What makes you think I know?! If I knew what was killing off my guests, would I continue on as if nothing happened?! Murder is not the best thing to draw in costomers, you know. Oops. Ahem *Coughs* What? I -no, uh- of course I didn't say anything about murder....*Laughs awkwardly*

OH, COME ON! i just want a vacation, and somebody gets MURDERED and i have to WORK on my VACATION. grrrrr... anyway, @micearenice, i agree with your assumptions. Also, the murderer is very good at not leaving any evidence... Kyt, in the next post, could you have me and Lydia investigate both of the crime scenes?

Cassy is a fine name for an ostrich! I have an AE named Cassia myself (Goes by Cass)! Only in my other life, of course, when I'm not Kyt :3

I'm also only conveying to everyone what is happening at my resort while you are residing there. But if your in-story self feels the need to go investigating with Lydia, Catsclaw, then I must write it in. No promises, however. 

Yep, I'm Vyolette. Allie correctly guessed me on the second page, I believe. And I only posted once with the Kyt/Vyolette, so that's probably why you didn't see. I will post soon! At the moment (and for the past few days) I have been procrastinating because I was sick, but I will get the next part out no later than Thursday.

Day Two, Part Two (January 1'st, 2017)

A pine branch smacked Watchgirl in the face, startling her out of her flummoxed thoughts.

“Ouch.”

“Whoops, sorry,” Kyt said, turning around and facing her. “You might want to keep a few steps behind me so you don't get bushwhacked again. This trail is more overgrown than I remember.”

“Right,” Watchgirl said, taking slower paces and letting Kyt gain a few more feet in the trail before moving onward. She held back the branch for Allie, then walked on, letting her thoughts take over once more.

Because Elementgirl had family beyond her life in the Chatterbox, her body had been shipped back to her home in a wooden box with a short but sincere note from Kyt explaining what had happened. That is, why she had died on her vacation.

Anna was severely distraught. She had been one of the CBers and AEs of the group that had gone off to bury Sorrel. After she had returned from that teary, miserable place, she found a crowd gathered around her now-dead CBer. Almost inches away from where she had found Sorrel last night.

Kyt's reaction had been one of the most startling. “SHE WHAT!?!” she had shouted as a pale Leeli approached to give her the news. Her gaze swept over EG's body once, then she had turned and began to pace, muttering a sentence that only those near her heard. That of, “Not again. Not AGAIN. And just when things were looking up...” She had stopped when she noticed people watching her.

After they had paid their respects to poor Elementgirl, Kyt gathered told them, “I know we were planning on hiking after lunch, but what if we made it pack lunch and left right now?”

So that's what they were doing. Hiking, somberly, no one talking.

What had she meant by that? “Just when things were looking up”?, wondered Watchgirl. From the hard-set face of Micearenice to her left, she guessed that she must be thinking the same thing.

Micearenice saw her looking and smiled.

“Are you speculating, too?” she questioned. “Or just kinda still processing it all?”

Watchgirl thought for a moment, then said, “A little of both, maybe.”
Micearenice nodded. Then she seemed to debate with herself before moving close to Watchgirl and adding, “Sorrel dying was no accident.”

“I know. So does everyone else, I think.”

“Then why does no one want to admit it aloud?”

Watchgirl shrugged. “You're not exactly admitting it aloud either.”

Now Micearenice stepped back little, allowing the Chatterboxers that were near them to hear what she was saying.

“Sorrel was killed. And I'm...I'm thinking that Elementgirl might've been too.”

“But it was just a broken wire that she touched, wasn't it?” Allie said.

“Yeah, that what killed her. But maybe it wasn't just a broken wire that had gotten bumped or jostled and broken. Maybe someone broke it on purpose so that it would kill the person who touched it?”

For several minutes everyone hiked on in silence.

Then, shaking her head, Anna said, “Why would anyone want to kill someone?”

“I don't know. I really don't know.”

~~~
And so they hiked on. Even though the foliage was very thick, the scenery that they could see was also very stunning.

A fallen tree, covered in fluffy green moss, arched over the dip of a cascading waterfall. The water swirled in a spiral before exiting the small whirlpool and into a shallow creek. Smooth stones gleamed beneath the surface of the water. Slung across a feathery weeping willow was a rope swing, browned with age but still usable. Shadows flitted in and out of the canopy above and the lush ferns covering the bank and beyond gave the impression that no one had set foot there in a long time.

“This looks like a good place for lunch, don't you think?” Kyt asked, looking at them.

Reganam and Brian racing to be the first to use the rope swing answered her question.

“This is such a beautiful place,” Winterbranch whispered, stepping waist deep into the ferns.

The CAPTCHAs hid in the forest of ferns, running out and squawking, barking, or squeaking at the unsuspecting Chatterboxer.

Kyt snapped her fingers and produced and large quilt out of thin air, and, using the help of Legendria, Wren and Kate-the-Great, they spread the blanket over the ferns. Everyone collapsed on top of it, laughing as the air pocketed beneath the ferns billowed out from the blanket.

They all pulled out their pack lunches, digging around and discovering a lunch of tuna sandwiches (with the option of peanut butter for those opposed), clusters of grapes and apple juice.

Kate-the-Great drank her lemonade instead, and afterwards, after they had all laid back on the blanket with sighs of contentment exiting their lips, shared her perfectly warm, everlasting cinnamon roll as dessert.

Then they all broke off into groups, some heading down to the riverbank to dip their feet in, some playing on the rope swing, others climbing the massive willow. The CAPTCHAs went back to their running through the ferns.

Kyt sighed and lay back down on the blanket, glad that they were enjoying themselves for at least once on their vacation. After all, it was supposed to be relaxing. What was relaxing about people getting killed?!

When they all finally decided that it was time to pack up and leave that wonderful place, Catsclaw pulled Lydia to the side.

“What say you and me do some investigating at the crime scenes when we get back? I agree with Micearenice. Both of those girls getting killed was not an accident,” said Catsclaw.
“Sounds like a plan,” Lydia agreed. “But the bodies have already been taken away, so we can't exactly go investigate those.”

“True. And this...this murderer is good at not leaving any evidence. But still.” he moved to go join the rest of the group, who had started the trek back.

“Catsclaw,” Lydia said. “what is it that you hope to find exactly?”

“Do I need a reason? It's a crime scene! Someone has to investigate!”

~~~
When they arrived back at the cabin, everyone was warm, tired and hungry from all their exercise.

“Just throw your packs in a pile over there,” Kyt told them, motioning to a corner of the eating area. “You'll probably use them again later on.”

They all made their way over to the eating area to deposit their backpacks and also saw that some food had been laid out on one of the tables.

“Well, I see that Rueben has been busy,” Kyt said.

"Rueben's the one who makes all the food?” Evergreen asked.

“Yep. He has some surprising talents about him.”

As they all surrounded the table and succumbed to the granola bars, water bottles and trail mix, Aspen said, “I know you said that he's not one for parties, but how come we never see him. Like, NEVER. He's...a ghost.”

“Well, I did say that he's not very sociable and he may be a bit of a hermit,” Kyt told her, sitting down at the table and taking a swig of water. “Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, you're the first visitors we've had in a while. It'll take him a little bit to get used to you all.”    

Aspen nodded, but the answer still seemed unsatisfactory to her.

The blinding sun moved out from where it had been hiding behind a cloud, and the group
scattered, wanting to seek shade. Most went over and sat on the blanket of pine needles that the large pine tree offered, but Micearenice, camera in hand, took the opportunity to go find this “exquisite beach waterfront”, as the invitation had described.

The murderer also took advantage of this opportunity, and stealt silently behind her.
Micearenice found the trail to the waterfront near the edge of the cabins, where there was a a tree marked with a wooden sign that depicted a lake. The trail wound through the woods and ended at a cliff dropping off about 30 or so feet, shaded by wispy trees. Wooden stairs led down from the cliffside and onto the beach.

The scene was perfect, with the crystal clear water reflecting off the late afternoon sun, silhouetted by a lone loon crooning out it's mournful song. Micearenice heard someone approach behind her as she held up her camera to snap a photo. Not turning around to greet her follower, she sighed and said, “It's so, so serene, isn't it?”

Behind her, the person did not respond.

The sinewy trees overhead danced in the wind, whispering about danger, to run.

The murderer's foot shot out, deftly kicking Micearenice in the knees -oh so softly, so that she might think that her own legs had given way- and making her loose her balance. Just at last minute, before a scream ever left her mouth, Legendria's hand reached out and grasped Micearenice's and pulled her up.

Micearenice took a shaky breath, and said, “Whoa.”

“Sorry I couldn't get you in time. I have no reflexes,” lied the murderer.

“Good thing I showed up, then. They should really put up a fence or something,” Legendria said. “That was close.”

Inwardly kicking oneself for not finishing the job, the murderer feigned relief and said, “Yes. A close one.”

~~~
Catsclaw sat next to Lydia on the picnic tables, eating their snack.

“Are we doing it now?” Lydia whispered to him.

“Why not?” He slid out from the table and began scrutinizing not-so- unsuspiciously at the section of lawn where Sorrel had been killed.

“One specific thing we have to find: The murder weapon. The one that killed Sorrel, at least, because we already know that EG was electrocuted with the lights over there.” He gestured to where half of the decorations were in a pile on the table nearest and now the ones that had caused Elementgirl's death were still strung up.

Lydia shivered. “You don't think that either Kyt or Rueben just washed off the stick to roast with again?”

“Yuck, no! They probably tossed it somewhere. Did you see anything when Kyt moved her body?” Catsclaw asked.

“I was already in my cabin by then,” Lydia told him.

“Yeah,” said Catsclaw, turning and kneeling on  the ground and searching through the bushes. “I was too. And I'm not seeing anything that screams “Murder Weapon” down here. Wait. Unless you count these electrical gloves? And lookey what's shoved in the fingertip? Wire cutters.”

“Why would they be just laying there?” Lydia wondered.

“To hide from everyone else!” Catsclaw told her. “So this murderer chucks these here in all the commotion when Elementgirl died, planning to stash them away somewhere else when they're alone. This is a breakthrough! This is proof! You don't just put on electrical gloves and cut a hot wire on accident! No, this means murder by sabotage and I'm almost completely sure of it.”

Whoooo that was scary! But I think this means I'm not the murderer...and I'm also pretty sure Legendria can be marked off the list as well.

My suspect list: Leeli, Evergreen, and Watchgirl.

I also think that maybe Reuben is an actual ghost. And Kyt keeps mentioning a 'last time', too. I bet you there have been CBers here before.

By the way, that waterfall seems like a really beautiful place. I want to go there in real life now :P

I can't wait to read more!!!