Fox Files with Harrison, Conrad, Bea, and Ella

Well hello, my captive audience. Well, maybe that's not the right word. I suppose you're all free to leave. But either way, it's me, Cali Fox, and this is Fox Files.

This week is a little different. I found myself at a fancy boarding school during my time traveling wanderings. It was somewhat recently, 2018 I believe. The school looked expensive and I'm sure was very exclusive but the group sat with me and seemed very talkative, even though they were clearly hiding something.

Let's get into it!

Cali: Hi everyone. My name is Cali Fox. Would you mind doing an interview with me?

Conrad: About what?

Cali: Nothing special. I work for a newspaper and I'm just trying to connect with the community and I've been doing that with these really informal interviews.

*They all looked at each other briefly before the red head, Conrad looked back at me and nodded*

Cali: Thanks. So let's start with an easy one. What are your names?

Harrison: Harrison Fletcher

Ella: Ella Fitzpatrick

Bea: Bea Evans

Conrad: Conrad Huntingdon-Peakes, but you can call me gorgeous.

*Bea gagged and I pressed my lips together trying not to laugh.*

Cali: Okay, umm, why don't you tell me about where you're from?

Ella: All around the UK, but at the moment, we’re at our boarding school – Lainsbury Hall School.

Conrad: Hence the tie and the blazer, and the looks of intense boredom on our faces.

Cali: So, you're not a huge fan, then?

Harrison: It’s intense, a lot of homework, a lot of extra-curricular activities. We’re in our final year so we’re working hard for our exams.

Conrad: Well, you and Ella are working hard.

Bea: I’m always in trouble for this.

*She fiddled with her nose ring but didn't look overly concerened*

Conrad: It’s where this lot get to see me every day, so they love it really. It’s a full time job, though, keeping this lot in line.

Ella: It’s a full time job getting you to shut up!

*Conrad clutched his hand over his heart feigning pain*

Conrad: You wound me, El.

Harrison: It does make it a lot easier, having your friends around all the time. Boarding school is intense, but at least we have each other.

Conrad: Yep, couldn’t do it without them. You know, Harrison’s technically my favourite brother, out of the four of them, and he’s the only one with a different father… and mother… and…. Upbringing. I mean he’s not really my brother at all, but he’s still my favourite.

*I realized why I didn't generally seek out groups to talk to. I had lost control of the conversation*

Cali: Well I'm glad you have each other. What do you do for fun around here?

Harrison: Well, I like to-

Bea: snog Coco.

Ella: every minute-

Conrad: of every bloody day.

Cali: Coco?

*I looked around for a fifth friend but didn't see anyone lurking.

Ella: We hang out, Coco makes us watch a lot of conspiracy theory documentaries. There are parties in the common room sometimes.

Conrad: Where Ella likes to get drunk and kiss a few boy-

Ella: Shut up.

Conrad: Fine. I play a lot of sports, so does Harrison. I’m hockey captain, I’m pretty good, too. Just last week I scored this goal-

Harrison: Con, I promise you, she doesn’t care.

Bea: Nor do we.

Cali: Sounds like a lot of fun, I think. Tell me about the people in your lives. And who is Coco?

Ella: I’ve been through a lot lately and I haven’t been myself, but these guys have been really supportive and I’ve needed them to get through this.

*Conrad squeezed Ella's shoulder and for a brief moment, they all looked sad*

Conrad: I’m genuinely about to cry. El’s right, though. Me, too.

Bea: I agree, plus I have a girlfriend, India. She’s a little older, travelling on her gap year at the moment-

Conrad: And she’s really hot. Like, really. Bea’s pretty good looking, but India, oh my God.

Bea: this is why she blocked you on Instagram.

Conrad: I’m just saying, compared to Genevieve-

Bea: Stop commenting on my love life!

Conrad: Fine! Just yesterday we were talking about Ella’s new secret boyfriend.

Ella: I thought we moved past this! I don’t have a secret boyfriend!

*Conrad nudged her in the ribs and all the somber looks from only moments ago had melted away. There was still something there and it was really clear they still hadn't talked about Coco.

Conrad: Sure you don’t.

Harrison: We have each other, and Coco, and she’s… sort of why we’re here.

*There she is. Someone finally almost talked about her. But there was something about the way he said her name. I couldn't place my finger on what it was, but there was something about Coco and this group of kids*

Cali: What do you mean? Why are you here?

*The room seems to darken as the tension thickens between them. The group shares a significant look before anyone speaks.*

Ella: Last night, our friend-

Harrison: My girlfriend, Coco

Ella: She went missing. Her room wasn’t locked and her bed wasn’t made. Her phone was left on her dresser. We don’t know where she’s gone.

Conrad: But she’ll show up soon, with stories of some party or whatever,

Harrison: Our teachers are pretty worried, though, and so am I.

Ella: Me too. I sleep in the room next to hers, I should have heard something.

Cali: Does she usually go missing like this?

*No one responded and they just looked at each other. Ella eventually shrugged and I couldn't make heads or tails of the gesture.*

Cali: Alright. Do you have any plans for your immediate future?

Harrison: Right now, we need to find Coco. It’s driving me mad not knowing where she is.

Bea: It is odd, she’s always posting online, but since last night, nothing.

Ella: Yeah, I’m running through the last few days in my head trying to figure out what happened.

Harrison: But nothing out of the ordinary did happen, that’s the thing. We came back from half term, saw Coco yesterday and…she disappeared. But we’ll find her, we have to.

Cali: Did you report her missing? What's being done to find her?

Ella: We spoke with the police, we’re sharing her photo online, but we just don’t seem to be getting anywhere.

Harrison: That’s true, which is why I think we should look in her room.

Bea: No, Harrison, it’s a crime scene.

Harrison: but we might find something-

Conrad: Stupid idea, mate. We’re not going into her room. Scratch that for the record, please. If my FBI agent is listening, we are not going into an open crime scene, I promise, and also, my search history can be explained…

Cali: What’s on your search history?

Conrad: Boobs.

*Harrison laughed and Conrad smiled. The ladies scowled.*

Bea: For God’s sake.

Ella: So when do we get paid for babysitting the pair of you?

Cali: So she's only been gone a day? What's with the doom and gloom? She could just be out or something. The police could find something, right?

Conrad: I guess. We just need to tell the police exactly what has happened over the last few days and I’m sure she’ll turn up.

*Everyone but Conrad shifts and they all manage to avoid making any eye contact with anyone.*

Cali: What will you do when you find her?

Conrad: We’re going to be so cross with her.

Bea: She’ll have a lot of explaining to do, that’s for sure.

Harrison: We’re not really sure why she took off. If she comes back…

Ella: Things won’t really be the same.

Cali: Why?

Bea: Hmph.

Conrad: What? Wait, what did I miss? Guys? El?

Ella: Nothing, Con.

*All four of them stopped talking and just shifted their gazes around the room. There was a long silence.*

Cali: Right. So after school? What are your plans then?

Ella: I want to go to the best university.

Harrison: Me, too.

*Conrad rolled his eyes*

Conrad: they’re the two biggest nerds in our year. But sure, they’ll probably be off at some amazing uni making even nerdier friends.

Ella: Hey!

*A wide grin spread across Conrad's face.*

Conrad: Sorry. I’ll probably go to uni, too. Play sports, visit these guys, I don’t know.

Bea- I might travel for a while, join India, maybe.

Conrad- If Genevieve doesn’t get in the way…

Bea- What the Hell is that supposed--

*And just like that, something sharp twisted in my stomach and I woke up in bed next to Dustin. Looking around the room I wondered, not for the first time, what my disappearing act looked like to the people I'd left behind.*

As I yawned and crawled out of bed to google the kids before I forgot their names, I vowed to never interview another group like that. Individuals were so much easier. I wasn't sure what kind of information I'd actually gathered from the group.

There was something going on with Coco, no doubt. A quick google search confirmed what I'd suspected.

When a girl disappears, long-buried secrets resurface…

Coco is missing. Her room’s a mess, and her phone is left behind in her dorm at Lainsbury Hall School

Ella, Coco’s childhood best friend, is desperate for her to return, although she knows that if she ever sees Coco again, there’ll be a lot of explaining to do.

Bea knows that her new group of friends attracts drama, and she thinks she has the last shred of common sense between them all. Only, if that was true, she would leave Genevieve, her toxic ex, well alone.

Conrad is confident that Coco will return safe and well. Only, the way his secrets are unraveling, he’s worried he won’t be when this is all over.

Harrison and Coco are the perfect couple. Everyone knows that. But looks can be misleading. Even the smartest boy in school can make a terrible mistake.

In order to navigate the web of secrets and lies that Coco leaves behind, her circle of friends needs to unravel a few of their own.

But the question remains: What happened to Coco?

It's a lot to get into, but thankfully I found a great book on it by V B Furlong. You can check it out HERE!