Everyone in Blackwood Lies

Blackwood was a small town surrounded by a vast, endless forest that seemed to swallow everything beyond its borders. Fog was almost always hanging between the trees, especially in the early mornings and late evenings. It rolled down from the hills and settled over the rooftops, the streets, and the lake, turning familiar places into something strangely unfamiliar. Despite that, the people of Blackwood were happy. Or at least, that was what it looked like. They went to work, sent their children to school, met their friends for coffee, complained about the weather, and lived their lives as if there was nothing in the world worth being afraid of. Blackwood had one main road leading into town and another way out. Most people didn’t notice how strange that was. If you followed the road far enough, you would eventually reach the highway and leave Blackwood behind. But if you turned around, the town seemed to disappear into the forest almost immediately. At the center of Blackwood stood the old town hall, a large stone building that had been there for generations. Right beside it was Blackwood High School. There wasn’t much else. A grocery store, a pharmacy, a small hospital, a police station, a few family-owned shops, and, of course, Freddie’s Diner. For the teenagers of Blackwood, Freddie’s was practically the center of the universe. After school, the booths were always filled with students drinking milkshakes, stealing fries from each other’s plates, doing homework they should have finished the night before, or simply trying to avoid going home. During summer, however, most of them preferred Blackwood Lake. The lake was surrounded by trees and old wooden cabins, some of which had been abandoned for years. During the day, it was beautiful. The water reflected the sky, people swam from the old pier, and families brought picnic baskets and blankets. At night, it was different. The fog settled over the water, the forest became completely silent, and nobody went there alone. At least, nobody who had grown up in Blackwood. There were stories about the lake. There were always stories in Blackwood. Some people said a boy had drowned there decades ago and that his body had never been found. Others claimed they had seen lights moving between the trees late at night. And then there were the stories about the Five. Nobody liked talking about them. Not anymore. But everyone knew who they were. Five teenagers who had disappeared seventeen years ago. Five names that were still remembered by the older residents of Blackwood. Five photographs that had once covered the walls of the police station. Five children who had walked into the forest one night and never come home. The town had searched for them for months. They found nothing. No bodies. No clothes. No evidence. Nothing. Eventually, people stopped looking. Life continued. It always did. And Blackwood learned how to live with unanswered questions. Evelyn Callahan, or Evie, as everyone called her, had lived in Blackwood her entire life. She had grown up in one of the most beautiful houses in town, a large old Victorian home surrounded by trees and a white wooden fence. The Callahans were one of Blackwood’s oldest families. Their name was everywhere. On plaques, on old photographs, in newspaper articles. People respected the Callahans. They trusted them. At least, that was what Evie had always believed. Her father, Thomas Callahan, was a doctor at Blackwood General Hospital. He was the kind of man everyone in town seemed to know. He had treated half of Blackwood’s population at some point in his career, and people often stopped him on the street just to ask how he was doing. Her mother, Elizabeth Callahan, worked as a local news reporter. She knew everyone’s business. Every accident. Every scandal. Every argument between neighbors. Every story the police didn’t want the public to know about. Evie had an older sister, Charlotte, who was twenty and had already left Blackwood for college. The four of them had always seemed like the perfect family. At least from the outside. And perhaps that was the problem. Everyone in Blackwood was good at looking perfect from the outside. Evie had always been different from her sister. While Charlotte had been outgoing and confident, Evie preferred books, quiet places, and observing people from a distance. She noticed things. Small things. The way someone avoided eye contact. The way someone’s voice changed when they lied. The way her mother sometimes stopped talking whenever Evie entered a room. The way her father became strangely uncomfortable whenever anyone mentioned the Five missing teenagers. Evie remembered things too. Things other people forgot. Things they wished she would forget. Her best friend lived right next door. Lucas Reed. They had practically grown up together. Their backyards were separated by a wooden fence that had been broken so many times that their parents had eventually stopped repairing it. Lucas was everything Evie wasn’t. Funny, confident, loud, reckless. He could walk into a room full of strangers and somehow leave with ten new friends. He was also the person who had been there every time Evie needed someone, especially during freshman year. High school had not been kind to her. Blackwood High was small enough that everyone knew your name, but somehow large enough to make you feel completely alone. There were cliques, rumors, bullying, and constant pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way, date the right person, wear the right clothes, and pretend you didn’t care about any of it. Evie had spent most of freshman year trying to disappear. Lucas refused to let her. Whenever someone made a comment about her, he stepped in. Whenever someone pushed her, he pushed back. And whenever someone tried to embarrass her, Lucas somehow managed to embarrass them instead. It earned him plenty of respect. It also earned him more detention slips than anyone else in his grade. So, at the beginning of sophomore year, they made a promise. This year would be different. Evie would stop letting people walk over her. Lucas would stop getting into fights. They would both keep their heads down. They would survive high school. And, most importantly, they would eventually leave Blackwood. Lucas had even made the Blackwood lacrosse team. He was proud of it. His father, Freddie, was even prouder. Freddie owned the diner on Main Street, which meant Lucas had basically grown up behind the counter. His mother, however, was rarely around. She worked in another town and spent most of her time there. Lucas never complained about it. He simply stopped expecting her to come home. He also had an older brother. At least, he had once. His brother, Elliot, disappeared when Lucas was still a baby. Lucas didn’t remember him. Nobody expected him to. But everyone else remembered. The search lasted for months. Police searched the forest. Divers searched the lake. Volunteers searched the roads. They questioned neighbors, friends, teachers, and family members. Nothing. No body. No evidence. No explanation. Elliot Reed simply vanished. Eventually, the town gave him a name. One of the Five. Lucas hated that name. He hated hearing adults whisper about his brother. He hated the pity in their eyes. Most of all, he hated that there was no grave to visit. No place to put flowers. No place to say goodbye. Just an empty space in his family’s history. By the third day of sophomore year, Lucas had already broken their promise. Again. He was sitting outside the principal’s office, staring at another detention slip in his hand. Three days. Three days into the new school year. Three days into his promise to stay out of trouble. Three days into his attempt to prove that he wasn’t the reckless kid everyone expected him to be. He looked at the paper, then at the clock, then at the ceiling. “I’m going to kill you,” Evie said from the chair beside him. Lucas turned his head. “You say that like it’s my fault.” “It is literally your fault.” “I didn’t start it.” “You punched him.” “He deserved it.” “You always say that.” “Because people keep deserving it.” Evie sighed. Lucas smiled. For a moment, everything felt normal. Just two teenagers sitting outside the principal’s office. Just another school day. Just another stupid fight. But neither of them noticed the figure standing at the end of the hallway, watching them. The person stood completely still, then slowly turned and disappeared around the corner. Evie suddenly looked up. “Did you see that?” Lucas frowned. “See what?” She stared down the empty hallway. “Nothing.” Evie sighed. She was about to say something when the principal’s office door suddenly opened. A tall man stepped into the hallway, holding a folder against his chest. His gray hair was neatly combed back, and his expression made it immediately obvious that he had been a principal for far too long. “Callahan. Reed.” It was Mr. Harrison, the principal of Blackwood High. He had been working at the school for almost fifteen years and had a reputation for being strict, especially when it came to fighting, skipping class, and students who thought school rules were optional. He looked at Lucas first. “Reed, I assume you know why you’re here.” Lucas shrugged. “Because I’m a valued member of the school community?” Harrison stared at him. Lucas sighed. “Because I punched someone.” “Correct.” “Technically, he punched me first.” “And technically, you broke his nose.” Lucas looked down at his hands. “Yeah. That sounds about right.” Evie covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Harrison noticed. “Something funny, Miss Callahan?” Her smile disappeared immediately. “No, sir.” “Good. Because you’re not here for entertainment.” Lucas looked at her. “You’re here too?” Evie gave him a confused look. “I was literally sitting here because you got me dragged into this.” “Exactly. Emotional support.” “Reed.” “Sorry.” Principal Harrison opened the door wider. “Inside. Both of you.” Evie stood up and followed Lucas into the office. The room smelled like old paper, coffee, and the strange air freshener Harrison always kept on his desk. Evie had been there before. Too many times. Usually because of Lucas. They sat in the two chairs directly in front of the principal’s desk. Harrison placed the folder down and sat opposite them. “Since this is already your third disciplinary incident this semester, Lucas, you’re receiving three hours of detention.” Lucas’s eyes widened. “Three?” “You’re lucky it’s not three days.” “But it’s only the third day of school.” “Exactly.” Lucas leaned back in his chair. “That’s impressive.” “That’s not something to be proud of.” “I know.” Harrison turned toward Evie. “And you.” Evie straightened. “Yes, sir?” “You’re receiving one hour.” Her eyebrows rose. “For what?” “For being present during the fight and failing to report it.” “I didn’t see the beginning.” “You saw enough.” Evie opened her mouth, but Harrison raised a hand. “Don’t argue with me, Miss Callahan.” She closed her mouth. “Yes, sir.” Harrison looked between them. “Your detention begins after school today. Room 204. No phones. No talking. You will spend the entire time doing whatever assignments I give you.” Lucas looked at Evie. She stared straight ahead. School was boring enough on a normal day, and knowing they had to spend the afternoon sitting in detention with Principal Harrison made it even worse. What neither of them expected, however, was that they wouldn’t be alone. At 3:15, the final bell rang. Students flooded the hallways, laughing and shouting as they rushed toward the doors. Evie and Lucas walked in the opposite direction. Room 204 was on the second floor, at the end of a hallway most students rarely used. When they entered, Principal Harrison was already there. He pointed toward two desks near the windows. “Sit.” Lucas dropped into his chair, and Evie sat beside him. For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Then Lucas whispered, “This is going to be the longest three hours of my life.” Evie glanced at him. “You brought this on yourself.” “I know.” “You’re an idiot.” “I know.” She smiled slightly. Then the door opened. Evie looked up. A girl walked inside. She was carrying a backpack over one shoulder and looking around the room as if she had no idea where she was supposed to go. Harrison checked something on his clipboard. “Bennett?” The girl nodded. “Harper Bennett.” “Take the seat in the back.” Harper looked around. Her eyes briefly met Evie’s before she walked to the empty desk near the window. Evie had seen her around school. She was new. She had transferred to Blackwood High only a few weeks earlier and hadn’t really spoken to anyone. Before Evie could think much about it, the door opened again. This time, a boy walked in. He was tall, dressed entirely in dark clothes, with messy brown hair falling over his forehead. He didn’t say anything. Harrison looked at his clipboard. “Cole.” The boy nodded. “Ethan Cole.” “Back seat.” Ethan walked past them without saying a word. Lucas watched him sit down, then leaned toward Evie. “Who are they?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know everyone?” “Apparently not.” Lucas looked at the two strangers. Harper was staring out the window. Ethan was looking down at the desk in front of him. Neither seemed interested in talking. Principal Harrison closed the door. “Now that everyone is here, let me make one thing very clear. You are all here because you have managed to make my job considerably harder than it needs to be.” Lucas raised his hand. Harrison stared at him. Lucas slowly lowered it. “Right.” Harrison placed a stack of papers on the desk. “You’ll be spending the next three hours reflecting on your behavior.” Lucas looked at the papers. “Are we allowed to die of boredom?” “No.” “Shame.” Evie rolled her eyes. Outside, the last students were leaving the school. The parking lot slowly emptied, and the halls became silent. For the first time that afternoon, Evie noticed how different the school felt without hundreds of students inside it. The familiar building suddenly seemed much larger. Much emptier. She looked toward the window. The fog had started creeping between the trees surrounding Blackwood. She couldn’t explain why, but something about it made her uncomfortable.