Before we go any further with this story, we have another character to introduce:

Patricia Leigh Stebbins was a useless toy thrown into a toy box and hidden in a dark closet. And who is she? Why would she be described as a useless toy? Since no one in Montagne Beach knows who she is, I’ll describe her to you:

15-year-old Patricia (also known as Trixie) was diagnosed with a mental disability in childhood, which limited her social ability and thinking. Many people despised her because of her disability. Her mother had abandoned her when she was seven months old and her father was nowhere to be found. She stayed in many foster homes, often for several weeks. She would have spent the rest of her life in a mental hospital if the social worker in charge of her hadn’t called Rajasthan Stebbins, claimed him as Trixie's father, and forced him to take her in.

Rajasthan was the widowed husband of Bernadine Danton. They had three children named Alexander, Zackery, & Johnny. None of them liked Trixie and she didn’t like them. Rajasthan tried (and failed) to get rid of Trixie by forcing her into a mental hospital. His father, Ardeth Salamati, refused to allow his oldest son to put his only daughter in a hospital. Ardeth also requested that Trixie come live with him, but Rajasthan locked Trixie in an upper room and refused to acknowledge her existence.

In fact, the only people who knew about Trixie (next to Ardeth) were Rajasthan’s brother Skylar, Skylar’s daughter Josie, Rajasthan’s sister Sarana Stebbins Mayhew, and her children Amber and Tommy Mayhew. None of them met Trixie, as Rajasthan made sure they didn’t tell the rest of the Salamati family about Trixie.

(Of course, someone would eventually reveal the secret about Trixie, as nothing lasts forever, especially secrets. Who it was is up for debate. But that’s for another episode, as we have to deal with a more important issue.)

It was now Tuesday, January 12, 1988, and Trixie was sitting in her room in the upper part of the Stebbins house. This large house had a rustic look to it and it was in average condition. The interior was done in colors that remind you of the inside of a seashell. The yard was large and neatly trimmed. Also, the house is rumored to be haunted by many local kids. (But it was only Trixie.)

Trixie’s room was in the attic of the house; the floor was a set of multicolored rugs, yet the walls were white. There was one window in her room, but it could never open. The room was filled with worn-out pillows and stuffed animals. Trixie was staring out the window, lost in her own world when she heard a strange sound.

Of course, she was used to hearing various sounds all over the house, whether it was her brothers rushing up and down the stairs or her father bringing in her meals. Trixie frowned, knowing that it had been a very long time since she had set foot out of her room or interacted with her brothers (who hated her) and father. Yet she decided that come hell or high water, she was going to investigate the strange sound and find out what it was.

If only she knew what would happen when she stepped out the door to her room…

*-*-*-*

Unknown to Trixie, Josie Stebbins, Seth Burke, and Moira Downing had climbed the tree next to her window. There was a tree house built by a family that lived in the house before Rajasthan’s family moved to Monterey during the 1970s. The huge tree house had a roof, two rooms, carpeted floors, a refrigerator, three windows, and some furniture.

Josie said, “We’ve hit the jackpot!”

Seth said, “Won’t anyone notice that we’re there?”

Moira said, “It’s not like anyone’s going to care that we’re not in school right now, right?”

“Oh, you know Sheila WILL care if we're not in school today,” said Josie. “We should know that she won’t allow anyone to escape from her, not even for an hour. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from her tomorrow once we go back to school.”

Unknown to them, a man was at the house next door. Officer Dan McCleary was at the house where the McMillan family lived. The enormous house had a futuristic look and is in good condition. The interior is done in muted colors. The backyard was enormous and looked formal. It was also the site of an infamous murder. (In 1956, a woman named Lorraine Nolan Cymes murdered her husband Cameron Cymes. Many people suspected that witchcraft was the motive behind the killing, but nothing could be proved.)

McCleary was watching the house; Sara and Dennis McMillan and their three children 7-year-old Eugene, 8-year-old Lena, and 11-year-old Carter disappeared without a trace the week before. Like most families living in Montagne Beach, the McMillan family went to Santa Cruz to celebrate the New Year. When the family failed to return, with phone calls from Montagne Beach Elementary School and Dennis’ job claiming that Eugene, Lena, Carter, and Dennis didn’t show up for school or work, McCleary was notified. He and his partner, Richard Olson, were given the case.

To describe the two men in question, McCleary was 53 years old. He had dark skin, graying dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was also short and heavy. 26-year-old Olson had olive skin, wavy dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He is tall and thin.

McCleary sat in the car watching the house for any suspicious activity; no family would disappear on vacation without arousing suspicion. Olson was listening to the radio. The cops had no idea that the Teen Rebels were watching them.

Josie stared out the window at the car below the tree house. She said, “I think Sheila hired the cops to arrest us.”

“How do you know?” said Seth.

“Well, why else are they here?” said Moira. “I know Sheila’s family probably has the cops on their payroll, so they can harass us and get away with it. I can’t trust the system.”

“Of course we can’t trust the system,” said Josie. “What are we going to do about that?”

“Let’s be real quiet and hide inside the house,” said Seth.

“Good idea,” said Moira.

“Uh, this is my uncle Rajasthan’s house,” said Josie. “I don’t think he’ll appreciate it if we invade his house when he’s not home. In fact, he never invites me over to his house, but he’s always coming over to mine. Now, what’s up with that?”

Seth said, “The cops are watching the house, so we can’t get out of the tree house without being seen.”

“Good point,” said Moira.

Josie said, “There’s an open window; let’s go over.” She pointed to an open window next to the east side of the tree house.

The kids climbed out the tree house and through the window. The window led to a room mainly used for storage of toys and games. (The toys belonged to Josie’s cousins; the boys never played with their toys, as their parents forbade them to play with toys.) Josie led the others into the house, which was covered with some ugly carpet. The walls were wallpapered to death.

“Geez, looks like someone went extremely overboard with the décor,” said Moira.

“It’s my aunt,” said Josie.

“Now we know why you don’t come here,” said Seth. “This place is ugly!”

“I know,” said Josie. “I never liked my aunt’s sense of style and this is proof that she never would have made it as a fashion designer.”

“I can see why,” said Seth. “Your aunt was an absolute lunatic.”

“That’s why I never came here,” said Josie.

“Why not?” said Moira.

“Because my relatives were crazy, that’s why,” said Josie.

“Well, you’re not alone,” said Moira. “They say there’s one in every family, nine are in mine, and they always seem to mess things up for everyone.”

“Such a shame we can’t get rid of them,” said Seth.

“I’ve noticed,” said Josie.

*-*-*-*

Never let it be said that Trixie’s presence went unnoticed by Josie, Seth, and Moira. Or better yet, she knew they were in the house long before she saw them.

She sat in her room, overhearing the kids talking as they walked down the hallway. The stuffed animals that usually muffled the sounds only seemed to amplify the voices in the halls. But little did Trixie know that the kids in the house would soon become her friends and help her escape from her prison...

The trio walked down the hallway, not to the stairs or the rooms where Josie’s cousins slept. (Not that she wanted to go to her cousins’ rooms anyway.) In fact, they were heading towards a different place. The place where Trixie was. But they didn’t know that.

“What is this bookcase doing in the middle of the hall?” Moira said as she stared at a bookcase that sat in the middle of the hallway. The bookcase was large, filled with books and other trinkets, and appeared to be built directly into the wall.

“What bookcase?” Josie said as she stared at the bookcase.

“The bookcase in the middle of the hall,” Moira said as she pointed to the bookcase. “What’s up with that?”

“Yeah,” Seth said as he also stared at the bookcase. “Why would your aunt have a bookcase in the middle of the hall?”

“Who knows?” Josie said as she stared at the bookcase. She saw that the books on the bookcase were fake, as were the trinkets on the bookcase. She reached out and touched a book titled “The Forgotten Flower”, but the book moved aside to reveal a doorknob. “The bookcase is built INTO the wall!” she cried out. “I’ve seen those when I went on that history of California tour last year! But what is the bookcase hiding?”

“Let’s open the door and find out,” Moira said as she reached for the doorknob. Just then, part of the bookcase swung open to reveal a flight of stairs.

“So, what’s at the top of the stairs?” Seth asked as they stared at a strange door on top of the stairs.

“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll have to find out,” said Josie.

The kids walked through the bookcase, then climbed the staircase and reached a strange door. The door swung open and revealed a room that wasn’t like the rooms that Josie saw, and she had seen several rooms in her life.

The room was small, with the floor being a set of multicolored rugs, yet the walls were white. A window was seen in the middle of the room, but it could never open under any circumstances. The room was filled with a huge pile of worn-out pillows and stuffed animals. There was no furniture or posters of rock singers on the walls.

“Do you see what I see?” Seth said as they stared into the room.

“Yeah,” said Moira. “What of it?”

“This room is weird, that’s what it is,” said Seth.

“Are you sure this is a room?” said Moira.

“Well, to be honest, this isn’t a room at all,” said Josie. “This place is a prison. We shouldn’t be here. Now, let’s get out of here before someone finds us.”

“The only thing we have to worry about is if the cops find us,” said Moira. “When last I checked, Sheila Baines hired cops to arrest any kids who weren’t following her rules. I don’t want to be arrested for anything, if it could be helped.”

“I know,” said Seth. “I’m not about to go to jail because of Sheila’s insecurities.”

“I say we leave now,” Josie said as they turned around and left. Suddenly, Seth’s foot caught itself on a stuffed toy and the kids fell down the stairs, bumping their heads on the wall.

Trixie didn’t ignore the fall; the fall caused the room to shake. She ended up bumping her head on the wall next to the window and falling onto the floor. She was unconscious for a long time.