And at last, the first part has been written! I hope you enjoy. I would like to note this ski lodge is more loosely based on the book And Then There Were None, and every detail will not be the same, however I am pulling inspiration from the book. Also, I love and encourage feedback and/or guessing my identity XD. I really hope you like this part, enjoy! <3

~~~

Chapter One—Day One 

As ten black cars enter the drive, following each other between two large, black rod iron gates, the faces of the new Narracott Estate guests peer out of their windows at the large lake house and the pristine lake just beside it. Morning sits in her cab, book in her lap, looking out serenely at the forest on the property edge as her car pulls in first, leading the caravan. Behind Morning’s car, Jaybells sits excitedly in her cab, bouncing in the seat as she takes in the views around her. A warmth spreads through her body, a combination of joy and the temperature regulation on the estate. Gallium and NerdFace battle with their Alter Egos as they bounce around in the small cab of their car, letting out exasperated sighs as each car comes into park. Luna-Starr smiles warmly at the sights, their mind focused on the architecture of the lake house. They admire the window’s iron balconies, waiting for the moment they can stand out on one in the crisp morning air and breathe in the nature. Shining Star and Wren, each in their respective cars of course, speak with their drivers politely, asking questions about the estate and their jobs. Darkling brushes their uneven hair out of their face as their eyes linger on the crystal blue lake and take in the beauty of the shore. Pancake and her AEs are napping in the backseats of the car as their driver goes over the speed bump right inside the gates. Dream startles awake first, watching as the others wake and look out the windows like a child in the ice cream store. Finally, Kitten’s car leads up the end of the caravan. Her car parks and she opens the door slowly. They step out into the fresh air, listening to the sound of crushed gravel beneath their feet. 

As the newcomers got out of their cars for the first time in four hours, the Narracott drivers made their way to the trunks of their corresponding car. They began to pull out the assorted bags and suitcases of varying sizes and make their way into the lakehouse and up to the bed chambers. Once all the drivers are gone, the CBers, Alter Egos, and CAPTCHA alike walk towards the entrance. For a moment, no one wants to open the door, either in fear, in politeness, or in sheer shock that they’re actually here. It’s no worry, however, because the door creaks open, brandishing the house’s gorgeous interior. Dallas leads the way into the casual sitting room as various ooh’s and ah’s echo through the sun-lit room. Wildfire makes faer way to a comfy looking king’s chair, while Nightmare and Dream observe the rustic-looking fireplace, seemingly out of place in this otherwise modern home.

Everyone’s joy cannot last for long, however, because Callisto stumbles across a sheet of paper taped to the back of the bright-red door. Callisto picks it up inquisitively and skims it before approaching the others.

“Um, guys?” Aer says nervously.

“What is it?” Gallium questions, pulling her lips into a frown of concern.

“Well, this was taped to the back of the door, and I’m afraid it’s not really good news.”

“Go on, read it.” Jaybells says.

“Dear CBers and Companions,

I regret to inform you that I, as well as my staff are unable to attend the estate at this time. Feel free to stay for the duration of the two weeks promised to you. The house is yours. Again, deepest apologies for the sudden development. I hope you’ll forgive me.

Signed,

E. Narracott.”

“Look on the bright side, FREE HOUSE!” Dallas exclaims after a moment of silence. He jumps up and down as he says it, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

“Ignore him.” Stella says, settling Dallas. “Maybe we should speak to the drivers and see what they think? Personally, I would love to stay. Maybe we can ask us to help them to navigate the house too?”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea if the drivers were still here. However, it appears they’ve abandoned us.” Luna-Starr replies as they watch the cars leave and shut the iron gates behind them, their face void of emotion.

“You’re kidding.” Star says, rolling her eyes.” It almost seems like they wanted to abandon us on purpose.”

“Maybe you’re right, though.” Darkling glances out the window, contemplating what Star said. “It seems like a set-up.”

“Well, whatever it is, I’m with the hyper kid.” Pancake says. “We should stay. Free house and all, might as well put it to good use.”

“Excuse me, my name is Dallas and I’m not just ‘the hyper kid.’ I happen to be the greatest—”

Nerd slaps a hand over his mouth, sharing a sideways glance with Morning.

“Sorry about Dallas. He will be shutting up now.” She says, embarrassed. “For the other matter, don’t we kind of have to, you know, stay here? There’s not really a way off the property unless we want to walk a bunch of miles.”

Kitten shakes their head in agreement. “Maybe we can call someone? Anyone have a phone on them?”

“I do,” Morning responds, pulling it out. “I don’t know many phone numbers. I can call Abcde, though, and see if she can send someone.”

“Did I hear—” Dallas begins before Nerd shuttles him into the formal dining room with Halcyon, Gallium’s fox, before shutting the big wooden farm doors behind her, shuffling back to the others.

“Go for it—but I don't think you’ll be able to make the call. There’s no cell towers out here.” Luna-Starr says, their head still turned out the window, captivated by something on the other side of the glass.

“Luna’s right, no service.” Jaybells frowns, peering over Morning’s disappointed shoulder.

“Let’s stay then and figure out what to do over dinner; we want to explore.” Dream and Nightmare say in unison.

“Yes. Let’s.” Wildfire agrees, nodding fiercely.

“How about this,” Star begins. “Alter Egos and the CAPTCHA go exploring, and the CBers meet in the kitchen to make a plan for tonight. Sound good?”

Most shake their head or verbally agree with Shining Star’s plan. The groups begin to split off when suddenly, Darkling notices the record player begin to spin.

“Oh my goodness, no way!” Stella exclaims in awe. “A record player. I love it.”

She won’t love it for long, though, because as suddenly as it started, it began to play a recording.

“Hello CBers and Companions.” A gravelly deep voice began, almost sounding like it was purposefully distorted. “It has come to my attention that all of you have a very dark secret you’ve been keeping.” There’s a pause, obviously for suspense. “You’ve all committed murder. No matter how you want to paint it, it was classified as homicide and went down in the books as such. It could just be an accusation, or it could be real, but I’m not at liberty to let you know who is who. I thought you should know before you decide to spend two weeks with each other. Alone. Have fun, my dear residents of Pudding’s Place, and enjoy your stay.”

The CBers look between each other nervously, trying to determine who has done what. Dallas bursts into the room with Halcyon, a concerned look on his face. Everyone seems to give each other more and more space, as if they’re afraid they’re going to be murdered on the spot. The recording starts to repeat.

“Hello CBers and Companions. It has come to my attention that all of you have a very dark secret you’ve been keeping—you’ve all committed murder. No matter how you want to paint it, it was classified as homicide and went down in the books as such. It could just be an accusation, or it could be real, but I’m not at liberty to let you know who is who. I thought you should know before you decide to spend two weeks with each other. Alone. Have fun, my dear residents of Pudding’s Place, and enjoy your stay.”

Now the recording won’t stop. Morning has retreated to the couch and is rocking back and forth in fear. NerdFace tries to comfort her, but Morning keeps flinching at her touch. Stella grabs Dallas and holds him closer to the wall. Dream and Nightmare glance at each other knowingly. Jaybells and Kitten try to figure out how to stop the record player, but the needle won’t budge. Luna-Starr is still staring out the window, but is now joined by their AE, Callisto. Wildfire hangs near Gallium, but Halcyon is nowhere to be seen. Shining Star and Darkling glare at each other, trying to figure the other out. Wren hangs near the door, her arm twitching in case she needed to grab it and leave. Pancake eyes her Alter Egos nervously, as if she knows. She does, in fact, know.

“...has come into my attention that all of you have a dark secret you’ve been keeping. You’ve all committed murder.”

Suddenly, Halcyon appears out of nowhere and jumps onto the table and on top of the record player as it spins, jarring the needle out of place.

“You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder.”

“MAKE IT STOP!” Jaybells screams, covering her ears with her hands, trying to block out the ugly noise of the recording.

“You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder. You’ve all committed murder.”

Dallas reaches over and yanks the needle off of the record player. He grabs Halcyon and then walks over to the door with the record player. Wren opens it for him and he walks out onto the porch. He throws the player with a large amount of force at the floor until it smashes into pieces. There’s a moment of silence and everyone looks at each other somewhat relieved as Dallas comes back inside. A noise comes from outside the house one more time, but no one cares. They’re just glad the record player is destroyed. For once, Dallas's destructive behavior is admired, even by Nerd.

“You’ve all committed murder.”

~~~

Members Alive: 15

Members Deceased: 0

Members Missing: 0

Suspects: 0

Hey everyone! Sorry, I've been meaning to post every Wednesday, but I got COVID last Saturday so my motivation completely died. But I wrote a part! And I'm posting it! I'm going to aim for chapters every Wednesday, sooner if I have the time. Just thought that was a valuable piece of information. Anyways, hope you enjoy!!

~~~

Day One—Chapter Two

Only a few minutes have passed since the incident with the record player, and the voice still echoes in everyone’s head. They’ve all begun to be less alert and paranoid, but their own consciences remind them to stay on the watch, just in case anyone, well, tries anything. The CBers, like earlier planned, are sitting around a small, round wooden table at the far end of the kitchen, while their Alter Egos and the CAPTCHA explore the lakehouse. Shining Star had found a whiteboard and a few dry-erase markers so they could create their plan. She had propped it up against the wall, using a weighted napkin holder to keep it upright. It was covered in various handwriting and different colors. Blues, pinks, greens, blacks, purples, almost every color a dry-erase marker could be. It was sort of a mess, but somehow it made sense. 

They had found the industrial-sized fridge and freezer full of food and the cabinets and pantry stocked up with non-perishables. It was plenty of food for sixteen people to last two weeks; it could probably even last them longer. Pancake had found a black spiral-bound notebook on one of the counters, laying open. It was some sort of day planner, belonging to the one and only Elizabeth Narracott. The page it had been turned to was the current week, and there was one event written for the entire week. 

Guest Arrival and Stay, it read. Seeing that Elizabeth had in fact planned for the arrival of them all, it only seemed logical that the reason for her and her staff’s absence was whatever emergency had arisen. However, many of the CBers still believed that this was some sort of set-up. It didn’t really matter though, because no one really was thinking about it at the moment. They were talking about meal plans and room divisions and activities to keep them busy during the two weeks. So, in other words, the CBers were very boring and there is no point in watching them do menial tasks while arguing which color is better; green or pink; or what foods they should make; sushi, pizza, pasta, and so many other of their favorites. Let’s go find the AEs and CAPTCHA, shall we?

Three floors up, Callisto, Wildfire, Stella, Dream and Nightmare, Dallas, and Halcyon are strolling up and down the hall of the first two bedchambers, the washrooms for each room, and three extra assorted rooms. One was a yoga room, set up for hot yoga practices. Another was a billiards room, but it was caked in dust, unused for years. The final one was empty, except for a TV. It could be anything, but it would be nothing. 

Dallas still held Halcyon in his arms and had basically adopted the small fox. Wildfire was not entirely against this, as he enjoyed being able to stay away from the pesky fox, but sometimes it made him feel a bit lonely and awkward, as he usually was the one with Halcyon as company. Halcyon was truly enjoying the tour as he went from room to room enjoying one of the best views on Dallas’s shoulder. He frequently made comments on each room, such as claiming one room and then trying to claim another. They already had room assignments, so unfortunately Halcyon was at a loss. 

“Whenn arewe going tothe lakee?” He asked eventually, after the Alter Egos had finished touring the fifth floor.

“Soon, my dear fox.” Wildfire replied, and somehow, it was enough to tide Halcyon over for the time being. 

Callisto and Stella had struck up a conversation about record players, finding out that they both had a passion for vinyl music and record players. Neither of them actually owned one, but Callisto talked about where ae would put it in aer house and what kind of music ae would use, and Stella talked about the model she’d use and why the older, refurbished ones were better than the newer models. 

Eventually, the curious group made their way outside and to the lake. It was quite large for the property and the water was crystal clear with a slight green tinge. Small waves tumbled onto the sandy shore. Halcyon leapt out of Dallas’s grip and bounded towards the water. He dipped the tip of his long nose into the water and sneezed in delight. He could smell the salt in the water and loved the feeling of the warm sand on his paws. 

“Iwant togoo innnn!” He exclaimed, looking between Dallas and Wildfire for approval. 

“Sure, why not. Just don’t get too far in because it looks like it gets deep fast.” Wildfire replied as Dallas looked at him approvingly. 

Halcyon took a few steps back and then galloped towards the shore before gracefully hurdling where the water met dry-ish sand and fell into the salt water. He began to gleefully splash around and swim, as if he were not a fox anymore, but a child. Dallas tried to hide his giggle as he watched the small fox try to swim in the water. Dream and Nightmare watched the fox from afar, as water was not so much their strong suit. They eyed the beach chairs and decided to sit and bask in the sunlight while they waited. Callisto debated whether or not ae should jump in as well, eventually leaning towards staying on dry land because of the limited time they all had to be outside. Wildfire and Stella made small talk as they each watched their other companion out of the corner of their eyes, for the safety of everyone else of course. 

Halcyon splashed around in the water while the other Alter Egos lazed around in the sun, waiting for the CBers to call them back in when they were ready for them. It was almost thirty more minutes before Darkling stuck their head out of the back door and called everyone back inside. Halcyon tumbled out of the water upset that he had to leave and shook the water out of his fur. Dallas scooped him up in his arms once again and the companions headed back towards the lake house. Once inside, they were greeted with cheese platters and soda cans in the formal dining room. For Halcyon, there was a small plate of cured meats and water in a small glass bowl. Not meant for a fox, but it could be used. 

Everyone in a humanoid form sat down at the table while Halcyon skittered toward his plate. He scarfed down his food and sniffed at the water. It smelled faintly of almonds and made his nose itch at the bitterness. But he was thirsty after all the swimming he did in the lake. So he skipped over the fact that this water was probably a little bit sketchy and began to lap up the water. 

“Thiss water taste ssswe irddd!” Halcyon exclaimed before his words dissolved into violent hacking. 

He choked on the air as he tried to breathe. It wasn’t getting any easier, and his body began to go stiff. Halcyon accepted the defeat and keeled over onto his side. He watched the wall double and triple before everything went black. The last thing that skittered across his mind was the memory of swimming on the lake. He knew his death was the first one, but he was absolutely sure it wouldn’t be the last. After all, poisoning is not accidental, especially the sort that was in his bowl.

Gallium only believed that Halcyon was hacking up some sort of hairball or accidentally drank too fast so she paid no mind to the coughing fox. Once everything went silent, she only thought he had gathered his bearings. It wasn’t until Pancake turned in her seat to feed the small animal a piece of her cheese that everyone was alerted that the fox was dead. She screamed until Wren slapped a hand over her mouth to silence the noise. Stella crept towards the poor fox and picked him up in her delicate hands. She felt no pulse. 

“He’s not breathing and there’s no pulse. Halcyon is dead.” She announced solemnly. 

Gallium made a noise in her throat that sounded like she was being strangled. She wasn’t, of course, it was her version of a cry of grief. Wildfire sighed deeply. He hated himself for not being able to protect Halcyon from this fate, even though it was nowhere near his fault. Kitten picked up the empty water bowl and smelled it.

“Ugh, this reeks. It’s like spoiled almonds.” They said. 

“It’s cyanide. Probably liquid. Cyanide poisoning. It always smells like bitter almonds, everyone knows that.” Luna-Starr deadpanned. 

Morning glanced their way, her eyes lighting up, knowing that this was some sort of Agatha Christie reference and Luna totally got it. She would have to consult her about it later. But now, it was Halcyon’s moment. 

Stella cradled the small animal in her arms and looked down on him with a small, sad smile. She had always acted like a mom, and it was showing now. 

“We should bury him outside. There’s plenty of land and it would be fun to have a funeral service.” Darkling said after a few moments of silence. They looked towards Gallium and Wildfire with a questioning glance. “So, what do you guys think? Can we?”

Gallium looked at them, holding back the tears in her eyes. “I guess so.”

“Sure, but we need to do it right.” Wildfire mumbled. 

And so they did.

~~~

Members alive: 15

Members Deceased: 1 (Halcyon, Cyanide Poisoning)

Members Missing: 0

Suspects: ??? (Gladly accepted)

OOooOoh a victim! The fact that I think a funeral is a fun pastime is not, say, out of character but still slightly alarming . . R. I. P. Halcyon.

This ski lodge is so rad and I'm super pumped!