The first day of high school arrived with the same chaos I remembered - familiar, unwelcome, and loud. The morning began with the hunt for the right outfit, the heavy-handed swipe of deodorant, and the scramble to ensure every st form had been signed in the proper ink. Teeth were brushed (around new braces, of course), hair quickly tamed - all within a span of fifteen minutes. The arm, I ter discovered, had been snoozed into oblivion, as if denial could stop time. But there was no avoiding it. Lily was fourteen now.

  "Earth to Ruth," she sighed. "I can't find my neckce."

  The past year had taken an especially heavy toll on Lily. Seeing her father—the man who had adopted her as an infant, her protector, and the only person she truly trusted—be sent to prison was utterly heartbreaking. As everything around her seemed to fall apart, Robinson Banking, of all institutions, swooped in and seized the Monteraven estate, including the home that had once been her sanctuary. While at the house, I managed to quietly take a neckce her father had given her just weeks before the murder occurred. It was a delicate silver bird—perhaps a symbol of his wish for her to spread her wings and face the world without fear. Even though it was against my better judgement to take the neckce, the hint of her smile made it all worth it.

  "Don't worry, Lily. We will find it." If I was a lost neckce, where would I go?

  ...

  Little River High School is rather quaint compared to other schools in the area, but it is a ndmark that we're proud to have here in our town. The leaves on the rge maple trees surrounding the entrance had turned from their beautiful summer green to a lovely orange-red, matching the color scheme of the worn, mossy bricks on the outside of the building. A gardener was hard at work, trimming down a bush that I quickly identified as a Gardenia. Once inside the building, one would immediately notice the welcoming (yet somehow simultaneously intimidating) staircase that leads to the cssrooms and offices on the upper level. Conveniently located to the left of the staircase is the main office, while the entrance to the cafeteria is on the right. Posters lined the walls, welcoming new and returning students to the school. I watched outside as parents honked at each other, trying to navigate the drop-off system. Luckily for Lily and me, we had walked, as all effective small-town detectives do.

  Lily ced the neckce between her fingers, delicately twisting the small bird around them. How that neckce managed to slide between the couch cushions is a mystery I'll never know the answer to.

  "Penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

  "Just... nervous, I guess," Lily sighed.

  I looked deep into her eyes. It might be more than just nerves. In all my years of investigating, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd have to decipher emotions as complex of those of a teenager - let alone a teenager that I have legal guardianship of. Was it too soon to start her back at school? Did she need more time to adjust?

  Little did I know that by the end of the day, my worries would go far beyond a missing neckce and whether I should have homeschooled Lily.