Chapter One

“The last call for boarding to Los Angeles flight 2g6k00,” the flight attendant says over the loudspeaker. I wish I could be on that flight. I think to myself. Instead, I’m stuck here at the baggage claim waiting for my second suitcase, after a while. The exact same suitcases come rolling around again. Black, pink, white, gold, then brown. They’ve been going around non-stop and not a single one has been taken yet to the rightful owner. 

While waiting so long, that my legs started getting tired. My eyes caught attention to the only bag left, it was a black and gold bag. Looks like Gucci. I consider taking it, but my white and gold Gucci bag is different. Loud clicking sounds catch my attention, and I turn around and see a woman running over in three-inch heels and sunglasses. She takes the suitcase I’ve been eyeing and rolls away with it. Great, I think. I walk over to the customer service desk. “Excuse me?” I say, to gain her attention. 

The boring service girl looks up at me. She has curly dyed blonde hair and tanned skin. She glares at me and gives me an annoying smile. “How can I help you?”

“My suitcase isn’t here,” I say, holding back my irritation.

She peeks over my shoulder with a suspicious look on her face, as if I’m just pretending my two hundred dollar suitcase isn’t here. She hands me a crinkled form. “Here, fill this out.” As I’m filling out the form, she watches me write my name. “Hey, I know you!”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Not personally, but I saw you on the news. Sorry for your loss…” she says as if she practiced in the mirror every night before bed. “It’s gonna be okay.”

I grip the pencil tight, and it snaps in half. “Sorry, can I have another one?”

She looks around nervously before handing me another pencil. I finish the form and leave with three suitcases rolling behind me. When I step outside, a sharp chill hits my face. I take off my sunglasses, won’t be needing them since it’s so cloudy. I look around and huff as I walk over to the rental place and wait on the curb. My phone dings and I look at the text. It’s my Uber app saying the car is pulling up. I stand up and get into the car and tell the driver my destination.

I step out of the car and stretch, giving a sigh as the soreness that has been bothering me all day dissipates. I gather my bags and walk up to the small house. I knock and I hear a faint shout of surprise, which causes me to step back. The door opens with a click and a girl my age opens it. Her hair is matted and wet, but I can tell it’s blond. She’s fairly pale, although who isn’t around here with all these clouds? She’s wearing a vintage tee that says “take your dreams” with a star and black Capri jeans. She has green eyes and plain, un-pampered lips. She smiles “Hi! You must be Ivy.”

I smile best I can. “Yeah, you’re Genna, right?”

“The one and only. Come on in!” she moves out of the doorway so I can walk in. I look around the house. It has cream walls and modern furniture. There’s a chandelier above the dining table and a pool in the backyard. Not bad. “I’m so happy you’re here! I’ve wanted to meet you for so long. Mariah spoke so much about you and-” she pauses, realizing bringing up Mariah is hard for me. “Oh, I didn’t mean…” Her face says it all, she was mortified but didn’t want to show it. 

I change the subject. “So, where’s my room?” I ask brightly. She leads me up the stairs and into a white and mermaid blue room. It has a queen-size bed and a grey bedspread is neatly made with three sleeping pillows in a V shape and a throw pillow in the middle. There’s a walk-in closet with tons of hangers and a small dresser with three drawers. There’s a full-length mirror next to the closet, bolted to the wall. Next to the bed is a little table with a pineapple-shaped lamp. “Cozy!”

“Glad ya like it! I hope you don’t mind, but I invited some friends over to welcome you. Dinner in an hour, ‘kay?” she says as she’s walking out the door. When she leaves, I sit on the bed and put down my bags, stand up, and look into the full-length mirror. Brown, curling iron-ed hair, deep brown eyes, heart-shaped pink lips, soft nose, and a birthmark on my right cheek. I look at my outfit and grimace. I’m wearing black yoga pants, a tee that has the Bears’ logo on the right shoulder, and a slouched sweater along with my fila sneakers. I did not plan this well. I look into my reflection. My face reddens and I scrunch my hands into fists. I slam one on the bed and another on the floor. I look back into the mirror and imagine it shattering. 

I hear Genna coming up the stairs and throw off my shoes to make it look like I just dropped them. 

“Are you okay?” She’s standing in the doorway.

I look behind me and pick up my shoes. “Sorry, got a little dizzy and dropped my shoes. Can I have a lemonade?” Genna nods her head and skips down the stairs. She returns a minute later with a lemonade and a cup of ice in her hands. “I didn’t know if you wanted ice.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine, I like ice. Thanks.” She goes back downstairs and I unpack what’s in the bags I have. Or...some of it. I have so much stuff: I have a duffel bag, two medium suitcases, two oversized suitcases (one of which got lost on its way here), and a backpack. I unpack the two medium suitcases since they have most of my everyday clothing. 

I open my oversized case when Genna calls to say that dinner’s in 10. I rush to find an outfit and decide on my red maxi skirt and a cropped t-shirt that says“California Gurl” in the middle with a red lip print. I brush my hair enough so I look presentable and tie it into a tight high ponytail. I dab on some Milani lipstick, mascara from Sephora, and Morphe blush. When I look in the mirror again, I almost cry but then I hear the doorbell. I hear lots of voices. Sounds like...five boys...three girls? Classic. I hear Genna’s voice float upstairs.She tells them that I’m upstairs and comes to get me. When she sees me, her jaw drops. She’s wearing a skirt too.

“You look amazing!” she squeals. “Come on, I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.” I follow her downstairs and see the five guys and three girls, two of which are blond like Genna. “Guys, this is Ivy, Mariah’s sister!”

If it wasn’t rude, I’d yell at her for using Mariah’s name so casually. Instead, I smile and wave. Nobody can know.

After half an hour of introductions and ‘get to know you’s, I finally know everyone’s name. Tristian is a quarterback and has brown hair and blue eyes, Dustin is also on the football team, has dirty blonde hair, and is Tristian’s best friend. Jason is on the basketball team, has black hair and green eyes, and is best friends with Nick who is on the soccer team and has dark blonde hair and blue eyes. And then there’s Sam who is also on the football team and has black hair and blue eyes. 

Then, the girls. There’s Diana who has black hair and brown eyes and is part of the debate club. Sasha has blond hair like Genna and green eyes and is on the girl’s soccer team, and Amy who has blond hair and blue eyes too and she’s part of the style club. And Genna is part of the Volunteer Work club. Gosh, there are so many things to do. 

We’re sitting at the dinner table eating Genna’s homemade pizza, when my phone rings. Blocked number. “Mom?” Genna asks kindly.

“It’s a blocked number…” I say cautiously.

“Airport maybe? They probably found your suitcase,” suggests Sasha. “Just answer it.” I do.

“Hello?” I say. It’s not the airport, I put it on speaker. “Yes this is Ivy Ross, who’s asking?”

The person on the phone says; “Tell Mariah I said hi...oh wait, you can’t. You’re welcome everyone.” and then they hang up. I drop the phone with a bang on the table. I can feel the blood rushing to my head and I feel hot and sweaty.

“Oh my goodness, that’s creepy! Ivy are you…” I don’t hear the rest of what Genna is saying to me. I look around the table. Genna, Sasha, Diana, Amy, Tristian, Sam, Jason, Dustin…

“Where’s Nick?” I say faintly. Everyone looks around the table. We hear the toilet flush, and everyone looks so convinced, except Amy. He comes downstairs, and everyone looks at him.

“Ivy you ok?” he asks me. I slowly nod, but I press the call back button on my phone and wait for something to ring, just in case. Something about Nick’s disappearance so suddenly leaves me on edge, though I know it can’t be him. Nothing rings, but the mystery person  picks up again. I press speaker and hold the phone in the middle of the table.

“It could be anyone. Anyone of you.” The voice taunts. The phone bleeps, and the call ends.

I look up at everyone. “This isn’t funny.”