The Misadventure of Alexander Hughes

THE GIRL THAT DIED IN REDWOOD ACADEMY: CHAPTER 4

I rested my elbow on the table and rubbed my temples, who is that girl exactly?

I crossed my arms, looking at Damien's laptop that I borrowed on the table. Danielle Ludwig. I lean forward and resume typing, I've read every 1996 articles but there were not related to Danielle. If not in articles, maybe it was somewhere. I switch my tab to a old local news and went to the 1996, I scrolled and a the title made me halt from scrolling.

DANIELLE LUDWIG—7 year old kid commit suicide at Red Wood Academy.

November 5,1996--A body of 7 year old girl found hanging in the Red Wood Academy and was later identified as one of the student of the school named Danielle Ludwig. Her body was found in room 103, one of the classroom of Red Wood Academy. The horrifying discovery was witness by a teacher around 6:00 pm in the afternoon as she went back to the classroom from a teachers meeting.

"I was sure that every students went home at 4:00 pm" said by Miss McFinley, Danielle's teacher.

I scrolled and read more of the passage of an old news.

The teacher called the parents but shockingly, it couldn't be contact anymore. There were no relatives that claimed Danielle's corpse on that day. Classmates and teachers mourned after they knew that a student from their academy was lost. Sadly, Danielle has no friends. After the incident, the facility stated that they like to help those students in need.

I laid my back against the chair. Danielle must be facing something and didn't try to reach for help. There was no statement why she killed herself but what makes me question is that why the parents couldn't be contacted anymore?

I shoved my hand on my pocket and I realize I don't have a phone with me. I grabbed a piece of paper and pen and scribbles on it. I don't have experience in solving cases, I even don't have the experience to play detective games on the internet when I was child. Searching and trying to find who is that girl makes me feel that I'm a detective and with this few hints, I can help Damien.

Miss McFinley

Room 103

November 5, 1996

"Could you find on that on the library? Or some employees record or something?" I asked Damien as he is reading the paper that I scribbled on earlier on his hand. Damine heaved a sigh.

"It would be too much wo—"

"But you want to find who is exactly Danielle, right Damien?" I asked, cutting his sentence off. He nodded and shoved the paper on his pocket. "Yeah"

"I know it would be too much work but we can who is exactly Danielle" Damien smirked at me, entertained. Raising my eyebrows, I shot him a confused look. "What?"

"With this hints that I never thought before, you have the detective side. Thanks, shithead" I let out a laugh of his remark and shook my head, disagreeing.

"No, I don't have that side"

"Oh yeah? Do you love reading detective books or.. "

"Or?" I asked, curiously.

"or you are a detective yourself" he said with amusing tone on his sentence. When he mentioned detective books, I remember my former girlfriend. She always like to let me read mystery books and wanting me to try it because I'm way immersive on romance books.

"You should read this. This book is intriguing and makes you flip the pages" She likes to read mystery books and don't quite like romance, thinking that all romance plot books are the same. she told me that she wrote stories in an online writing community where users can be writers and readers. I was happy that she wrote her stories and I supported her not until... she found someone else. I was busy on my school works and don't have quiet time for her. I was replaced by a writer. A famous online writer on the community, she is happy and I want her to be happy.

"Was a detective question sensitive?" I looked at Damien, guilt wash over his face. A tear drop on my pants and consecutively drop as I noticed it.

"What? No. It is sure nice if I'm a detective myself" I said, trying to be amusing on my sentence whilst wiping my tears off. "Don't give me that look, Damien. It's fine, just had a thought"

"It's okay if you cant help me, finding who is—"

"I'll help, okay? Just had a thought about something that I.. " I stopped midway, sighing. "something that I lose"

Damien cross his legs, looking at me. "Girlfriend?"

I shot him a look, "I think you must be the detective here, Damien and not me. I didn't even mention who was it but you knew it." Damien shook his head, crossing his arms.

"You're wrong, I'm not. I just guess it because that's what do people mourned about like a break up with someone they love like.. the fuck?" Damien said with a laugh. "Or I guess I can easily say that because I haven't had a girlfriend before"

"You haven't?" I repeatedly asked. Damien nodded, "But I already had sex with girls. Like different girls on the campus. Hot, sexy, cute? Name it" My eyes widened in surprise, I never thought Damien would do that. Not to sound gay as it seems but looking at Damien, he is pretty much attractive.

"Lot of girls keep inviting me to their parties and I ended up having sex with them but.. I eventually tired of it. Sex is cool but I want to have a serious relationship with someone buttttt" he prolonged.

"its also tiring to be in a serious relationship" I let out a disbelief laugh, "really?"

Damien rolled his eyes and shook his head, "We are not in our topic, shithead. So this is the hints?" he said, not wanting another conversation. I nodded. He looked at his watch, "I'm late. Gotta go"