Moving Day

by Hal Bennett on 02.10.2012

33 Responses

*** Hey guys, Cornelia here. Just wanted to say sorry for not fully loading last week’s story onto the website.  I could explain the technicalities of the mishap, but it is a much easier excuse to blame it on the math test that was looming over my head (I think I passed...).  Anyways, here is the good stuff! And with no further ado, I hand the stage over to my brother! *** 

We have an entire spectrum of ideas as to who this man in the photo could be, from practical to magical, you guys covered it all.  Everything from 2q2q1  plastic surgery theory to EllaMarie ‘s suggestion of time travel, there didn’t seem to be an easy answer for the mysterious carbon copy smiling back at us from the photo on the wall. 

We decided to slink out of the firehouse without asking too many questions.  We were in the same mindset as MissMagali, if these guys were working for the other side then we don’t want them to know that we are on to them.  Are we on to them? Sometimes it feels a bit like grasping at straws but Amanda always know when to throw us a proverbial “bone” when we are feeling a bit lost or hopeless.

We were walking down the road, towards town.  No one said much, we were all feeling a bit confused and foggy headed when a moving van turned the corner too quickly and bumped one tired up onto the sidewalk nearly scaring Nia to death.

“You crazy driver!” she was running after the van shaking her fists like a cartoon character.  She didn’t get far, she was wearing heels.  It took us a moment to acknowledge the box. Was it there before? Did it drop out of the van?

It was sitting on the sidewalk with one side that said “this side up” with and arrow, only the arrow was pointed down; the box was dented.  We flipped it over to hear the tinklings of things that were clearly delicate.

Inside were shattered family portraits.  We carefully pulled the picture from the cracked frame and glass shards.  It was our man, the one in the fireman’s photo, Stark’s carbon copy.  He was sitting with a child on his lap and a woman standing over them with her hand on his shoulder. On the back was written: “Stephan Sr., Stephan Jr., Marybeth, Baltimore.”

What does this mean? Why does Baltimore keep creeping up on us? Also, who was driving that van?!

33 responses

  1. EllaMarie

    I have no idea why Baltimore is creeping up on us…

    • Faith

      I don’t know who Baltimore is and I have no clue about the van… The story isn’t loading for me, all I see is the image.

      • marycaulf

        I have no idea except a mystery & no clue who drives van.

        • BlueMagic

          I know who drove the van! A person! No just like Faith it won’t load for me :/

          • AllieK

            Uh, yeah.  Same here. Don’t think the story’s loading for anyone :/

            • 2q2q1

              Same here D:

              • arvi777

                Ditto for the no story loading

                • queenchuki

                  Unfortunately, I have the same problem.. D:

                  • Bryony

                    why is there no story? O.O
                    anyone got any clues from Amanda yet?

                    • ZoeElise

                      About the story. Maybe there isn’t one? Ooh. We should write our own! Or not….....

                      TAP has been clumsy about finishing things lately, I’ve noticed on the newsletters that they have forgotten to put in headings for things like COTW.

                      • 2q2q1

                        Good point Zoembie

                        • BlueMagic

                          Maybe someone hacked into TAP and erased the clue because it’s very important! And if we figure it out, then we know why Amanda went missing! Or I have an over active imagination that has watched to many FBI shows and Tap is just having Technical Difficulties :)

                          • 2q2q1

                            Hold on
                            If you guys go to the TAP homepage and click on our stories it should take you to last week’s story
                            So maybe they want to pay more attention to last weeks story
                            Maybe there is something we missed

                            • Faith

                              Okay, obviously it’s not just me. I’ll just pretend I can read the story…

                              Well, if someone is sneaking up on you, they obviously know or think something. Maybe he’s working for the bad guys. Or he’s a friend of Amanda’s. “Baltimore” could also think you are snooping for some case or are up to no good.

                              And about that van… I’m going to have much more trouble answering that since I don’t know the scenario. Depending on how you were wording the question, “the van” was used to do something bad or suspicious.

                              Whoever was driving that van would’ve had something to hide. Like I said for the dude named Baltimore, bad guy possibility? Wrong place, wrong time? Secret agent? Ghost out to get you? Evil ancient Eqyptian spirit who has cursed you and your friends? (Okay, I might’ve been watching too much House of Anubis)

                              Whatever the case, I think you should investigate where it took place. Like, search around the area the “van incident” happened for clues. Or squeeze the information out of Baltimore (Not confronting him, just like a test thing. See if he could answer questions, but make it look like you aren’t onto him).

                              • queenchuki

                                Faith IS doing the right thing! We should make logical conclusions like she did.. So anyway what I’m thinking is:

                                Baltimore is a good guy who’s being told to watch them, but Hal, Callie and Nia are too suspicious to trust this Baltimore guy..I’m thinking he’s something like a “guardian”..

                                About the van, I suggest you trace the license plate or maybe the road that the van passed through has some significance???

                                • Faith

                                  Yay! Fixed!

                                  And about who was driving that van, that person might’ve dropped the box on purpose. Friend of Amanda’s? But doesn’t anyone think it’s weird with the coincidence that the guy on the photo is the same guy as on the fire department photo thing?

                                  As what I think is weird is how it was a moving van. Maybe they were moving somewhere else, whoever the people were in the photo?

                                  That also proves how the theory about it being an ancestor was correct. The guy in the photo at the fire department was probably Stephan Sr., and the one in the yearbook was Stephan Jr. Maybe you could find out where they were moving to, and confront them.

                                  Or do what I suggested last time, try to “haggle for clues.” As in, somehow have an excuse to talk to them, and see if you could get any clues from what they are saying without giving away you are onto them.

                                  What still worries me is the coincidence thing. What are the odds of that?

                                  I bet you guys are annoyed with me by now for posting these long responses.

                                  • EllaMarie

                                    I’m not sure if I know what it really means. (But thanks for fully loading the story for us, Cornelia.)  You should definitely look into Stephan Sr. Try to find them, perhaps?

                                    As for the van, they were probably moving away, as Faith said. Maybe the reason they were moving was because, they didn’t want to be found. It’s like, Amanda.

                                    Definitely wasn’t a coincidence.

                                    • AllieK

                                      So obviously the guy in the fire department photo is Stephen (Stark’s father).  And Stark is Stephen Jr.  The fact that the moving van dropped that off can’t be a coincidence, especially since it drove past so quickly.  It must be a friend of Amanda’s that she got to take the photos to them. 
                                      Not sure why Baltimore keeps popping up.  That must be where Stark grew up.

                                      And omg I think I just made a connection. He went to Endeavor High School, so maybe he moved there from Baltimore.  And thats why there was a moving van. D:  Maybe we should try to look up his past in Baltimore?

                                      • BlueRoseGrey

                                        I agree with AllieK. It’s no coincidence that this box was dropped by you guys—ESPECIALLY after the fact that you guys had just been investigating. I also agree that you guys should look up the Baltimore thing—maybe Amanda has some connection there, too? Anyhow, I have no idea who could’ve been driving the van… Stark himself, perhaps?

                                        • Rye2411

                                          Thanks for loading the story, Cordelia. It means a lot to us.

                                          Well, it seems like the father-son speculation was correct. We are dealing with Stephan Sr. and Stephank Jr. The man in the photgraph is Senior and the one we see today is Junior.

                                          There is no way that the dropping of the box was just a coincidence. It was timed far too perfectly for it to be just an “accident”.
                                          Someone was watching you guys, you three. Someone knew that you guys were in the firestation and decided to seize the opportunity to, perhaps, help you out by delivering another clue.
                                          Someone Amanda was probably in league with, no doubt.

                                          As for Baltimore, there must be more to Baltimore than we think.
                                          I assume that the photograph was taken in Baltimore, meaning that Stark has ties to Baltimore. Was that their place of residence at the time? If so, why did they leave? If they were just visiting, then what was the reason for the visit?
                                          Baltimore keeps on coming up, so something must have been going on there, whether it be in the past or present.
                                          Does Amanda have ties to Baltimore as well? Were one of her parents born there or something along those lines? Perhaps Stark’s family is somehow linked to Amanda’s…

                                          • Missparkles

                                            Well, basically, what they said. Find out what ties Stark had with Baltimore. Maybe there’d be some records in the school. Don’t they keep stuff like that? And it could also be a clue, maybe Amanda is there.

                                            • queenchuki

                                              I don’t think that Stark, and his family (and Baltimore) are bad! Also, if you read carefully, it says that the family portrait was shattered right? And if you dislike a certain family, you would crack the picture!

                                              Also, just wondering, but does anyone notice there are only 3 people in the picture, but Baltimore’s name was included! I wonder why?

                                              • arvi777

                                                This is simple. All the clues keep leading us to Baltimore, so lets go to Baltimore!

                                                Also, someone before had mentioned that the man in the firemen’s photo could have been Stark’s father, and this photo leads me to belive thats is true.

                                                Queenchuki, I think it was the first names of all the people and then where they had been (which was Baltimore).

                                                #1 thing: GO TO BALTIMORE!!

                                                • MusicGirl

                                                  Thats Amanda’s Father and Brother, Amanda was born in Maryland, Baltimore USA her dad was in the witness protection agancy and Amanda was seen as a mole and she, her mum and her little sister were send away leaving him and her brother.

                                                  • dizzykitty

                                                    is anyone looking at this?

                                                    • dizzykitty

                                                      Is that true Music girl?

                                                      • MusicGirl

                                                        completely i wouldn’t lie about this i was a witness and saw the whole thing

                                                        • queenchuki

                                                          OK, is Baltimore meant as a person or as a place?? Because if its meant as a place, it can’t “creep up” on them right??

                                                          And MusicGirl, maybe you have a point about the witness proctection program and that the men were Amanda’s father and brother.. But the part where she was seen as a mole was really doubtful to me.. No offence though! :)

                                                          • MusicGirl

                                                            Baltimore is where she was born and people really thought that she was a mole i swear i’m not making this up! i was really there, Amanda, her mum and her little sister Jessamine where sent away her father has tried to be in contact with them but the government lstens to everyones calls and if he calls them they shut the line down so Amanda has to move around alot so they can find a new line and try to contact their dad. PLEASE BELIEVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                            • MusicGirl

                                                              listens not lstens

                                                              • nia143

                                                                dont know who Baltimore is? i dont know who was in the van? im wondering…im very intrigued

                                                                • 15DaysOfSumer

                                                                  Maybe the chief IS on to you. He probably wants you to think that the picture was of his father or something, and maybe him or one of his partners were driving the van. It IS a logical explanation, and it MAY be the case, but we don’t know for sure. And thanks for mentioning me last time :)

                                                                  • MusicGirl

                                                                    I swear i know who the people in the picutre are it’s really Amanda’s Dad and brother and the women is her mother she has a little 13 year old sister named Jessamine who was taken away and put into a foster home in Australia. PLEASE LISTEN TO ME.

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