It all took place in a small friendly town known as Ember. One young man by the name of Braxton Taylor lived in this small town. Braxton had been born and raised here, along with two other siblings, him being the oldest. He stood just short of six feet, being right at 5’11. He had short dark brown hair and blue eyes that matched the sky. He had a broad frame but was more on the bigger side compared to other boys his age. He had maybe two or three friends, but outside of that, he didn’t know anyone, even though Ember was the kind of small-town where everyone knew everyone. This small town was out in the country, very southern-like. The air was sweet here and around every corner, you were greeted with some kind of southern hospitality. Life was simple for the residents of Ember, for the most part at least.

Of course, there were always people who disagreed, and Braxton was one of them. He hated everything about his hometown and the memories that he has there. He felt as if he was chained down to a city that he had no care for. For as long as he could remember he always wanted to leave and live a life of his own. Ember didn’t have much in terms of work or places to go to have fun. It had a handful of fast food joints, a few shops along the main street with some small bakeries. There were also a lot of misplaced car washes, though Braxton could never understand why such a small town needed so many car washes. Outside of this, Ember didn’t stand out. However, everyone’s once peaceful lives were about to be turned upside down when tragedy strikes.

It was a regular day like any other in Ember. It was the middle of June, with temperatures rising in the high 90s. This kind of heat never stopped the residents of Ember from preparing for the biggest holiday yet. The Fourth of July. The townsfolk always went all out on this holiday, excluding Christmas, and everyone was usually bustling about getting ready for the holiday.

This day was different though. Not many people were out, it seemed as if the townsfolk were staying at home unless necessary on this day. On this day Braxton woke up in a sweat. The white t-shirt that he had put on before going to bed was now stuck to his back. His bangs clung to his forehead, he wiped away the sweat that accumulated on his forehead.

“Why is it so damn hot in here?” He muttered to himself, pushing his comforter off of him in hopes to cool off a bit. He looked at the clock at his bedside and groaned. 9:15 am. “It is way too early for it to be this hot in this house. I’m pretty sure I had set the A/C to 69 last night before bed.” He got off the bed and headed towards the living room where the thermostat was. Sometime during the night, someone had turned the heat on! ‘What is wrong with these people?’

Turning the A/C back on he headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing the last cold water bottle. He pressed the bottle to his lips and took huge sips at a time, letting out a huff when he was finished. “It’s rare to see you up this early.” A voice spoke from behind him. Braxton turned around to face the source of the voice, giving a sly smile as he did so. “Good morning to you too Sammy.” Samuel, his younger brother, stood with his hands on his hips, watching Braxton’s every move.

“Mom made breakfast this morning if you would like some.” He gestured towards the food that was placed on the kitchen table. Eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Their mom usually never cooked, so seeing the food took Braxton by surprise. “Why?” His brother just shrugged. “She was just in a good mood.”

When people saw the two brothers together they always commented on how much they look alike, when in reality they had very little similarities. The only similarity between the two was that they both had round faces, the same brown hair, and the same parents. Samuel was shorter than Braxton but was more on the slim side, and his eyes were hazel, not blue. Their personalities were also complete opposites. Samuel was a social butterfly, and was very popular among his peers, and loved playing sports. He planned to continue living in Ember while Braxton was more introverted, preferred video games over social events, and only ever wanted to travel.

“So, why ARE you up so early?” Samuel inquired. Braxton took a pancake from the stack on the table and shoved one into his mouth. “Someone turned the heat on during the night, and my room got overheated. You know I have a hard time sleeping in the heat.” He spoke through mouthfuls of pancake. Samuel cringed. “You should learn to wait to speak when you have food in your mouth.” Braxton rolled his eyes as he finished what was in his mouth. “Yeah, yeah. I was going to be getting up in an hour or so anyway. I was going to meet up with Willow and Jennifer at the coffee shop this morning. I’m grabbing a shower then heading out early to meet them.”

Willow and Jennifer would be the two people who could be considered Braxton’s best friends. Braxton had known Willow since they were almost ten years old, while he had known Jennifer at the age of fourteen. The three of them had been inseparable.

After a cold shower, Braxton put on a light blue, short-sleeved shirt with a pair of his favorite black basketball shorts. ‘It’s going to be a hot one today, I can already tell.’ He groaned at the thought as he grabbed his phone and keys from his room. ‘I just want to stay home today.’ On days like this Braxton usually just stayed in playing whatever game he felt like playing, he was now regretting making plans to meet with his friends. With a glance around the house before stepping out, he shouted. “I’ll be back in a few hours!” He was met with silence.

Getting in his car he adjusted his mirrors. He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I’m getting tired of this natural color. I should dye it soon.’ With that, he was off to meet his friends.

When he arrived he was surprised to see that Willow and Jennifer were at the front of the shop waiting for him. “You’re here early Brax.” Willow commented. Braxton snorted and patted her head. Willow stood at 5’2, with red long hair that went all the way down to her mid-back. She was stout and her face looked babyish. In a way, she was the same as Braxton when it came to wanting to be alone, but she could also be a social butterfly when she pleases, but overall she had a bubbly personality.

“I could say the same thing to you short stuff.” This caused the female to huff. “Since we’re all here, would you guys want to go ahead and head in?” Jennifer spoke up. Jennifer was taller than Willow, she was very slim and had short black hair that came down to her shoulders. Out of the three, she was the most serious one and was the self-proclaimed “mom” friend. She could also be adventurous when she picked to be. Braxton nodded and held the door open for the two females. “After you both.”

Once seated at a booth a waiter took their order, the three only getting a cup of coffee with a small bowl of ice cream to go on the side. “Are you guys excited for the Fourth of July?” Willow spoke in an excited voice. The Fourth of July was always Willow’s favorite. Braxton and Jennifer exchanged glances then smiled. “Of course we are! But have you guys noticed that no one in town is getting ready for the holiday like they used to?” Jennifer whispered. They looked around the coffee shop. Even though this place was empty, around this time it would be booming on a normal day.

“Can you blame them?” Willow asked in a hushed voice. Suddenly cups were placed in front of them and everyone jumped.

“I’m so sorry about that! I didn’t mean to scare you guys!” The waiter had returned with their drinks and ice cream. “It’s okay! We should have been paying attention, I’m sorry.” Willow was quick to apologize. “Is there anything I can get for you three?” The group all shook their heads and the waiter walked off.

“Anyways, people are all on edge lately, can you blame them?” Braxton stared off blankly as Willow spoke. “First what happened to Khloe and now Hayleigh, the whole town is on edge. It would be hard to be in high spirits when all this just happened recently.” Again, no reaction from Braxton as those words left Willow’s mouth. Jennifer eyed Braxton, clearly irritated. “Could you give SOME kind of reaction, Braxton? They were your FRIENDS! One is dead and the other is missing!” She was starting to raise her voice.

Grabbing her hand Willow hissed. “Jennifer, don’t forget where we are. Just because it’s empty doesn’t change the fact that the workers are still here and that anyone could walk in and hear you.” At the other female’s words, she blushed out of embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I just get overheated about things.”

Khloe Tate. She would have been the same age as Braxton by now, but a few months ago she had been found hanging in her room with a note. It was a suicide, but some believe that she was murdered and it was made to look like a suicide. Hayleigh Henderson. She had been a year younger than Braxton, and she had disappeared just two weeks ago. The Henderson family was well-respected in the community, and when news of Hayleigh having disappeared broke out everyone got together to search for her. Everyone came back empty-handed.

It’s said that Hayleigh had been abducted on the outskirts of town when she had originally told her parents she would be going out with her friends that day. It turned out that she never had met up with any of her friends. Braxton had become close friends with both girls, with both girls having to have started forming crushes on Braxton. The Henderson family was also a family of money, so most were perplexed that a ransom was never demanded to return Hayleigh.

“Anyways,” Willow broke Braxton’s train of thought. “I heard the Henderson’s are hiring a private investigator to help with finding Hayleigh.” This shocked and scared Braxton. Willow saw the look on his face and frowned. “Braxton, are you okay?” He nodded slowly as he took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He whispered. “If that’s true, the next person they might start looking into is me.” Both girls looked at him with confusion. “I was one of the last people to see Hayleigh the day she went missing.”