𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 . . .
❛𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗉𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗋❜

𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 —
episode two

𖡡 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘇-𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲
𝟱:𝟰𝟱 𝗽𝗺

"Did you find the head torch?" Pippa questioned, barely looking up from her phone as their mother came into view.

Poppi was scouring the cabinets for any last minute snacks she could shove into the already full backpack she had. Her bag made her shoulders droop slightly, but she still managed to get up on her tippy-toes to grab the last packet of crisps from the top cabinet

"One better. This bad boy has no battery." She told them enthusiastically. "And no light," Victor grumbled quietly, much to their mother's dismay.

"It has a light!" She began to crank the handle, the loud noise causing Poppi to shut her eyes tight.

She passed the light off to Pip, and Poppi moved toward them to give her final hugs goodbye. "Okay, okay. And release, just release, okay? I'll only be going for one night." Pippa's words were muffled.

Victor wrapped his arm around her frame, and she hugged back, before releasing and moving toward their mum.

"Like Pip said, it's just one night, Mum. Don't get your panties in a wad." Poppi giggled, earning a glare from her mother.

"Okay. Who's driving?" She questioned.

"Me, obviously!" Poppi pointed to herself, before Pippa interrupted. "She's not, I am. No need to worry!"

"It's okay." Victor consoled. "Pip is responsible."

"Uh!" Poppi's jaw dropped, and Pippa gave a satisfied smirk.

"What do you need to remember about driving in cars with friends?" Poppi groaned, embarrassment tinging her cheeks.

"Strap on, slow right down, don't show off or clown around!" The two of them mumbled, doing the accompanying dance.

"Clowning around is the number one cause of-"

"-of teenage automobile fatalities, yes, we know!" Poppi finished, pulling her mum into a hug before she could protest any longer.

"Have fun. And wish Cara a happy birthday from me!" Victor pointed, calling out to the girls as they exited the kitchen.

Poppi played the end of the Nat Da Silva interview, while Ravi listened intently. "You're right. That is weird." Ravi spoke.

"And then she got into a car with the guy from the party, the one that gave me the galaxy on my arm." Poppi told him, flashing her arm, which was still a bright shade of purples and blue.

"Are Emma and Nat still in touch?" He asked them, Pip's brows furrowed. "I don't think so. Emma moved to the city."

"Give me her number." He stuck his hand out, and Poppi grimaced.

"This isn't Christian mingle, Rav. We're solving a murder!"

"What are you gonna do?" Pip asked him, and he gave a small smile. "You'll see." Pippa grabbed her phone, clicking around to find the contact before handing it off to Ravi.

Poppi spied over his shoulder, watching as he typed Emma's number into his phone. He returned Pip's phone back to her, and the two of them leaned in closer — trying to get a better view of the small screen he typed on.

"Hey, long time no see. It's Nat here. New number." Poppi read out under her breath, gasping in delight when the realization hit her.

"Ravi Singh, you are a genius man!" She patted his shoulder. He clicked send, and within seconds Emma had typed out a response.

"Hey Nats. Miss you."

"Gimme that!" Poppi grabbed at his phone. "What? I think I know girl text a little better than you, Rav." She shrugged, before turning her attention to the message.

messages

"Nat"
How's life in town?

Emma
All good babes.

"Nat"
Well jel.
Did some weirdo girls
contact you about Andie?

Emma
Yeah.
They found me at work.
You?

"Nat"
She got me at 🏓

Emma
And???

"Nat"
I'm worried I slipped up
about Andie's complicated love life...

Emma
You told her about
Secret Older Guy?

The three of them were shocked into silence.

"That was hook, line, and sinker, Ravs. You're a genius!" She ruffled the hair atop his head, causing him to groan and stand.

"In the eyes of the world it doesn't make Sal look great, does it?" Sal broke the silence, "The jealous boyfriend is kind of the oldest move in the book."

"Yeah, but, Andie had two boyfriends!" Poppi chimed in from the backseat, her arms resting on both sides of the headrests. "Which means this Secret Older Guy is our first real suspect." Pippa finished, looking over at Ravi.

"Which means we're already one step ahead of the police."

"Which means we can ditch the creepy spot in the woods and go to Taco Bell?" Pippa and Ravi looked back at her, confused expressions painted on their faces.

"What? I was just trying to join the 'which means' party!" She threw her hands up in mock defeat, Pippa's sigh filling the car.

"Well, Ravi was right. Sal was their only suspect, we are one step ahead. Nice work, Sarge, General." He pointed, causing the twins to scowl at him.

"Sarge?"

"General?"

"Well, you're not detective inspectors yet!" The three of them smiled, and Poppi leaned back in her seat. "So, good luck on your night in the wilderness." He continued, "I'm imagining a Revenant-Style battle against the elements."

"The Mobi's vs. Nature. Who's gonna win?"

"Probably Nature. We're not really ones for the elements." Poppi replied, picking at her thumbnails. "Yeah, me neither." He looked out the window.

"So what are you going to do?" Pip glanced over at him. "Couple parties, might go clubbing!" He leaned in, a teasing expression on his face that Poppi couldn't read.

"Wait, really?" She questioned, and Ravi shook his head.

"No way. More like a double shift at the pub, bus home, followed by an all-night gaming session in my bedroom." He rolled his eyes.

"Woah, being an adult sucks!" Poppi mumbled, earning a glare from Pippa.

Poppi could hear the rolling of the coolers, and Elliot's voice as Cara barreled out of the house. "I should head off." Ravi began to open the door.

"No, you've got to meet Cara." Pippa said it as if it was non-negotiable. "No, no, it's fine!" He disagreed, but Pip was already halfway out the door.

The three of them stepped out of the car, Poppi trailing slightly behind as they moved toward Cara.

"Cara, this is Ravi. We're all working together on the case, like I said." Pip introduced, an awkward beat of silence following after before Poppi chimed in.

"Ravi, this is Cara, best friends since we were four!" Poppi gestured.

"Cara, Ravi. Ravi, Cara." She rushed out, motioning back and forth between the two of them — an awkward laugh ghosting her lips.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So I should go, but you girls enjoy your trip." Ravi told them, giving Poppi a small pat on the shoulder before walking off. The three of them moved toward the trunk, beginning to stash their bags.

"What's he doing now? Didn't he drop out of school?" Cara questioned. "Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. Look where he ended up!" Pippa defended.

Poppi groaned, trying to lift the tent to the best of her ability. "This tent is enormous!" She grumbled, pulling it up and throwing it into the trunk.

"I'd say it's tent-sized," Cara replied, causing Pippa to snort.

"Did your mum make you sing the drive safety song?" Cara teased, and Poppi rolled her eyes. "Of course, strap on, slow right down and all that!"

"Is she still oblivious to the double meaning of the word strap-on?"

"Yeah." Pip smiled, throwing the cooler toward the back of the trunk, the sounds of Lauren and company beginning to fill their ears.

By nightfall, the group had set up their tent, and even started a campfire — which Poppi was duly impressed with.

"This one is for the birthday girl!" Lauren showed a bottle of alcohol, a few cheers following.

"And this... is for the rest of us." Poppi was leaned on Cara's lap, face marked with disdain at the smell of the alcohol.

"Who's gonna tell ghost stories?" Connor asked, handing the bottle over to Lauren. "Oh, yes! Mobi's, give us your top five Andie Bell killer suspects."

"You're on the list!" Pip told her, and Poppi sat up slightly — brow quirked as she leaned in close. "Where were you on the 19th of April 2019?" Lauren was quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking before she replied – "At a sleepover with you two idiots."

"The things is, if you're right and Sal didn't kill Andie, then whoever did is still out there." Zach began. "And if they find out you're looking for them, isn't there a chance they could come after you two?"

"Don't say that!" Cara uncorked the bottle, taking a swig.

"No one's gonna come after two idiot school girls doing a project, Zach, no stress!" Poppi told him, sitting up a little bit before Connor began to talk.

"Have you guys heard about the Duct Tape Killer?" He asked, looking around at all of them. "He's a serial killer. Apparently, he wraps duct tape around his victims faces, before he strangles them to death."

"Gross." Cara and Poppi said, looking over at each other proudly.

"Okay," Lauren pulled out a notebook, opening it up to reveal two pens and lines on the paper. "What are we doing?" Pippa asked.

"We're playing Charlie, Charlie."

"This is gonna end badly," Cara rolled her eyes, contempt on her face as their friends all leaned closer. "Who're we gonna summon?" Connor raised the question.

"Oh! Andie Bell!" Lauren suggested, and Poppi shook her head. Lauren took a deep breath, coaxing a giggle out of Connor and Poppi. She shushed them, Poppi pursing her lips in response.

"Andie... are you there?"

The pencils shifted, moving toward No. "Oh, well, that can't be real!" Connor disapproved. "There was a breeze!" Lauren spoke, and Poppi leaned up a bit to adjust the pencils. "Surely if she says she's not there then she kinda has to be."

"Andie... Andie... Will you speak to us?"

The group broke out into gasps as they watched the pencils turn to Yes.

"Andie, are you buried here?" Connor asked, and the group looked at him with furrowed brows. "What? He has a point! They never found her body..." Poppi trailed off, her defense done.

The group went silent, turning their attention back to the notebook. The pencils shifted again, moving toward Yes.

Poppi shrieked, grabbing at Cara's sleeves as she moved to sit up.

Poppi tip-toed toward opening of the tent, unzipping it slowly — trying to keep the volume under the snores of her friends. She pulled her head through the gap in the tent, stepping out and moving toward the trees.

She had been thinking about Black Banana Bears all the way to the campsite, and she still couldn't figure it out.

She walked around, leaves crunching under her slippers as she looked for the place with the most service.

"Score!" She whisper-yelled, watching as the three bars appeared on the corner of her phone.

instagram dms

poopifitzamobi27
can i get a hint?

acebell
what are you talking about?

poopifitzamobi27
black banana bears
can i get a hint?

acebell
i thought you were a detective?

poopifitzamobi27
amateur.
now can i get a hint?

acebell
no way
figure it out, fitz-amobi.🌲

poopifitzamobi27
now wtf does the tree mean
sent four minutes ago

HELLO
WHAT THE FUCK
DOES THE TREE MEAN
sent just now

Poppi rolled her eyes, clicking off her phone before turning on the flashlight. She began to look around, attempting to remember which way she came from.

A beam of light crossed the tree in front of her, causing her to gasp. She could hear the shrill scream from what she presumed to be Cara and Lauren a little ways over.

She began to run, following the small flash of light that passed through the trees. She weaved through the trees, trying her best not to fall. She heard a gasp, and then the sound of a body hitting the leaves.

"Pip?" She called out, seeing her sister sprawled out in pajamas.

"Down here!" She responded, pulling her body up from the ground to face Poppi. She cranked the flashlight, and Poppi turned hers toward the commotion.

They saw the outline of a body darting around, before it disappeared into the trees — leaving Pip and Poppi gasping for air in terror.

"It was a fucking serial killer."

"Got that right, Laur." Poppi grumbled, arms wrapped around her waist as she sat on the ground near her sister.

"Statistically, you're more likely to die in a bath than get murdered by a serial killer." Pippa rattled off, in an attempt calm her own nerves. "Who was it, then?" Lauren shot back, an insincerity in her tone.

"A hiker that got lost." Poppi suggested, leaning her head onto her sisters leg.

"Or it was the ghost of Andie Bell."

"Or it was just a hiker that got lost." Poppi finalized, tone sharp.

"It's okay, guys. Me and Zach will stay up and keep watch." Connor looked at them, and Poppi glanced over at the stick in his hands.

"Oh, Connor, you beautiful, charming idiot." She smiled, standing from the ground and moving toward the tent.

"No offense, Con, but we were all there when Zach knocked your physics books on the ground." Poppi pursed her lips.

"It's called the fetus. It's a defensive pose used in a lot of combat situations."

Pippa ducked into the tent, zipping it closed behind her. Poppi sat criss-cross, waiting for Pip with a blanket wrapped around her head.

"Move, Poppi." Pippa grumbled, and Poppi scooted over, making room for Pip. Poppi laid, sliding her hands under the pillow. A crinkling noise followed, and Poppi and Pip looked at each other.

Poppi grabbed around, fingers landing on a piece of paper. She pulled it from under the pillow, unfolding it. "What's it say? Let me see!" Pip whispered. Poppi turned the paper over, facing it toward Pippa whose face went white.

"STOP DIGGING, PIPPA."

The drive home was silent, and Poppi was glad when they pulled into the Fitz-Amobi driveway. After an awkward argument between Pip and Cara in the car, things were silent.

There was one good thing about it though, they caught a glimpse of Max Hastings and Naomi arguing in his car.

Poppi opened her bedroom door, met with the sight of the murder board on her wall and she groaned. She slung her bag off her shoulder, flopping on her bed.

Her head landed on a piece of paper, slightly crumpled and folded at the edges. She turned around, bringing her legs up toward her chest as she stared at the folded piece of paper.

She reached toward it, shutting her eyes hard.

She grabbed the paper, staring at it for a moment before decidedly unfolding it. Her heart stopped, before it picked up faster than before as she stared at the letters.

"YOU WERE EASY TO FIND, POPPI.
WOULDNT WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO PIPPA OR ACE, WOULD YOU?"

𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦 !
a little bit less ace than i intended for
BUT ITS OKAY
thank god we're done with the stupid camping scene cause this took FOREVER