Human [Adolescent] Reactions to the Unknown

Okay, so I'm pioneering a genre here with some horror surrealism. Overrall, the story is that of a missing teenage girl in suburbia, and cryptic, disturbing messages left behind which lead her friends and cousin to three seeming average houses, each of which contain something completely inexplainable. The first house is filled with water, and upon discovering a body mummified with love letters floating in the family room, the teens find themselves laying on the front lawn. They burst back inside only hours laters to see that the house shows no signs of flooding whatsoever. Later that day, each teen finds the same message scrawled on their chests in sharpie, directing them to the next house.

Right now my characters are holed up in an abandoned church, deciding whether or not to visit the next house. I have no idea how to project their feelings. I have the angst pinned down, but of course there has to be more than that - right?

Sorry for the complexity of the situation, haha. But if you found yourself in a similar one, or even dealing with something as simple as hearing noises in the dark - how would you react? And specifically, how would suburban teenagers react?

Thank you so much for any input.

If it were just noises in the dark, I'd think "Don't panic, it's just the house settling". Unless they were very strange, unfamiliar noises. I'd log my brain to know which ones it could be, like a humming fridge.

If I woke up with Sharpie on my chest, I'd think "Great. Real mature, friends." And if they deny doing it, I'd think at least one would be lying, but they'd probably be blaming me. Like one of us is trying to screw with the others.

As for the house, I'm the sort that isn't too put-off by remains, so I'd just wonder "Ooh. Who put that there? This guy must've had problems". But if the house is miraculously clean, I'd cry foul a bit. Not panic, but think, "Huh. Wait, what? How?"

I'm a bit too level-headed for the average teen, so I'm not the angsty type, even if that was my friend that went missing.

Freak out. Honestly If you know you aren't on drugs and things like that started happening I'm pretty sure allot of kids, would be absolutely terrified; either that or be convinced that they were dreaming.

I was once a suburban teenager. And I was one that was afraid of everything. Whenever I heard the house creak at night, my heart would start racing and my body would flush (I assume it's one of those symptoms of fight or flight, and my body wanted to be ready to bolt). I would also try to rationalize in my head to try to calm myself down. If I heard a creak, it was because the house was settling, not because a man was walking down the hallway to lop off my head with an axe. But, as soon as I thought about a man trying to kill me, I began thinking about what I would have to do to escape. Would I be able to get out of the room fast enough? Could I run faster than him? Is person A and B okay? Should I go check on them? Then, I would usually throw the covers over my head because when in doubt, comforters make me invincible.

If I woke up with the message scrawled across my chest, I would probably panic a little. A string of obscenities would probably come out of my mouth, and I would try really hard to scrub the message off my chest. I'm sure I would rub my skin raw because I would be aggressively scrubbing. Unless I knew my friends had the same message, I probably wouldn't tell anyone. Wouldn't want them to think I was bonkers.

As for seeing the mummy, I wouldn't really be frightened. I'd be more confused and kind of grossed out. But, I wouldn't go running for the hills. It's just a dead body that's been there forever. Now, if it was a fresh body...I shudder to think!

I think most kids would freak out, however i get the impression there should be one in your group that pushes the group forward, who maybe puts on the brave face and see this through or maybe is interested and even intrigued by this new circumstance and wants to explore it further. A curious one?

Maybe there is a skeptic in the group, who even with the message on their chest, thinks it's a prank by one of others and refuses to believe in the supernatural or whatever they had witnessed.

Maybe one blames this on the others and an argument breaks out? In the end, whoever is the lead of the group would have to settle everyone down and either by force or manipulation convinces the group to continue on. (I'm assuming that is the main goal of that scene)

I find that in most Adolescent teen groups, there is always at least one teenager with "something to prove" either to his/her friends, family, or self. I think that is a fairly strong motivator, even more so than brave faces or emotional obligation.

That teenager isn't always reckless, but they do generally go above and beyond to come up with a snap plan and see it through, even if someone more thoughtful has a better one.

Also, maybe the whole group of teenagers doesn't have to go to the next house. Maybe some of the ones who are angsting the hardest stay behind, or those who are more constructive, leave the angsters behind as they sleep or after they break. This might even get the cogs turning on that conversation again, and fill in the non-angst blanks.

Other teenager-nuances to consider, aside from fear: was the missing girl closer to one friend over the others? It's rare that all friends are equal. Even in a group of three, two have known each other longer. That means more secrets, more frustrations, more trials. How would that third person feel? Do they resent that 'closer' relationship?

What about the cousin? Were the cousins as close as the friends? Or are they realizing through time spent through the friends, that the cousins weren't nearly as close as they could have been. It's always hard to learn something about someone you love from someone you don't. Even if it's something stupid, even if you're an adult. I'm planning a bridal shower for my sister right now with some of her friends from college, and they know stories I don't- and some irrational part of me is unsettled that they have a relationship with her that I don't-- even though we're related by blood.

Also, very rarely do people react the same way to the same stimuli. Keep in mind that they also see and remember different things. Maybe some teens in the group remember certain clues in sharper detail than the others; some teens might forget something entirely in their terror; or some might tunnel vision in on one event/clue and put blinders on the others, thinking that the clue might be the answer (and interestingly enough, it turns out NOT to be the answer).

I think the more you play with relationships between the teenagers in your group, the more their reactions are going to start evolving and feeling more rational and grounded in the narrative.