Ivory Butterflies
by
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How it Started
It was 2:22 a.m. The world was quiet. Heather and Julia slept comfortably in their beds, and the sound of the crickets’ midnight symphony swirled around them.
In that brief moment everything seemed to be perfect. And for those few hours, as the early autumn winds whipped over the campus, enchanting the vibrant leaves which covered the ground to come to life and join the twisting dance, everything was. But the peace didn’t last.
“Fire!” someone shouted from down the hall. Smoke billowed from under the door of the girls’ room and alarms and sprinklers burst into action, pelting water onto the hardwood floors below.
The girls sprung out of bed, drenched. “What’s going on!?” Heather exclaimed.
“I don’t know!” shouted Julia as they raced to put on their black shoes and blazers.
Almer pounded on the door. “Come ladies!” she shouted. “We have to evacuate!”
Julia and Heather bolted out of their room and rushed over to join the back of a forming line.
“Okay,” said Almer, trying her best to remain calm. “Let’s see, Hannah, Ava, Jess … ” her voice trailed off as she counted. “ ... Julia, Heather. That’s it for this wing. Let’s move out.” The line began to proceed down the hall.
The procession marched through the smoke and turned into the north wing corridor. Julia stopped, grabbing Heather’s wrist and forcing her back.
“What the hell, Julia!” Heather hissed.
Julia ignored the comment, pointing to a dark and shadowy figure running across the corridor and into an empty room. “What do you think that was?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” replied Heather, “but I’m sure not going to risk my life to find out.”
“But it could be a student!”
“If it was, he or she would see us and follow,” Heather protested.
“Someone’s life could be in danger!”
“Yes, ours.”
“Well, I’m going to find out,” Julia stated.
“Well, you’re crazy,” said Heather. Julia let go of Heather’s wrist and rushed down the hall, leaving Heather standing alone by the smoky stairwell. “Julia!” she shouted. Julia looked back. “Ugh, wait for me!”
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About the Book
It was the fire that started it all. Or rather, the idea of someone starting the fire.
Julia and Heather spied a shadowy figure darting through the smoke-filled halls of their burning high school. James had seen it too. After that night, the three students decide they will do whatever it takes to catch the suspected arsonist. Together they discover hints and clues pointing to something truly sinister going on behind the staid exterior of Norwood Academy. In a confusion of cryptic messages, burglaries, hidden passages, abandoned hideaways, and kidnapping, the mystery of the ivory butterflies begins to open its wings. But as the investigation unfolds, the three detectives begin to wonder whether they are truly ready for an adventure that will put their freedom, their friendship, and even their lives at stake.
Are you ready to spread your wings and fly?
About the Author
Campbell Colby was born in the Bronx and raised in Westchester County, NY. She abandoned her private school education in kindergarten and has been happily homeschooling ever since. She finished this book at age fifteen, working faithfully every day for over a year to resolve the mystery of the Ivory Butterflies, before finally presenting the completed manuscript to her family.