Chapter 1: Hollywood, here we come!

I threw the stick as far as I could. My dog, Leia, a beautiful golden retriever and German shepherd mix, bolted after it. She came back a minute later, carrying the piece of wood in her mouth.

“Good girl, Leia!” I patted my dog’s head, smiling.

“Come on, Brooklyn, let’s go!” My mom yelled at me from the car, parked in the driveway.

“Coming!” I called, sprinting to the open vehicle, and jumped in, followed by Leia.

My mom, a laughing woman named Liana Burkes, was a movie actress. We were driving to Hollywood, for her next big movie. I, as usual, would be staying with Aunt Fanny, at her appartement in the outskirts of Los Angeles, for a few weeks, possibly a month.

I sighed. I wish we could stay here. Not that I disliked LA, or anything, just that I preferred the quiet small town we lived in. Cupping my chin in my hand, I stared out the window, watching the clouds fly by, the cars whizz past ours, and the occasional tree disappear out of view. Leia curled up on the back seat and fell asleep. I watched Mom driving, her eyes fixed on the highway, sometimes on the map on her phone, her hands steady on the wheel. I imagined she was reviewing her lines for the movie scenes. I sighed, then gazed back out the window, thinking about Dad.

Dad, Micheal Burkes, was also a movie actor. I remember when Mom, Leia, and I would curl up on the couch and watch the latest movie Dad was in. We’d always give him a massive hug when he came back, congratulating him. I would also do the same thing every time Mom was in a movie.

Thinking about all the good times we had made me feel sad. Dad died last

month, in a car accident.  He was coming home from Hollywood, from a movie filming. I closed my eyes and saw Dad: his dark serious brown yes, his smiling face, lanky figure, and black hair. I wiped away a tear that rolled down my cheek.

“Are you okay, honey?” Mom asked as she turned her face to look at me.

“Yeah.” I took a deep breath, and looked at Leia, still sleeping.

“Leia!” I whispered, leaning over to pet her.

She opened her eyes, whimpered, and jumped out of the car after me. Leia and I ran around the parking lot Mom had driven into, stretching our tired legs.

“We have to get back on the road! Come on!” Mom announced, getting in the car.

I trudged back with Leia, and got in the vehicle.

“Hollywood, here we come!” Mom stated happily as she turned the motor on.

“You should’ve said that as we left home, Mom.” I told her.

“Brooklyn, does it really matter?”

“I guess not.” I replied quietly.

We drove for about an hour, when it started to rain. The drops pounded on the roof like drums, and the thunder-loud and booming- frightened Leia. I calmed her down, and she fell asleep again. The sun appeared after the dark gray clouds parted, bathing the whole scenery in light.

“Finally!” Mom exclaimed as we spotted the huge Hollywood sign in the distance. Leia sensed we were almost done with our trip and started wagging her tail excitedly. I wished I was as excited and happy as her.

“You have arrived at your destination.” Mom quipped as we pulled into Aunt Fanny’s apartment complex.

“Mom!” I groaned. She just laughed.

“Take your bags up. Sorry I can’t come with you, but make sure to tell Aunt Fanny hi from me! I’ll call or email you every few days. Bye! Love you lots!” Mom called as I grabbed my suitcase out of the car and attached Leia’s leash to her collar.

“Bye! Love you too!” I waved as she disappeared down the street.

I sighed, then trudged up the stairs to the main door of the complex, carrying my large suitcase in one hand and Leia’s leash in the other. Spotting an elevator, I strolled in. Leia barked as some men also climbed on as the doors were about to close. The elevator ride was silent, which, I guess, was a good thing because I dislike small talk. The doors opened, and I found myself in an expensive-looking main room. Pricey chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling.

“15, 15, ah! 15!” I muttered to myself as I walked down the long 

hallways.

I knocked on the door and waited. Hurried footsteps sounded on the other side of the door.

“Oh, hi! You’re Brooklyn, right?”

I was tempted to reply: “Just like the place in New York, yes.”, but merely replied “Yes.”

“Well, come on in!” she grinned, motioning for me to walk in. Aunt Fanny was a tall woman, always dressed in the latest fashion trends.

“Oh,” she remarked, “you brought your dog.”

“Yes, I did! Aunty, this is Leia!”

“Hum. Now I don’t mind dogs, but my cat, Izzy, can’t stand being around them.”

Great. Why hadn’t Mom told me?

Thoughts raced through my mind. Should I demand that Leia stay here with me? No, too childish. After all, I was almost fourteen, and I wouldn’t throw a fight just because my dog couldn’t stay with me. I hung on tightly to Leia’s leash as I tried to come up with possible solutions. There was only one reasonable answer. And that was to take Leia to the dog kennel. I took a deep breath.

“Aunty, I’ll take Leia to the dog kennel. Is there one nearby?”

“Why, yes!” Aunt Fanny looked partly surprised. “It’s called the Los Angeles Kennel.”

Very original name. I thought sarcastically. Couldn’t they find better names than that?

“I’ll take her there now.”

“Here’s enough money to pay the fee. I’m sorry, Brooklyn.”

She handed me some twenty-dollar bills. I stuffed them in my coat pocket, then said quietly,

“It’s okay, Aunty. I understand.”

“Thanks.” Aunt Fanny gave me a quick hug.

I nodded, then strode out, clasping my dog’s leash tightly.

“I don’t want to do this, Leia, but I have to. I’ll come back for you, I promise.” I gently stroked Leia’s fur, softly talking to her.

My dog trotted obediently as I led her to the kennel, occasionally stopping to look at the map on my phone. Then, there it was. The Los Angeles Kennel. It looked more like a prison, all gray and shabby-looking. I was uncomfortable at leaving Leia here. I strolled through the large front door. A smiling young clerk was at the desk.

“Hello! Welcome to the Los Angeles Kennel! What may I do for you today, miss?”

His voice, though pleasant, sounded mechanical, and his smile looked a bit forced.

“I’m here to drop off my dog, Leia, for a few weeks. How much will it cost?”

The clerk simply pointed to a sign up on the wall.

“25 dollars a day!” I gaped at the price. 25 dollars! What was this place, a dog palace?

I handed the clerk the bills my aunt had given me.

“Keep the change.” I muttered.

“Thank you!” The clerk grinned. His shining white teeth made me shiver. I said a last goodbye to Leia. She whimpered. I crouched 

down to whisper in her ear,

“I’ll come back, I promise.”

After a last hug, I gave the leash to the clerk, who took Leia away. It broke my heart as she looked at me one last time, her brown eyes pleading to stay with her. I turned away sadly, and trudged out the door. I started running down the sidewalk, and I suddenly ran into a teenage boy. He had a rottweiler with him, a beautiful brown and black dog.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” I apologized.

The teenager chuckled. “It’s okay. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. I’m Ryan, and this is my dog, Blacky. I’m educating him to be a police dog. Police officers use them on security missions. My dad’s a police officer here, and I’m training to 

work on the force one day!” His gray eyes lit up as he talked. “What’s your name?”

“Brooklyn.” Not knowing what else to say, I bent down to pet Blacky.

“He’s beautiful.” I exclaimed softly.

“Yes.” Ryan smiled. He looked down at his watch. “Oh, I have to go meet my dad at the police station! Gotta go, bye!” Ryan ran off waving, his black hair shining in the afternoon sunlight, with his dog racing after him. I sauntered to Aunt Fanny’s appartement. After unpacking my clothes, I sat down on the living room couch and stared at Izzy angrily.

This is going to be a long vacation.

Chapter 2: A Mystery to Solve

I slowly opened my eyes. The Californian sunshine steamed through my window, bathing my room in light. I scrambled out of bed and walked over to my computer, on the desk next to the window, hoping that I got an email from Mom.

“1 new email.” I read excitedly.

“’Dear Brooklyn, everything is going well here. It’s so good to be back in Hollywood! The whole crew, filming staff and other actors, is amazing! The first few scenes will be filmed later today! Take good care of yourself and Leia. Love you, Brooklyn! Bye! Love, Mom.’”

The part with Leia made me want to cry. If only Mom knew that my best friend, my dog, Leia, wasn’t with me.

As I was about to turn my computer off, I saw Leia on the screen.

“I miss you already, so much.”

I closed my computer and trudged out of my room.

“Hi!” Aunt Fanny greeted me with a smile and a cup of juice.

I sat down at the table, and stared out of the window, at the city waking up. Cars were already on the roads, the sidewalks were busy with people, and…

I suddenly spotted Ryan with his dog Blacky, walking.

“Excuse me for a sec.” I quickly yelled at Aunt Fanny as I rapidly ran to my room to get out of my pajamas. I hastily slipped on a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a sweater, and bolted out the door. I pounded down the steps and sprinted on the sidewalk, trying to reach my new friend. My long dark brown hair flew behind me as I ran.

“Ryan! Ryan!” I called as I finally approached him.

“Brooklyn!” he exclaimed as he saw me. My friend ran to greet me. “Hi! How are you?”

I paused to regain my breath. “Okay, how about you?”

“I’m great! But,” Ryan became sober, “something happened at the Los Angeles Kennel last night. It was robbed.”

My mouth dropped in shock. “Why would someone rob a kennel? For-” I stopped short, the worst thought crossing my mind. I whispered, almost too afraid to say it, “did they kidnap animals?”

Ryan nodded grimly. “A few dogs and cats. Nothing more.”

I suddenly gasped in fright. “What if Leia was kidnapped? Ryan, we have to go see!” I urged him.

He groaned, but agreed. “It might be a mystery Blacky can solve.”