About this universe
When Belleview Academy’s revered headmistress disappears during term, the staff hush it up and call in the only investigator desperate enough to accept the job on a student’s pocket money. Seb Maxon must navigate snobbish teachers, scheming students, and a maze of bizarre clues, all while trying not to get thrown out or arrested. Fortune favors the foolish, and Seb’s running on empty.
Tone
Wry and irreverent, with quick-witted banter and a playful sense of the absurd.
Themes
class and privilege, deception, luck versus skill, appearances versus reality
Protagonist
Seb Maxon
Seb Maxon radiates scruffy charm and nervous optimism, his lanky frame barely filling out a rumpled suit. Faint stubble and tired eyes speak to late nights and close shaves. His quick grin and perpetual air of improvisation hint at a man used to relying on luck when plans run thin.
Goal: To get past the initial gatekeeper and secure the job as an investigator.
How it begins
Seb Maxon sidestepped a muddy puddle as he jogged up Belleview Academy’s gravel drive, his best suit flapping in the chilly wind. A prim woman in tortoiseshell glasses blocked his path with a clipboard, eyeing his scuffed shoes and rain-soaked collar.
“Name and business?”
she demanded, arching an eyebrow. Seb fumbled for his wallet, nearly dropping his last £200, then flashed a grin.
“Seb Maxon, private investigator. I’m here about, ”
He caught himself as a student with a crooked tie darted behind a hedge, trailing giggles. The woman narrowed her eyes.
“We don’t encourage loitering, Mr. Maxon.”
Her pen hovered, ready to strike his name from existence. Rain pattered on his head as he glanced at the looming academy, realising this job might be trickier, and posher, than expected.
About this world
It’s the dawn of the 1990s in London, a city of neon-lit storefronts, stuffy clubs, and endless cab rides. Beyond the city, Belleview Academy sits in splendid isolation among the rainy green hills, its halls buzzing with secrets and upper-class eccentricity. Old money rules, and appearances matter more here than anywhere else. Strange happenings threaten the school’s reputation, and someone needs to get to the bottom of it, fast.
In 1992, London is a clashing patchwork of tradition and modernity. Red phone boxes dot the damp streets, the Underground rattles below, and mobile phones are the size (and weight) of bricks. The city is both glamorous and grimy, crowded with double-decker buses, newsagents, and smoky pubs packed with gossip. In the heart of the countryside stands Belleview Academy, an imposing Victorian manor converted into an elite all-girls college. The school itself is equal parts stately and strange, ancient stone facades, labyrinthine corridors, and a massive hedge maze out back.
Belleview’s students are mostly daughters of the rich and influential, shepherded by a staff equal parts eccentric and tight-lipped. Tradition rules: uniforms are strictly enforced, visiting hours are sacrosanct, and the staff would rather down a bottle of sherry than let a scandal slip into the tabloids. Rumors swirl about secret societies, illicit parties, and haunted wings, but no one ever confirms, or denies, anything. Outsiders are viewed with suspicion, especially those who seem to need the work.
The world outside is just as colorful. London’s private eyes survive on the crumbs left by wealthier, more respectable agencies. The police are stretched thin and often bored by anything outside their usual beat of drunks and lost pets. Technology is limited; most detective work still relies on sharp eyes, a good pair of shoes, and the ability to hustle. The economy is shaky, and freelance work is tough to come by. In this world, reputation is currency, luck is a lifeline, and everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden.
