Novel

Write the opening scene (600-800 words) of a middle-grade mystery novel for ages 9-12.

**Setup:** Twelve-year-old Remi Torres arrives at her grandmother's antique shop on the first day of summer break to find the front door unlocked, the lights off, and her grandmother's prized pocket watch missing from the display case. Nothing else is disturbed. Her grandmother is at a doctor's appointment and won't be back for two hours.

**Characters:**
- Remi: observant, anxious, catalogs details in a sketchbook instead of a notebook. Draws what she sees rather than writing it. Speaks in short, precise sentences when nervous.
- Grandmother (Abuela): mentioned but not present in this scene.

**Requirements:**
- Plant exactly one physical clue that Remi notices but doesn't understand yet (the reader should be able to spot its significance on re-read)
- Include one sensory detail per scene transition (at least 2 total)
- End the scene mid-tension — Remi discovers or hears something that raises the stakes
- Remi must use her sketchbook at least once
- No adults solve anything. No convenient coincidences.
- Reading level: complex themes, clear language. Trust the reader.