Chapter Text
Sweetwater River.
6:00 A.M.
A single gunshot.
Hiding in the woods that morning by the river, I see nothing unusual. I tie my high top Chuck Taylors and begin to walk towards the sound of the gunshot, knowing full well the danger that may lie ahead. A twig snaps under my feet and I freeze. Why did I decide to come here this early in the morning? I should still be at home in bed sleeping. But no, something woke me up and told me to be here at this time. I pull my light jacket around my shoulders and begin forward again, keeping close to the trees I pass so that they might offer a hiding place for me. I hear the river water rushing around the rocks nearby and creep closer to the sound of the river. Is there a clue to offer me as to where the gunshot was fired from? I take a deep breath and inhale the smell of the river. I continue my journey.
What do I do? Should I call the police? I don't know what Sheriff Keller is going to do if I report the gunshot. I decide I'm going to at least make a note of it. If someone else reports that they heard the gunshot, then I'll come clean about hearing it. Until then, I'll keep it a secret. I move forward again. It's then that I notice a familiar red-haired boy. I feel the corners of my lips tug into a smile as I spot Archie Andrews, the boy I've had a crush on ever since I was twelve years old. I decide I'm going to go see him when I spot him with another person. At first, I think it's Betty Cooper, my best friend, but as I step closer I notice a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle and I freeze.
Miss Grundy, the music teacher.
But what are they both doing here this early in the morning? I take that as my cue and leave. I run back to my own house and notice the tears streaming down my face. I wipe them away angrily. Why am I crying? I don't even know. I run back to my room and lock the door, ignoring the fact that I just saw Betty's mom staring at me through her kitchen window. Dear God, why is that woman so nosy? I'm in my room for five precious minutes before I hear my mother groggily call my name from the front door. Groaning inwardly, I stomp downstairs and face the crazy woman herself, Alice Cooper. Of course she had to be even more nosy than she already is.
"Good morning, Ellie!" She says, her fake chipper voice piercing my ears before I've even made it to the front door. "How are you doing this morning?"
I fake a smile, knowing that's what she wants to see. "I'm doing fine, Mrs. Cooper. And how's Polly?"
Knowing that's just the place to stab her heart, her smile falters. "She's fine. I was just curious to see what you were doing out this morning."
My fake smile grows. "Well, I needed to go for a walk. So I did. I feel much better, thank you."
"Why were you wiping your eyes when you went back in the house?" She interrogates.
"Geez, when did my life get so interesting?" I snap.
"Ellie, hush," my mother quietly says. She turns to Mrs. Cooper and smiles. "If you don't mind, Alice, I would like to talk to my daughter alone. I'll figure out what happened this morning, and if anything seems to be interesting for you and your snoopy newspaper, I'll be sure to let you know. Good morning." She turns away from the door and closes it in Alice's face and smiles at me. "I'm sorry about that, dear."
"It's fine, Mom," I reply. "If it's okay with you, I'm going to go upstairs. I've had a long morning already."
My mom tucks some hair behind my ear, her tired brown eyes looking into mine. "Okay Honey. I'm going to go back to bed before your sister wakes up." She kisses my forehead and hugs me before tiptoeing up the stairs again. I wait until I hear her bedroom door close behind her before I run to the kitchen and grab some string, a notebook, some scissors, and tape. I run back to my room with my treasures and begin to form a web of the little tiny things that I've noticed going around town lately.
Riverdale. The town with Pep! As I begin to write things down, I wonder if the town is hiding secrets. Secrets that I want to dig up, even if I have to do it alone. I crack my knuckles and begin to write down what I observed this morning.
-Gunshot by Sweetwater River
-Archie and Miss Grundy: what the heck?
-Mrs. Cooper (nothing new there... she's always nosy)
I hear my baby sister start to coo from her bedroom, startling me from my deep thoughts. Thinking about the gunshot I heard this morning, I don't plan on letting her out of the house until we figure out who shot the gun.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out as I walk to my sister's room and see a text from Archie. I feel a pang in my heart as I see it.
"You awake? We need to talk," it says.
I reach my baby sister's room before I respond and see her smiling face looking up at me from her crib. I smile back at her and pick her up.
"Hey Jasmine!" I coo at her while she giggles. I kiss her cheeks as I take her to my mom's room and gently pass my sister to her.
"Archie needs me, I've got to go," I explain to my mom as I hand the baby over to her.
"Okay, just be careful," my mom states.
I walk back downstairs and head to the front door, feeling my lips curl into a smile as I open the door and see the ginger-haired boy from earlier at my front door.