Prologue
I found out about it as the summer holidays were starting; and Cassidy and I were standing at awe in front of the black, three-storey building. It was filthy and old, with some of the windows broken, coated with layers of dust thicker than ten phonebooks stacked in a pile. A muddy pickup truck stood in front of the boarded doors of the house.
"It's just like I told you, isn't it?" I said, shaking some leaves off my hair.
"It looks kinda cool…" Cassidy replied, brushing leaves falling from a large mahogany tree off her bike. She and I have biked all of Whiteshadow Forest since we were kids; but we never saw this old house here before.
"Who do you think owns it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean the house! Why'd someone build a house in the middle of the forest with no cable, no internet…and no electricity!?" Cassidy cried, looking at the house with such peculiar interest.
I stared at the house a little longer before replying, "Maybe it's a hideout. You know, a guy cut off the world," my voice was beginning to get all mystical, like those dramatic fortune tellers on TV. "Living alone to hide from his enemies…paranoid, afraid… terrified of the horrible secrets----"
"Let's check it out." She interrupted.
"Huh?" I scowled. I hate being interrupted.
"Let's go inside the house!" Cassidy declared a manic glint in her eye. She usually wore it when she's preparing for something dangerous, like when she took me skydiving. And we were BOTH afraid of heights!
A bitter wind rushed past, sending shivers to my spine. The house seems to move along with the wind, swaying and creaking like a large, dark animal. Creepy.
"….you know, it's getting really late. Maybe we should head back tomorrow. I bet you a million dollars my mom's already freakin' out!" I said, averting her eyes.
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Cassy grunted. "I hate it when you're right! Let's go already…'fraidy-cat!"
"We'll see who's the 'fraidy-cat!" I said. "Tomorrow, that is. Race you home!!"
"Hey no fair! You went ahead!!!"
"Your luck!"
Their voices slowly faded as they went farther….and a window creaked open.
