The Koyer’s clock upstairs was loud, and made the Silence seem eerier than usual. The citizens of Maple Valley were still in their homes, not quite ready to begin another day. As the minutes slowly ticked by, the birds began to sing their wake up songs, disturbing the peace and quiet. Sleepy adults groggily rose from their beds as the children slept on. It was the first day of summer break, and all the students welcomed it with light snores as sunlight streamed in from their windows, as if poking them to awaken. Meanwhile, the adults were busy organizing the final details of the Maple Valley’s Summer Party, an annual celebration where all the citizens of Maple Valley gathered together at the local library to start off the summer.

The usually distinct hours blurred together as the time of the event drew closer. The tables and chairs were set, balloons were put in place, and the food arrived from the caterer steaming hot. One by one the families started to trickle in the library and out onto the courtyard. Aimee Koyer, along with Mr. Joshua Koyer and Mrs. Lana Koyer, were greeted as they walked in. Aimee Koyer was a persistent fifteen year old girl with brown wavy hair that reached down to the middle of her back, and startling green eyes. Her father, Joshua Koyer, was a tired old man who co-owned the Pesto Cafe with Lana Koyer, his wife, and wrote for the Maple Valley Daily.

The party was located in the public library’s courtyard. Tables and chairs were set up on the grass, and the food was arranged buffet style, along one side of the wall. A DJ was busy selecting songs at the front of the courtyard, where a makeshift dance floor was brought in. The sun hadn’t begun to slowly dip down just yet, and the full moon was already visible in the broad daylight.

While the adults chitchatted in small groups, the kids played. Some teenagers were gobbling down food, and others were sullenly sitting at the tables with their phones. Not quite sure what to do, Aimee wandered in circles aimlessly until she stopped at the group of kids gathered around a radio, singing songs. She stood there and listened to their voices crashing with each other, and winced. However, the kids just sang louder, not caring that they weren’t in tune.

“Not the best voices, right?” Mara Stone said to Aimee as they both looked at the obliviously happy group. Mara was a bubbly thirteen year old who sometimes had the persona of a little child’s. Aimee didn’t know Mara that well, but she did know her brother Zachary, who was the same age as her and was in some of her classes the previous year. Of course, everyone in town knew Mr. Charles Stone, Mara and Zachary’s father, who was a world-class detective and a nice, friendly man.

“Not the best,” Aimee agreed before turning to leave. A solitary introvert, she felt uncomfortable speaking with people she didn’t know. The only ones who didn’t fall into that category were her parents. Mara followed Aimee to a table, seemingly unaware of her unwanted presence. She plopped down in the seat next to Aimee’s.

“It’s finally summer!” She squealed as Aimee raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m gonna do so much this summer...” Mara started to ramble on and on as Aimee searched the crowd for her parents. Seeing her father, she got up to meet him and escape Mara’s overwhelming one-sided conversation, but froze in the middle of a step when Mr. Koyer motioned for her to stay and keep Mara company. She slumped back into her seat as the younger girl continued to babble about her plans.

“...So, what about you?” Mara said, pausing for a much needed breath. Her blue eyes shone as she eagerly awaited Aimee’s exciting summer ambitions.

“I’m gonna stay at home, sleep, read. Stuff like that...” Aimee said lamely. Caught off guard, Mara just stared blankly at her new friend before quickly saying, “Oh, that’s fun too!” Aimee groaned and sat face down at the table. Mara worriedly shook Aimee’s shoulder.

“Aims? Aimee? Aimeeee.” She poked her head. There was silence, and Aimee thought that Mara had left. But then, Mara’s cheerful voice crushed Aimee’s hopes “Oh, how are you doing, Mr. Koyer?” Aimee immediately straightened and flashed her father an accusing glare, only to find an unapologetic smile and a twinkle in his eye.

“I’m doing well,” Mr. Koyer said jollily. “And how are you, Mara?”

“Just fine!” Mara chirped brightly. “Aimee’s been keeping me company. We’re best friends!” At that, Aimee whirled her head around to see Mara smiling innocently back at her. I don’t even like kids my own age, Aimee thought. How could I possibly like a thirteen year old?

She heard a noise that sounded like something between a snort and a scoff. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what happened,” Zachary said, settling into the seat next to Mara’s.

“It is!” Mara insisted. Aimee rolled her eyes while Mr. Koyer nodded in agreement with Mara. “Oooh, have you guys met yet?” Mara said. Aimee and Zachary exchanged questioning looks.

“Yes, we have,” Zachary said. “We were in some classes together.”

“We even did some projec-”

“How come I never knew?” Mara interrupted. She was hurt and upset at the thought that Zachary met Aimee before she did, the “Ultimate Friend”.

“Uh, we did them at the library. You okay?” Aimee asked Mara. Her face was contorted and her eyes were shut tightly.

“No!” She bawled, and ran from the table. Mr. Koyer just flashed Aimee a disapproving look before hurrying after the wailing girl, who was been comforted by a bewildered Mrs. Koyer. Aimee sighed, and put her head back on the table while Zachary stayed silent. Mara sat sniffling on Mrs. Koyer’s lap as Mr. Koyer talked calmly to her.

“I didn’t mean that,” Aimee said to no one in particular.

Zachary scoffed. “Didn’t mean what? She was just upset that I got to know you before she did.” Aimee rolled her head to the side to look at Zachary. Both intelligent bookworms, they often spent time at the library, reading at the same table or sitting across from each other while on the computers. The only people that were as close to friends as they could get were each other, not counting family members. Mara shuffled back to the table with her head down and her eyes red. Unable to think of one single helpful word, Aimee just sat there while Zachary awkwardly patted his sister on the back, saying “There, there.” Aimee patted Mara on the head, as if she were a pet, before quickly retreating back to her seat.

Mara gave a crooked half smile at both of them, and apologized for her outburst. The duo accepted her apology immediately.

“Well,” Mara said, standing up to leave. “I’m gonna go get a drink. You guys want anything?” They both declined, raising their drinks in the air as a salute, and Mara playfully bowed before running off to get the last of the pops. The music blared loudly from the speakers as kids started to jump around and scream the high notes. Adults tired to speak even louder than the song and voices combined. Even though they were sitting at the table farthest from the racket, Aimee and Zachary decided to wait the song out. They were the only ones silent and listening to every voice, every conversation, and every melody. That’s why they were the only ones who heard the gunshot.

“Did you hear that?” Aimee hissed, hitting Zachary with the back of her hand. Meanwhile, the music was still blaring, the kids were still singing, the adults were still talking loudly, and the teenagers were still absorbed in the contents on their phones. Mara’s eyes were ringing as she walked back to the table with a can in hand.

“What’s wrong?” Mara asked, concerned. “Your faces are all...weird-like.”

“Gee, thanks,” Aimee said dryly. “You didn’t hear that?”

Mara was confused. “Hear what? I couldn’t hear anything over the noise.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Zachary said, with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

“Hey kids!” Mr. Elijah Woods said, approaching the exit.

“Hi,” the trio chorused.

“Where you going, Mr. Woods?” Aimee asked somewhat suspiciously, though she couldn’t tell why. “You’re leaving already?”

“Oh, no!” Mr. Woods said. “I’m just going to check up on Mr. Billingham.” He tipped his hat and walked away. Mr. Billingham was a man in his forties who had the heart and soul of someone beyond his years. He wasn’t accustomed to the loud noise, and had decided to stay at home during the party. Mr. Woods was a friend of Mr. Billingham’s during all their years of school together.

The group sat idly as the music winded down and conversations came to a close. Kids stood by their parents, waiting for them to take them home. Other adults helped with the cleaning up of the courtyard. A comfortable silence filled the atmosphere, only to be broken a few minutes later, with Mr. Woods wheezing and heaving from a fast run.

“Hurry!” He said, his eyes wide. “Someone’s shut old Billingham.”