Chapter 21: Preparations

I would like to thank Julie Demers for helping me with the plots of this manuscript. I apologize this chapter is out so late, but a few days ago there was a fire at the house next door to mine, and there were a lot of things happening over there leading up to that fire. Thankfully our house and my family are safe and no one was harmed during the house fire. 

Preparations

It was the week before the 4th of July. Mary Anne, Dawn, and Mona we're getting things ready for all the festivities. First Lewis was due to arrive on Friday night. On Saturday the Rotary Club party was welcoming the new exchanges coming into town, and Sunday, the 4th of July, was the Rainforest marathon. Everyone had decided to put their thoughts aside from the uranium case and concentrate on having some fun.

Dawn didn't tell anyone but she had decided to put things aside early and give herself the entire week to clear her head. She didn't want to deal with her mom possibly not telling her something about Morbidda Destiny being a Porter on top of this thing with Mary Anne. She could tell that Mary Anne still had in the back of her mind that she needed to settle down and was all nostalgic about her and Lewis because they had gone on a few dates off and on through the years. As if it wasn't already awkward enough with Bart, Pete, and now Jamie at least it would keep her busy though and hopefully Mary Anne will finally give up on taming her down.

Dawn had got some books at Crookshanks on clearing the mind. She spent Sunday night planning out her meditation to be a sound warrior when the time came.    That night she decided to walk down to the cliff by the lighthouse where she could see Long Island Sound. She always felt like she could meditate better with the sounds of the waves in her ears. Besides, the sun was still out and she could watch the sunset. 

With her yoga mat in tow, she climbed up to the top of the incline and found a big flat rock to place her yoga mat on. She gently closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Just as she was about to complete the movement she heard a car door slam behind her. She turned to see Cary Retlin going into the lighthouse. She wondered what he was up to, talking to Alan after that fight they had at the bowling alley.

She knew she needed to sit tight for the time being as she was out in the open with nothing to hide behind. She saw Cary and Alan loading up some heavy equipment and heavy-duty digging tools into a truck. Then they went back to the porch and we're sitting on some lawn chairs talking. She knew she needed to move closer to find out what they were saying. She decided to make a run for some shrubs on the side of the lighthouse. She knew she could get close enough without them detecting that she was there.

"After this weekend there should be enough samples to test. She said it will take two to three weeks to get the results back. And if it's a go, we will be rich my friend."

"Not only that, but I could get my lighthouse back. Maybe then Karen would take me more seriously."

"And I can finally get my business going."

"See you Monday then. She said to go in the back gate. This is the final dig, so when we are done we need to make sure to clean it up well. All that tall about the chemistry sets over at Dawn's is making me uneasy."

"Oh come on! They'll never trace it back to what we're doing. Everyone has forgotten that knew and if they knew they don't care enough about it. Let Dawn and them go on their uranium chase. It's kind of funny. You're paranoid Alan. Just be cool."

What?! Thought Dawn. Of course, just when I don't need to be chasing a lead. But she would mention it to Mary Anne and the others and by Monday they would be ready. 

The next morning Mary Anne got up early and snuck out to the grocery store with Mona and Shannon. She knew it was going to be interesting having meat-loving Lewis and Dawn in the same house. She knew sometimes differences could be good. Look at her dad and Sharon. Dawn was still out running with Bart and Pete so she took the opportunity to confide in Shannon. 

"Let's go shopping today. We could get some outfits for this weekend and I want highlights put in my hair."

"Yes let's. We could have lunch too. Make a day of it. We won't have time later when everyone arrives and then we will have that part done already."

They jumped into Mary Anne's car and drove down to the mall.

"Kristy said she would be back Saturday night. Abby will be working the store Sunday for a half-day, but after that, they will join us."

"Good. We will all be back again then." Just then Mary Anne got a text from Mallory.

"Need any help for Lewis's welcome party this weekend?"

"Sure. Why don't you come to meet Shannon and me for lunch? We are going to the Lunch Box."

"Ok I will be there in 15 minutes"

"Mal said she would meet us in 15 minutes. She is pretty excited about Lewis. He came with Logan and me to visit her at Riverbend one weekend in high school when she performed in a play. They've been friends ever since then."

"Ooo, what kind of friends?"

"Well, back then we thought that he and Mal were going to be a thing. He had been quite taken with her after seeing her in high school and she grew out of her awkwardness. But once he saw this other girl in the school play, that was all over. He kept in touch with that girl and wound up marrying her. Now he is getting divorced and moving here to be closer to Logan. He needs a firm support system and a new start."

"Well, we'll see what happens."

Mallory could not believe that Lewis was coming to Stoneybrook. She couldn't help that she was flirting with the possibility that she might be interested in him. She knew it had been a while, and she knew she wouldn't know for sure until she saw him again. They had kept in touch a little bit through Facebook throughout the years. Of course, it would be a little complicated because she lived in Maine, and the headmistress at Riverbend and some of the other teachers would be the pretty judge about having gentleman callers on campus after certain hours of the night, but she would see about that when she got there.

20 Stoneybrook: The Midnight Society

 I would like to thank Julie Demers for helping me with this chapter. She did a lot of work helping me work out Karen's story for the Midnight Society. We couldn't wait for you all to get to this chapter and we are finally here! Pizza toast!

The Midnight Society

Dawn could not wait until that night. They were finally going to be holding the first meeting of the Midnight Society. She and Bart had put all the goody bags together. Mary Anne and Mona had made up all kinds of food for the kids. Claudia and Karen, we're going to be on hand to help out. Stacey was coming to be the first guest storyteller. It was going to be magical! 

They packed up the cars with food, bags, t-shirts, lawn chairs, cooking equipment, and other supplies they were going to be using that night. About 30 kids had signed up but they knew. some would not show up for every meeting. They all met Bart at the park to set up. Bart started a fire in the fire pit. Logan started up the grill to make hamburgers and hot dogs. Dawn had also set up a folding card table with fruits, veggies, and dips. Next came Karen and Claudia. Claudia had brought her new fancy camera to capture photos and film the event. Karen was dressed up in her witch costume and was scheduled to tell a story that night. Ben showed up with his guitar. 

Once they set up the kids started trickling in. Karen started handing out goody bags. She instructed the kids to put on their t-shirts and capes included in the bags. Bart came up and started the first meeting.

"Hello everyone! We would like to welcome you to the first meeting of the Midnight Society. You are now a member of the most elite and awesome group in Stoneybrook. I would like to introduce myself. I'm Bart Taylor and I am the head of the Parks and Recreation Department of Stoneybrook. This is my friend Dawn, she is your host and the founder of the Midnight Society. Everyone give her a round of applause!"

Everyone clapped and Dawn stepped up to address the crowd.

"Thank you, everyone. We would like to thank our sponsors for this program. The Stoneybrook Historical Society, Karen Brewer the owner of Crookshanks, Shannon and Robert Brewster, Logan and Mary Anne Bruno, and Claudia Kishi for the logo for all of our official merchandise. Now to kick things off we would like to invite everyone to grab some food and save room for dessert. While you are eating my friend Ben Hobart is going to play some spooky tunes for us and get us in the mood for some spooky stories."

She turned things over to Ben who played a variety of songs, including "Witchy Woman", " Monster Mash", "I Put A Spell On You", and " Somebody's Watching Me". Then Dawn got. back up to start the main event.

"Everyone give a hand to Ben Hobart, who you may know locally as the lead singer of The Junk Bucket! And now we are going to start with our stories. Tonight's theme is local legends. And our first speaker is my friend Stacey McGill, whom you might know from Stoneybrook news!"

"Thank you, Dawn! Even though I have been living in Stoneybrook I originally came from New York City. There is a local legend not far from there in Pine Barrens, New Jersey. And now I would like to submit for your approval by the Midnight Society..." Stacey took her bag of spices that Mona and Mary Anne had made to sprinkle on the fire to make it spark and change colors," The Tale of the Jersey Devil." In 1733, Mother Leeds was pregnant with her 13th child. Crying in frustration, she cursed the child saying that it would be the devil. On a dark and stormy night, Mother Leeds gave birth to a normal child. But soon the baby changes to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. It beat everyone with its tail and flew up the chimney and ran off into the woods. There have been many sightings over the years that the Jersey Devil is still out there. Some say the story originated involving early New Jersey politicians Benjamin Franklin and his rival, almanac publisher Daniel Leeds that resulted in describing the Leeds family as monsters. But during the week of January 16-23,1909 newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters and attacks. It caused some schools to close and workers to stay at home. Remember if you see a Jersey Devil stay perfectly still until....you may hear the Jersey Devil Fight Song!"

Been started playing the New Jersey Devils goal horn song and everyone laughed and sang along. Everyone clapped in the end.

Dawn jumped back up to speak. "I, too am not a native to Stoneybrook. My other residence is in California. We have a lot of things in California, movie stars, healthy food, and yes, Bigfoot. Also known as Sasquatch. I would like to submit for your approval by The Midnight Society 'The Tale of Bigfoot'." Dawn sprinkled the herb dust on the fire and it sparkled. "Bigfoot has been called many names and has been seen in the United States and Canada. The most famous encounter with a Bigfoot was filmed in 1967 in Northern California and is known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. The footage was taken by Bluff Creek. They were riding along on horseback around 1:30 when they came on an overturned tree. When they rounded it, they saw it at the same time. Patterson said it stood nearly 6 to 7 feet tall. He was about 25 feet away and got his camera out of his saddlebag. Gimlin got his gun out and followed. The Bigfoot walked away from them and Patterson ran after it. The Bigfoot glanced back around its shoulder and Patterson fell to his knees. They then lost it in the trees. They went back and made plaster casts of the footprints. He likes to hide out in wooded areas and higher altitudes. They could be anywhere, even in these very woods. Hiding. Spying. And just waiting for an unassuming victim. So if you go out into the woods, kids, be careful. Always bring a buddy and always let someone else know where you are."

The crowd clapped. "And now we are going to be serving smores for dessert. Been will play is some songs while we eat then our final guest, Karen Brewer will be telling our last story of the evening. We hope you have enjoyed yourselves and we will see you back next week."

Dawn stepped down and Ben played some spooky songs while everyone ate. Finally, Ben began playing the theme song to Harry Potter, which was the signal for everyone to get back in their seats and prepare for Karen's story. 

Karen got up and started. "This story is more local than Stacey's. It's so local that it took place within walking distance from here. And it involves everyone in our community. I hereby submit for approval of the Midnight Society...," she threw the herbs on the fire so they changed colors and sparked," 'The Tale of Humphrey Porter'. A long time ago not so far away there was a man that lived here in town. He was a doctor, and part of the Porter family that invented and sold children's chemistry sets. At first, the chemistry sets were thriving, but we're later banned due to harmful substances. Because Humphrey was a doctor, he did not know enough about chemistry to keep the sets within the regulations and soon the facility closed. Around that time, Humphrey became under investigation due to malpractice. He had been in charge of treating patients with different types of disabilities and using experimental tactics and methods to find cures. One day a child he was treating escaped the hospital and was ran over in the street. His grieving parents pressed charges and his position was removed from the hospital. What they didn't know was he continued his practice in private to a few patients that stood by the unconventional methods. One day there was a horrible accident with a patient. Scared he would get in trouble he convinced the client to keep the patient 24/7 for observation. Then there was another incident with a different patient. He convinced these clients to go under observation too. Instead of keeping them at his house, he began to transport them and their families through a secret passage in his home and into the abandoned chemistry manufacturing facility and no one was the wiser. Rumors in town began flying about where the families had disappeared. The parents of the child that had been run over knew Humphrey had something to do with it. They began to hold a weekly meeting with others that thought so and we're against alternative medicine practices. They worked on finding evidence to turn him in. They began to protest at city hall. Just when they thought they had enough evidence to bust him, Humphrey donated the building to the city to make it into a school. His only condition was to keep it a private Montessori school, which is now Stoneybrook Day. The city was grateful and had a big ceremony. The group against him was so disliked by the citizens they eventually moved to the outskirts of town where they continue to practice their old-fashioned ways to this day. No one knows what happened to the patients Humphrey had been hiding in the building. It's like they just disappeared."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then they burst into loud applause. Dawn got back up and thanked them for coming. She knew as soon as everyone left that she had a lot to talk to Karen about. 

22 Stoneybrook: A Visitor

 I would like to thank Julie for helping me with the development of Stacey's storyline. We cannot wait for our readers to discover what we have in store for Stacey!

A Visitor

After Mary Anne and Logan left Jamie and Dawn got some more food and ate.

"Not exactly California food is it?" Asked Jamie.

"No, it's not," laughed Dawn.

"Do you like visiting here?" 

"Well, this is the first time I've been back in a long time. I am enjoying it this time. I'm staying for the whole summer. I teach yoga to boarding school students back in California."

"Very cool. I get homesick for California sometimes. But you know I like it here too. It's just so different. The seasons, the leaves on the trees."

Just about that time they heard a ruckus over by the billiards. It was Cary Retlin and Alan Gray. 

"You know I'm only in it to get my lighthouse back!" Yelled Alan with clenched fists.

"Oh yeah? Well, what makes you so certain she is doing that for you? You need to get your priorities straight Alan! You need to help out more than the casual overnight work! If I were you I'd be kissing her ass instead of teeny bopping everywhere with The Heiress. Or is she your plan B?"

"I resent that Cary Retlin! You know I care about her!"

"Oh yeah? Are you sure she feels the same way? How does it feel to see her in the gossip column every weekend? I don't see you in those photos!"

"What exactly are you implying?"

You know damn well what I am implying Alan Gray! A girl like that is never going to go for a lazy-ass former lighthouse keeper like you."

"Oh yeah? You wanna take this outside?"

"No Alan I don't. I want you to do your share of the work you were hired to do and stop putting it all on me while you go out partying."

Dawn's jaw dropped. Jamie asked her If she wanted to leave. She didn't know the answer but allowed herself to be lead out the door. She knew she needed to get ahold of Claudia and fast.

Stacey sat down to have lunch with her friend and colleague Erica Blumberg. She hadn't seen her since her and Sam had come back from Europe. Stacey had been seeing much of anybody. And she felt bad because she had not been hanging out that much with the BSC and it was the first time Dawn had visited in a very long time. 

"I've been kind of laying low since we've gotten back. There is something different about Sam. He hasn't been attentive with me lately and I just don't want them to pick up on it. Especially since I don't know what is up with him right now."

"But you all have been friends forever. You should be able to talk to your friends about it. That's what they are there for."

"I know but that's the trouble. You know Sam is Kristy's brother. And Claudia and Mary Anne have known Sam all their lives. I just feel they are too involved. And I don't want to shake things up. Not yet. No, I need to figure out what's wrong on my own. Knowing them they would be servailancing him 24/7."

"That's a good point. They do seem to go overboard sometimes. And they like to jump to conclusions too."

" Yes. I just want to keep an eye out on him on my own for a while. If I find something I may call for reinforcements."

"You can put me on your standby," said Erica, and they both smiled. 

Meanwhile, across the way in Logan's office building, Logan was just about to break for lunch. He picked up his briefcase and headed out to a nearby deli to eat lunch and try to relax.

Once he reached the deli and sat down he turned on his cell phone. He was surprised to get a text message from his cousin Lewis in Kentucky.

"The divorce was finalized today! I'm a free man! I'm thinking of heading to CT on the 4th of July. There isn't much left for me here in Kentucky now that mom and dad have passed away. I want to be close to you, my family. And have a fresh start."

"Congrats cuz! Come on over and stay with us! We can help you get settled into a job and help you look for a house here. Stay as long as you like. We have plenty of room!"

Across town at Watson's house, Mallory also got a ping on her phone...

21 Stoneybrook: "The Right Kind of Love" Part 2

 When they arrived at the bowling alley they got their shoes and went to their assigned bowling lane. "Does anyone want anything to eat?" Asked Jamie.

Jamie and Logan took the orders and went to go get the food. Mary Anne and Dawn began talking about the Sweetheart Dance back in 8th grade where Dawn and Jamie had made up after the mix-up. They were trying to remember which song they had danced to. There was a jukebox by the bathrooms that they thought they could find it on and play it. 

"It was " My Love Is Good Enough" by Jeremy Jordan." Said, Dawn.

"No, I'm sure it was " The Right Kind of Love" by Jeremy Jordan I list to know it!" Said Mary Anne. "Let me go ask Logan."

"No, Mary Anne!" Dawn grabbed the back of Mary Anne's shirt. "I have a better idea. Let's play them both and see if he reacts." The girls raced to the jukebox and made their selections then raced back hoping the boys didn't see them. They made it back in time for the boys to show up with the food.

"Let's get the game started! Do we want to play individuals or teams?"

"Teams!" Yelled Mary Anne. "You and me against Dawn and Jamie."

They all seemed to think that was fair since the boys were fairly skilled and the girls were a little rusty. Logan set up the board and they began. 

When it became Mary Anne's turn Logan carefully instructed her on how to hold the ball, where to stand, and when to throw. Dawn rolled her eyes at Jamie behind their backs. She always hated it when girls acted dumb to get a guy's attention. 

They were all turning out to be surprisingly good bowlers. Dawn was up next. She was glad when Jamie did not assume she was needing any type of instruction. She went up and knocked down almost all the pins! Only one did not fall into the gutter. Jamie jumped up and congratulated her with a hug and it was at that moment "Right Kind of Love" came on the jukebox. Jamie got a twinkle in his eye and his mouth turned up in a smirk smile. "May I have this dance, Sweetheart?" Dawn knew she had picked the right song! 

"Why yes you may" and he held her hand. Jamie led her off the bowling platform and into the little space between it and the table and chairs and began dancing. Logan and Mary Anne joined them. 

Dawn forgot about everything. About being questioned, about Morbidda Destiny, possibly being a relative, about her mom keeping her distance. She was just in her world. And there was dancing and music and laughter. And friends. She and Mary Anne were sisters but they hadn't felt more like friends than this in a very long time. 

Right after the song ended "My Love Is Good Enough" started. They continued dancing. Dawn wasn't even paying attention to their surroundings. Slowly the whole bowling alley even the people at the billiards, we're dancing to the music and enjoying ourselves. Jamie had a nice flair to his dancing that displayed Dawn beautifully. When the song ended they hugged and they suddenly heard everyone clapping for them in the bowling alley. They took some exaggerated bows along with Logan and Mary Anne. An employee got on the microphone and said," Let's hear it for the couples in lane 16! And for national recording artist Jeremy Jordan!" Everyone clapped. Then everyone resumed what they had been doing previously.

It was a close game but Mary Anne and Logan won. They decided to get back home to the kids and give Jamie and Dawn a chance to have some time alone. When Logan and Mary Anne got safely back in the car and we're driving home Logan reluctantly asked Mary Anne a question."Have you heard from Stacey lately?"

"No...Not since Watson's party, I think why? "

"Well, it could be nothing. Don't jump to conclusions. But when Jamie Anderson and I were getting the food I happened to see Sam over by the video games and Stacey wasn't with him...another blonde was. And she looked familiar but I couldn't figure it out. His bowling league could be playing or something though."

"Yes, I'm sure that's what it was." Said Mary Anne.

Although she didn't believe her own words. She wondered what was going on with Sam and Stacey. But she couldn't dwell on it too much. She had also seen another two people that were there that had been an interest to her. Over in the billiards playing pool had been Alan Gray and Cary Retlin.

21 Stoneybrook: "The Right Kind Of Love" Part 1

Julie and I hope you enjoy us bringing Jamie Anderson back from the 90s tv series. We threw in a few Easter eggs from Airborne. If you haven't seen it we highly suggest it! Pizza toast!

"The Right Kind Of Love"

Mary Anne placed back and forth worried about Dawn. She knew the police were just questioning her to get information.  She knew Nicky wouldn't let anything happen to Dawn. She tried Shannon. Shannon said she would be right over and had just the thing to distract Mary Anne. Mona was also at home, but Mary Anne knew she needed someone that had known her for a very long time.

Shannon arrived with a gigantic bag full of things.

"What is all this?" Mary Anne asked.

"I thought we could look at magazines and things to get ideas on getting decorations and things together for the Cultures Across America Rotary Club party. You know I'm on the committee and if you volunteer your help it will speak very highly of you for being sites into a meaningful position in the club."

"Oh, good idea! So the theme is cultured. Do you know which places the visitors will be coming from?"

"I know one of them is 22 years old Zuni from New Mexico. A boy I think."

Mary Anne immediately took out a pad and paper and started writing things down. Shannon gave her a Look.

" what? I can't help it. It's like second nature to me now. I was the secretary for the Babysitter's Club."

"I know and you will be perfect."

Shannon looked down at her phone for the rest of the information. 

"A 45-year-old woman from Xalapa, Mexico, a 32-year-old woman from Quebec, Canada, and an 18-year-old boy from Paris, France."

Mary Anne carefully wrote the information down.

"Let's start with the Zuni culture. Dawn and Karen can help us with that one. The kids had Zuni pen pals when they were little and Dawn organized a massive slumber party for them in 8th grade."

They decided to look up favorite Zuni recipes that included hominy, corn balls, baked beans, soups, and different types of cornbread. The Zuni make pottery and a lot of turquoise jewelry too. Mary Anne and Shannon decided to decorate the Zuni table with turquoise and have Mona follow the homemade recipes. Mary Anne also wrote a few words down in Zuni language and their meanings to print out later on turquoise cards to be at the table for people to take along with a bunch of Zuni tribe flags in various sizes and t-shirts with the Zuni flag on them. Just as they were about to start working on ideas for the table for Mexico Dawn and Logan came walking through the door. 

"Is everything ok Dawn?" Mary Anne asked.

"Yes, they just asked me some questions about my family. They had mom there too but they questioned us separately. But Morbidda Destiny was also there. I know her real name is Tabitha Porter but it still surprised me. Nicky said that the police department borrowed him to work on the case from the Stamford Police Department because they aren't used to cases like this and Nicky is familiar with the area. So now we have an insider connection!'

Mary Anne was glad that Dawn was not stressed out about the interrogation. They all talked for a while longer about it and then they all got into planning and making centerpieces for the Cultures of America party. Mary Anne also felt relieved and began to enjoy herself too.

Dawn did her best to keep her busy that day. She just was not ready to think about Morbidda Destiny having the last name of Porter and how she couldn't help but think that her mother was keeping something from her. Dawn had always had a good relationship with her mother but it had become a little strained in recent years due to her moving back to California and her mom becoming a little more conservative after marrying Richard. To be fair, Richard had loosened up a lot after marrying her mom too. But Dawn couldn't halo but hold some resentment toward Richard for how overly protective he was with Mary Anne and her mom not speaking up about it. Mary Anne was still working on becoming his true authentic self and attending therapy to help it along, but Dawn knew it would only do a little bit of good unless Richard and Mary Anne sit down and have a serious talk. But she was afraid Mary Anne would never get the gumption it calls out Richard.

Dawn was surprised when Jamie Anderson sent her a text message that afternoon. Dawn knew she needed to get out and get her mind off everything. In a bold move, she decided to ask him to go bowling with her Mary Anne and Logan that night. She told herself it wasn't a date because it was in a group. But that wasn't going to stop her from dressing up for her non-date!

Dawn picked out a green short-sleeved button-down top that tied at the bottom in the front and a pair of bellbottom jeans with peace signs embroidered on them. She put some silver peace signs in the first holes of her pierced ears and dolphin studs in the second holes. She changed her purse out to a small brown one with fringe hanging down.

She also thought it would be nice to go out with Logan and Mary Anne. She knew Mary Anne and Logan did not go out that much and preferred ordering delivery even though they were going out to charity functions more now. Logan was also excited to be bowling with his old friend Jamie. He hadn't been good friends with him in school, but they were teammates and sports buddies. He was ready for some healthy bowling competition.

Mary Anne knocked on Dawn's door and she answered. " Hey, Dawn I just came in to tell you that Logan is a good bowler. The firm used to have a league but they haven't been doing it lately. And tonight is cosmic bowling night. I wanted to see what you were wearing because once I went to cosmic bowling with Logan's league. I wore this black knit sweater and when I stepped under the black light it picked up the white bra I was wearing underneath. I was terrified! It was in front of some colleagues and clients too. I stayed in the car the rest of the night and drank grape soda and listened to WSTO."

"Oh God Mary Anne! That's crazy! But thanks for the warning. I think I might wear something else that might pick up the black light so no one will know the difference."

Dawn did some rummaging and found a black off-the-shoulder t-shirt with neon pink lipstick lips printed on it. She put that on and changed her earrings out into some orange neon hippy flowers. She was sure the black light would pick them up. Mary Anne had on Logan's old bowling shirt, a BLACK BRA, and jeans. They were going to meet Jamie at the bowling alley. Once everyone was ready they headed out.

20 Stoneybrook: The Questioning

 I would like to thank Julie Demers for helping me with the development of the Dawn storyline and the Humphrey storyline in this chapter. I could not have done this without you! I appreciate all you do for this story and our friendship. 

The Questioning

Dawn, Mary Anne, Shannon, and Mona stayed up late that night. Dawn could not wait to tell them about Jaimie Anderson showing up at the recycling center. 

"I couldn't believe it. And he has done a really good job expanding the recycling center. There are sorters and lots of trucks. They even do field trips to the recycling center so kids can understand how important it is. They gave us an up-close look at everything. And they gave us these cool recycled t-shirts they are going to give out at the Rainforest marathon. Jamie is working on distributing more bins to businesses in Stoneybrook and informing them about recycling."

"Nevermind the recycling! Tell us what he is like," said Shannon.

"Well, he is tall with dark longish hair. He is kind of muscular. And sweet. He got my number while we were at the center. I doubt he will ever call though."

"Oh, course he will! Look at how much you have in common. Plus, I always felt like if I hadn't butted in back in 8th grade you would have hit it off better." Said Mary Anne. That sparked a trip down memory lane of them telling the story about Dawn having a crush on Jamie and how he had tried to ask Mary Anne to dance in middle school. "But what about Bart and Pete?"

"Well Bart is really cute and I like him. We have a lot in common too. He is really into improving the park and is involved with the kids. I like Pete too. It's fun to be involved in politics and getting things done. It's also fun to be seen with an up-and-coming politician. But we are just friends. Remember I'm going back to California in the fall. I can't just fall for someone here and completely uproot my life."

"Why not?" Asked Mary Anne.

"Well I don't know," said Dawn. She wasn't sure she liked Stoneybrook that much. Although this time she liked it more than before, what if it was just a summer novelty and it wore off?

She couldn't help but think about Jaimie though. Even if he called her just about the campaign and recycling stuff she would love to be around him. But she just saw him for a few hours and what did that tell you about a person?

Dawn decided to take a long hot bath and mull it over before bed with a nice cup of soup and ice tea. She put her nightshirt on and fuzzy slippers and went out on the balcony. She turned her playlist to some melancholy music. She decided to just let things naturally develop. She wouldn't feed into things but take dates if they were offered. That way she could see who liked her and go from there. 

She slept a long sleep all night long.

The next morning Dawn woke up early with a clear head and a fresh start on looking at things. She quietly sipped her coffee and looked out on the day ahead of her. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Mona was tied up in the kitchen and Dawn reached the door before Mary Anne or Logan could get to it. 

It was Nicky Pike, in his police uniform (he is a detective in Stanford). Dawn answered the door.

"Well, Nicky! Come on in!" Dawn said.

"Dawn Schafer this isn't a social call. I am here on official business and I am afraid I am here to take you down to the police station for questioning."

"Is this for the uranium case?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry Dawn but they insist."

"Can I bring my lawyer with me?" She asked referring to Logan. 

"He can follow the police car."

"I'll get my car and meet you around the front," said Logan.

Dawn compliantly got into the back of the police car. She felt like a criminal. But she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. 

Mallory was busy researching Stoneybrook's history. She felt she was tapping into something. She discovered that during prohibition some citizens in Stoneybrook hid alcohol in secret passages. She also found out that Humphrey Porter used to be a very prominent doctor in the area. She had looked through all the books she had to find out more information. She had a few articles from the paper that seemed that Humphrey was a doctor at the hospital at one time that treated patients that varied from paralyzation at mental illness, diseased, and other wide variety of physical and mental disorders. Mallory wondered if he was a doctor why did he donate land for the school? Why not a medical facility or something to do with his field?

She decided to try to look through the boxes and boxes of stuff they had from the hospital. Mallory dug for hours. She started making piles of information she could use for other people for her project. Finally, she came to an old newspaper and took it out.

"Pay dirt!" She yelled! She had found something. On the top, it read that Humphrey Porter had been fired for malpractice at Stoneybrook hospital. It seemed he had been trying out some holistic healing methods on the patients and a group of churchgoers that didn't like the methods. Finally, there had been an accident with one of the children that Mallory thought sounded like an autistic patient. The child had escaped the facility multiple times and either ran home or ran to the playground at Stoneybrook Elementary School. One day the child had gone to elementary school and Humphrey had tried to coax him to come back when he got spooked and ran into the street. With all the cars honking it spooked him even more and he ran right down the middle of the road to an intersection where an unsuspecting car hit and killed him. 

Mallory felt sad. The poor child must have been so scared. Mallory looked for any follow-up articles. She found out Humphrey was arrested and taken to jail awaiting trial. Then Mallory looked closer at the address of the home where Humphrey Porter was arrested. And she couldn't believe what she saw. The address was the same as Morbidda Destiny's house!

19 Stoneybrook: Initiation and a Surprise

 I would like to thank Julie for all the Hogwarts and HP help along with helping me with the plot of Dawn in this story. We hope you enjoy our little surprises we throw in here in there in the story. We try to make side characters more prominent in our story and every aspect is fair game! Pizza toast and enjoy!

Initiation and a Surprise

Karen gave Claudia a robe to wear for the secret passage. She said all the people in initiation wear them until they are initiated fully but you can always wear them afterward too. They were going to head down to the Tavern first to meet Ricky and then go down to the main area of the passage one by one. Karen, Dawn, Hannie, and Nancy all went through the passage. It was amazing!

They walked through the hallway and into another one of the big rooms. Above the entrance was a symbol for a Harry Potter house, but Claudia did not see which one. This room was full of plants you could buy. Herbs and essential oils. "We call this the greenhouse. They sell Moana fruit here from Hawaii. You aren't supposed to take it out of Hawaii and it makes you get a buzz like you are drunk." Hannie said.

"Cool," Claudia said. She thought about buying one for Dawn's birthday but decided to wait until after her first visit. Karen moved the group along introducing Claudia to people along the way. They went through a restaurant called Mandrakes that had lots of vegetarian dishes. 

They went through a club-type area that was lighted with floating candles (most places in the passage were lit up from battery-operated lights, Christmas lights, lanterns, and other various techniques). "That's the Ministry Club, but we don't have the time to stop. We have to meet Ricky."

They finally got to a Tavern called The Leaky Cauldron. Ricky already had them a table lit by a lantern. He had ordered them each a Butterbeer and it was delivered by James and Mathew Hobart! "Hi, Claudia!" They said. "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

"Down here they are known as the Weasely Brothers. They make the Butterbeer."

"Good to see you! I saw Ben just the other day." Claudia tried the Butterbeer and it was surprisingly really good! They were all visiting and talking at the table when Alan Gray came up to their table.

"Hey Karen! " he came up and sat next to her. "Claudia! So you're being initiated?"

"Looks like it."

"Well welcome! Karen and I will have to take you to the main hall some time."

"I would love that!"

The next place they headed to, Ricky and Alan in tow, was Hufflepuff Lounge. This was a place that had two separate rooms, one where people could vape or smoke cigars and cigarettes and the other side had essential oil pens. They also sold them with cool names such as Deatheaters Delight and Mandrake Madness. Claudia couldn't help but notice Karen and Alan were acting very much like a couple, holding hands, kissing, the works.

Next, they went to the main section. It was very large and open and there were two stories to it. It reminded Claudia of the inside entrance to Ralph Lauren at Washington Mall. Karen said there wasn't much going on there that night but all kinds of main gatherings were always held there. Tonight there were pushcarts with people selling different items such as jewelry and glow-in-the-dark roses. Alan bought a rose for Karen.

"A rose for my lady," he said. All Claudia could think was she had a lot to report to Kristy about.

The next day Kristy was leaving to go back on the road with her baseball team. She would return when she could throughout the summer and pick up Abby. She didn't want to leave in some ways she didn't want to leave after Claudia reported to her what she saw with Karen and Alan the night before. "Whatever you do keep an eye on them and report back to me."

"Ok Kristy," said Claudia.

Some of the old gang had come to see Kristy off, including Mary Anne, Dawn, Pete, Bart, and Jessi. Dawn had run early that morning with Bart and after they said goodbye to Kristy she was heading over to the recycling center with Pete to see what it looked like now and get the grand VIP tour. Things were getting confusing for Dawn. But she told herself to just be reasonable and have fun. They were all friends, besides she was going back to California in the fall. She would just enjoy Pete and Bart while she was here. She loved hanging out with them both and for different reasons. Once Kristy had set off to sail, Mary Anne and Jessi went off in one direction, Bart in another, and Dawn hopped into Pete's car, and off they went to the recycling center.

Dawn knew the recycling center had expanded a lot and she was excited to check it out. Pete said that the center had also made up stickers for citizens voting for him to put on their bins. 

"One of my friends runs the center now. He moved here from California too. But that was a long time ago." Said Pete.

"That sounds cool. I also have some ideas about plant-based straws for restaurants around town. They are biodegradable and in some cases a lot cheaper than plastic straws."

"These are good ideas, Dawn. You should write some of this down for a booth at the Rainforest marathon. People are going to be setting up booths and making a day of it."

"Really? That sounds awesome. I will write down some ideas and try to get a demonstration together. I'm sure my friends will be glad to help while we are running the marathon. And once the marathon is over I can help out. We can take it in shifts."

"That would be awesome," Pete said as they pulled into the recycling center parking lot. Dawn and Pete walked into the lobby where a receptionist greeted them.

"Hello Pete, the MRF manager is expecting you. And you must be Dawn, the founder! It is an exciting day for us. Let me just tell him that you are here." She went back to her desk and spoke to someone on the phone.

"MRF stands for a materials recovery facility. It's just a fancy word for the recycling center." Pete informed Dawn. 

Just then a familiar-looking man entered in jeans and a waste management t-shirt. Dawn's jaw dropped. Mentally and physically. She immediately knew who it was. She stood there paralyzed from being caught off guard. 

"Pete! Great to see you! Can't wait to show you around. My staff and I have a lot of things for you today. And Dawn! Our founder! You will love what we have done with what you started. Oh, sorry, you may not remember me from school. I'm Jaimie Anderson."