, this was her best friend.
Carson Burns; the boy who befriended the strange Maggie Sullivan back in elementary school, unphased as she spoke of monsters with crimson eyes and dead mothers. Carson Burns; the boy who defended Maggie against bullies, who was there during her first heartbreak with ice cream and a shoulder to cry on. Carson Burns; the boy who introduced Maggie to Hayden Calder, who quickly became the third part of their very own Golden Trio.
Carson was like a brother to Maggie, and now he was dead.
Just like her mother.
Dying the exact same death, right down to the bite marks on their necks.
"Miss, did you hear me?" the officer frowned, following her line of sight and stepping forward to block the terrible scene from view.
But much like her mother's death, Maggie was never going to forget it.
"Yeah," she choked out, finally allowing the officer to help her to her feet as she dried the tears from her face, moving around on shaky legs. "My aunt and uncle."
The moment Wren Sullivan-Ateara heard what happened, she was in her car speeding down the streets to get to her niece. She appeared on the scene with her husband hot on her heels, the worried couple searching for their youngest niece in a panicked daze. Everett Ateara noticed her first, pointing towards her as Wren breathed a sigh of relief, ducking under the police tape to bring Maggie into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, my love," Wren murmured, kissing Maggie's forehead as she sniffed, trying not to burst into sobs with so many strangers around them. Watching and whispering curiously. Her cries could wait for the safety of their home, where only Maggie's aunt, uncle and siblings would see her heartache. "It's okay, I'm here."
Everett exchanged words with the police officer who was looking out for Maggie, giving one last nod of gratitude before he approached his wife and niece. Everett wrapped an arm around them both, nudging them away from the forest to where their car was waiting. Away from the prying eyes, of the dead boy in a body bag.
Absently, Maggie heard Everett and Wren discussing police statements and the supposed animal attack Carson fell victim to as she clambered into the backseat, but all she could think about was what she was leaving behind.
Carson Burns.
Her mother.
Every bit of innocence she might've regained since her mother's passing.
Now, there was no going back. Through the ache in her chest, Maggie vowed to learn the truth. For Carson, for her mother, and for her own peace of mind.
If only she'd known.
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A/N: Welcome to Lotta Love! I know the prologue's a bit dark and we only just started Maggie's journey - one chapter in and Maggie's best friend is already dead, as is her mother - but the plot really begins after this so I thought it made sense to throw you guys in the deep end and start here. I'm so excited to share what I have planned for Lotta Love! I hope you end up loving the Scooby Doo loving, way too determined Maggie Sullivan as much as I do! And her and Paul 🥺 don't even get me started on them. But yeah, thank you for reading and I hope you continue supporting this story!
