“Mom, Dad, I’m home!” Charlotte called to the seemingly empty house as she set down her beach bag, phone, and sunglasses. Charlotte kicked off her sandy flip flops on the grass before shutting the door behind her. 

“Hey honey!” her mom called to Charlotte, “We’re on the back porch!”

Charlotte observed her mom, dad, and sister playing a competitive game of Uno as she sat next to Isabelle on the porch swing. Charlotte could smell the sea and felt the wonderful breeze of summer flutter across the porch through the open windows. She couldn’t ask for anything more, as her home truly feels like home. 

Charlotte’s mom set down her glass of wine and smiled at her first born daughter, “Let me guess,” she pondered, shielding her eyes from one of the final rays of golden sunshine, “Here to grab a water gun?”

“How’d you know!” Charlotte gasped, standing up from her spot on the porch swing. As Charlotte rummaged through her box of water guns behind the porch swing, she noticed one of the four water guns was missing. She shrugged it off and assumed Isabelle left at the tennis courts, but a sense of unease lingered.  

“I always know.” Charlotte’s mom sighed as she took a drink of her wine.

Before leaving through the porch door, Charlotte stifled a laugh as she watched her dad place down a plus four card and stick out his tongue to Isabelle, “Sweetie, remember to be careful with Emery during the Senior Class Challenge. Always call or text if you need anything.” 

“Of course,” Charlotte promised, “Emery and I have scheduled out the night to ensure there are no distractions or hazards in our way.” Charlotte knew winning the Senior Class Challenge would come with a price: dedication and patience.

Isabelle turned to face her sister and clapped her hands on her face, “You are so lucky, sis, I wish I could spend a night on the beach with my friends while completing exhilarating dares!” She giggled.

“Don’t worry Izzie, you’re only 10! Before you know it, you’ll be a teenager and can spend all night at the festival with your friends.” Charlotte answered, squeezing her sister in a hug to give her hope. As she hugged her sister, Charlotte couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to change. But she would always know to keep her little sister safe and sound. 

“Thank you, sis.” Isabelle smiled.

“Love you!” 

CHARLOTTE WILSON

7/15/24

NOTES APP-ENTRY 1

I can’t find Emery.

 I decided to write here to express my thoughts in an organized manner. When Emery and I attempted to scare Bode Cross, he surprised us with his water gun and sprinted after us. This occurred at around sunset (8:30 p.m). Laughing, Emery and I took separate turns while running through the neighborhood and lost sight of each other. Once I lost sight of Bode, I jogged back to the beach, expecting Emery to be waiting for me. But she was nowhere to be found. 

At first I thought Emery was still hiding from Bode or running through the neighborhood again, so I dialed her number. But the call went straight to voicemail. 

Hopefully Bode knows where she is? 

Maybe I’m overreacting and maybe I’m delusional, but I don’t have a good feeling about this. Something isn’t right. The loving, responsible, and organized Emery never disappeared like this. Emery always checks on me when I hint at a feeling of sadness or unease. Why haven’t I checked in with her this past week? Is this my fault? The music is too loud, my heart is racing, and I can’t find my best friend.

“Hey Bode, do you know where Emery went?” 

Bode Cross was tall and lean with tousled brown hair. Back at Tabor Academy, Bode and Charlotte went on long runs together during the fall cross country season. Acknowledging the alarmed look on Charlotte’s face when she asked about Emery’s disappearance, Bode stepped closer. 

Bode rocked back and forth from his heels to his toes, “I’m sorry Charlotte, but I haven't seen Emery since she went down that driveway.” 

“Do you know which driveway?” Charlotte asked.

“Holdup,” Bode said as he motioned toward his phone, “I took a video for the dare.”

This changed things. 

“What’s up guys, for my third dare I am going to be shooting Charlotte and Emery with a water gun. Here they come now- Watch this.” Bode exclaimed in the video. Charlotte giggled as Bode ran his arm behind his neck in embarrassment. Charlotte mentally noted that the video was recorded at 8:26 p.m. As the video continued, Charlotte couldn’t see anything that could determine the location and only heard laughs and screams. She blamed this on the filming job of Bode. In the final seconds of the video, the phone camera viewed Emery and Charlotte running down the street; Charlotte sprinting left toward the beach, Emery darting right into a driveway.

The video ended. 

Wait, what?

“Bode, can you pause the video on the last frame?” Charlotte’s eyes narrowed on the screen as Bode followed her instructions.

“I swear that is my buddy Jackson Strandberg’s driveway. If you want a better chance of finding Emery, you should talk to his parents and ask if they’ve seen her.” Bode was being a true detective at the moment; maybe Charlotte could ask Bode to help her? 

“Thank you so much Bode, and um . . . do you want to come with me?” Phew. Why was that so hard?

Bode held out his hand to shake Charlotte’s, “Detectives?” he asked.

“Detectives.” Charlotte reassured. 

“How nice to see you, Bode! And you too Charlotte! If you two are looking for Jackson he’s at the beach of course.” Mrs. Strandberg exclaimed as she opened the door to her home.

“Good evening! We’re sorry to bother you, but we were wondering if you’ve seen Emery Wilson? Blonde hair, five and a half feet tall, wearing an oversized tee shirt . . .” Charlotte explained.

“If she was the girl who was crouched behind my blue hydrangea bush half an hour ago, then yes. I assumed she was completing a dare for the Senior Class Challenge.” Mrs. Strandberg looked at Charlotte with sincerity.

Emery.

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH MRS. STRANDBERG

Charlotte: Good evening, Mrs. Strandberg, I hope you are doing well. Bode Cross and I, Charlotte Wilson, are here to ask you a few questions regarding the disappearance of Emery Wilson.

Mrs. Strandberg: Thank you, ask away.

Charlotte: Before we begin, can you please tell me how you know Emery?

Mrs. Strandberg: Emery and my son Jackson are good friends, so she’s been over at my house a few times already this summer. I know she’s a very sweet and responsible young woman; we’ve chatted a few times on walks at the beach! 

Bode: I completely agree with you. Can you tell us what you heard and saw on the night of July 15, 2024?

Mrs. Strandberg: Of course. At around 8:30 p.m I heard rustling in the bushes in my backyard because I keep all the windows open on hot July nights throughout the summer. I got up from my seat in the living room and looked outside my kitchen window to catch a glimpse of a young blonde woman crouched behind my blue hydrangea bush. I could tell she was catching her breath. I assumed she was playing the Senior Class Challenge so I smiled and went back to reading a book with my husband in the living room. But 2 minutes later I heard a scream. 

Charlotte: A scream?

Mrs. Strandberg: Yes. It was so sudden and eerie, like something out of a nightmare. Yet, the scream was distant. Our home is only a one minute walk to the beach, so maybe Emery’s there? I hope this helps and I hope you find her soon. Also, feel free to take a peek in my backyard to see if Emery left behind anything; like a hair tie or her phone. 

Charlotte: Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. 

The cool night air and the rustling of leaves made every shadow seem more menacing as they searched. Charlotte felt a sudden chill, as if someone was watching her. She shook off the feeling, but couldn’t shake the sense that something was very wrong. While Bode searched the backyard, Charlotte pretended to trace Emery’s steps from where she ran into the driveway of Mrs. Strandberg’s home to where she was crouching behind the blue hydrangea. Charlotte’s heart raced as she spotted something glinting in the darkness beside the blue hydrangea.

“Bode,” she called, “I think I found something.”

Suddenly, the phone lit up and a text message from an unknown number appeared on the screen. Charlotte unlocked Emery’s phone, eyes skipping across the messages. 

Words escaped from Charlotte. 

Charlotte Wilson

7/15/24

Notes App-Log 2

Bode and I figured questions and answers would be the most efficient way to organize the information we have collected regarding Emery’s disappearance. 

Where was Emery last seen: Crouched behind the blue hydrangea bush in Mrs. Strandberg’s backyard located on 15 Highland Avenue, Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. Emery was previously running away from Bode Cross with Charlotte Wilson, as he was attempting to shoot the duo with a water gun for the Senior Class Challenge. 

Who was Emery last seen by?:  At around 8:30 p.m, Mrs. Strandberg saw Emery crouched behind her blue hydrangea bush through the kitchen window into her backyard. 2 minutes later she heard a distant scream. 

Any pieces of evidence?: Charlotte and Bode found Emery’s phone beside Mrs. Strandberg’s blue hydrangea bush. There was a string of text messages between an Unknown number and Emery. 

Has Emery been acting differently recently?: According to Charlotte, Emery was her positive and high-spirited self on July 15, 2024. Emery never mentioned the threatening text messages she had been receiving to Charlotte.

Bode and I can conclude that Emery disappeared due to Unknown, reflecting on the text messages. Next stop: The beach.

Why was the beach frightening at night? 

It seems as if the beach has different personalities in the dead of night. Rather than the teal blue waves washing along the pristine shore, the seemingly bottomless waves chase your toes. The moonlight guided Charlotte as she intentionally followed Bode’s footsteps in the sand; Charlotte felt as if she was walking down the stairs into her pitch black basement when she was a child. 

Was someone watching her? 

“Bode …” Charlotte whispered as she reached out to grab his arm, but someone suddenly jumped onto Charlotte’s back.

The next moment was a blur. 

Emery?

“Emery, you have got to be kidding me.”

“I thought it would be fun to try and get you and Bode together!” 

As Charlotte breathed in the fresh air that was replete with the smell of salt, the sea song of the waves soothed the best friends. Emery continued walking along the beach and motioned for Charlotte to follow, “Char, I know you were determined to win the Senior Class Challenge with me this year, but I really wanted to make this summer about opportunities and cherishable moments rather than a competitive game.” Emery began to tear up and squeezed Charlotte’s hand. “I was chatting with Ellie Strandberg yesterday about our last summer here in Mattapoisett before college, and we planned an investigation for you and Bode to solve.”

“You two planned this all out to get Bode and I together?” Charlotte gasped, “What explains the threatening text messages and Mrs. Strandberg hearing a scream?”

“Well . . . Those details were kind of over the top, but I just named Ellie 'Unknown’ on my phone and I persuaded Mrs. Strandberg to help me out by making her my world famous chocolate chip cookies.” she giggled. “Mrs. Strandberg always thought you two were cute together anyway.”

Charlotte took a deep breath and embraced her best friend, “Thank you Emery, I love you. Wait, who won the Senior Class Challenge?”

“No one, yet.” Emery smiled with a twinkle in her eye.