Chapter 1: The Beginning
"Get out of my face, you make me sick!"
"But..."
"I said, GET OUT!"
"But... I didn't do anything..."
"Oh? And you expect me to believe that he did it?"
"..."
"Of course it was her, mom. She wrecks everything she sees. I don't know why we had to take her in. She was just a mistake!"
My eyes shot open as I awoke with a start, sitting upright in bed; shaking. The room felt hot and stuffy. I felt dampness on my face. Bringing my hand up to my face, I felt... tears? I was...crying...? Not only that, I felt sweat mixed with it, as well. I laid on my bed, my head resting on the single pillow. I stared at the ceiling. I had this same nightmare. Like...every night when I go to bed.
"It's just a nightmare," I told myself. "It was just... a nightmare." The word cracked out of my mouth. I closed my eyes, taking slow, deep breaths, letting them out, calming down my racing heart. I wish this horrifying dream will go away. Only... it won't. Opening my eyes, I kept gazing at the ceiling. I loosened the grip of the covers, getting out of bed. I went to my dresser, pulling out new clothes for the day.
Heading to the bathroom, I glanced myself at the hallway mirror. Yep, this is me... Hazel. A worthless sixteen year old ever. I gave myself a hateful look before continuing my way to the bathroom.
I shut the door, setting my fresh, clean clothes down. I turned on the shower, checking the temperature, wanting to water to be warm; not too hot and not too cold. Once I felt like the water is just right for me, I took off my sweaty clothes, and got in the shower, shampooing my light brown hair that only stops at my shoulders, then did the rest of myself.
Once I was finished, I quickly dried myself and got dressed. Right after I finished, I went down to the kitchen, heading for the fridge. I opened up the fridge door, only to find not much food in there. There was one cup of yogurt, though. I took it out of the fridge, then sat at the table and began eating. It wasn't much, but will have to do.
I threw the cup away and put the spoon in the dishwasher. "I should do some shopping to fill up my fridge..." I walked over to my money box. Except I only have three dollars. Not enough to buy food. I gritted my teeth a bit, closing up the box. "I just have to earn money for it," I sighed.
Making my way to the living room, I slipped on my shoes. I checked to see if they're tied tight enough. Feeling satisfied, I nodded my head, letting myself know that these are tied tight enough and that I am ready. I grabbed the door, my head down, eyes closed. You can do this, Hazel... Don't think about the things you are thinking now. Deep breath and relax. Nothing's bad gonna happen to you. Just do your thing, and then come right back home.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, stepping out onto the porch of my home. I walked down the path, and onto the sidewalk. I saw kids biking their way to school. One kid looked at me. I turned my head and did not look at her. I know what will happen. I knew what she's gonna do to me... I had it happened to me before.
Soon I came across a neighborhood that I never came to.
That's when I saw a man dressed in black, along with black shoes and black-framed glasses, stepped out of the house. I notice his dark hair was slicked back as he made his way to his mailbox.
Taking another deep breath, I walked over to him. "Excuse me?" I spoke. The man opened his mailbox, taking out some envelopes. I wasn't sure if he heard me. I am kind of soft with my voice, so I spoke louder. "Excuse me, sir?" The man then gazed at me. And the look he gave me was serious and creepy. Like I was an alien from outer space or something. I looked down at the ground. "Do you have any chores for me to do?" I asked, feeling hesitant. "It's okay if you don't...have any..."
He shut his mailbox, still eyeing me like a hawk. "Chores?" he said, brow raised. "Why?"
"To get money," I simply replied, still staring at the ground.
"Do your parents give you money?" he asked me.
"...I don't have any parents anymore. And I don't want to talk about," I told him.
"Do you have..."
"...yes... And I don't want to talk about that either. Just... Do you have any chores for me? You can pay me whatever you want." I looked up at him. He was still giving me his creepy look. "What...? Why are you staring at me like that?" I didn't like the way he was looking at me. I had these looks before.
"Are you saying that... you live on your own?" he questioned.
My hand twitched, and I pressed it against my side. "Yeah... I do..." Don't ask anymore questions about me, please. "Do you have chores for me? I don't care how much I get paid."
He thought about it for a second. "You know," he began, "I was going to clean up the kitchen, putting the breakfast plates in the dishwasher, clean the counter, so... Yeah, you can do the kitchen. You can also dust all the rooms if you like. And I'll give you thirty dollars."
"Okay."
"By the way, what's your name?" A smile came onto his face.
"...Hazel..."
"Oh! That's a pretty name. Is it because if the eyes?" I didn't answer, I just nodded. He noticed my expression, tilting his head to the side. "Is something wrong...?" he said with a concerned look.
"...nothing..." I shrugged. "Nothing is wrong."
"...okay. Well, I'm Mr. Shivers. But you can call me Shivers." He held up his hand, only I didn't take it. I just stared at him. He chuckled. "You're supposed to shake my hand," he told me, as if I didn't know what to do.
"I don't like to be touched," I told him, giving a bit of an attitude.
He put his hand down. "I see..."
Feeling like I jerk, I began to feel guilty. "I'm sorry," I quickly apologized, feeling panicky inside my chest. "I didn't mean to sound like. It's just that-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not mad at you," he responded to my panic. "You don't like to be touched, I respect that." He straightened out his mail. "Come with me," he gestured, waving his hand for me to follow him. I stood there for a few seconds. He seems friendly... even though he looks like a devil.
I entered into his home. It looked very nice. Just like my house. I looked around the living room for a little while.
"Hazel." I turned to him "The cleaning supplies are under the sink in the kitchen, which is right over there," Shivers directed. "I'll be out taking the weeds out of the garden. Come get me if you need anything, okay?"
"Got it." I went into the living room and made my way to the kitchen, just as he walked out the front door, making his way to the backyard of his house.
Looking around the kitchen, I saw breakfast dishes, along with pans already used. Plus silverware, glass cups, and a spatula. Of course, I clean off the food before putting the dishes in the dishwasher. I tried to get most of the scrambled egg off, though. It wasn't easy. I mean... egg sticks to everything, right?
Placing the dishes between the racks, I made sure they're placed in right. I put the packet of gel in that is the color of greenish-blue. I put it in the dishwasher, closed it, shut it, and turn it on. I heard it hum and it began running. I then went over to the sink to see egg pieces, bacon pieces, as well as pancake pieces. I turned on the faucet, letting the food go down the drain.
As I was doing that, I turned on the garbage disposal. I was then greeted by a foul smell. I quickly switched it off, knowing how to get rid of the smell of food, mainly eggs. I went over to the fridge, finding some tangerines. I grabbed at least three of them. I set them on the counter and began peeling them.
"Hello. Who are you?" I stopped what I was doing, facing behind me. There was a girl about my age with long, dark brown hair that passes her shoulders. "What's your name and what are you doing in my house?"
"I'm doing chores to get money," I answered.
"Really? Do your parents give you allowance?" she replied.
"I don't have parents anymore..." I went back to peeling the skin of the tangerines.
"What about..."
"Yes, but I don't want to talk about...that." I finished taking the skin off and throwing away the trash. I took the fruits apart, throwing it in the garbage disposal. I clicked on the switched. We both listened to the hum of the blades, until we were met with the tangerine smell.
"Wow," she expressed, "where'd you learn to do that?"
I shrugged. "...nobody... I just did myself." I took out the counter cleaner and grabbed the sponge on top of the sink. I spritz some on the counter. "So you're Shivers' daughter?" I assumed, wiping down the counter with a sponge that is already wet and soapy from scrubbing the food off the dishes.
"Yeah, I'm Hannah," she introduced. "What's your name?"
"Hazel." I grabbed some paper towels, mopping up as much soap and water as I can off the counter, getting it dry. I threw the towels away into the trash can. "You know...your dad seems... odd. Weird. Odd... really odd."
Hannah brushed her fingers through her hair. "Don't take it personally, he doesn't really like anyone."
I frowned. "He...doesn't like anyone?"
"No, no. It's means that..." She sighed. "I'm not saying that he hates people, he...well... he keeps to himself. It's no big deal." She kept looking at me. "So how much is my dad paying you?"
"Thirty dollars," I answered, taking out some wood polish and a rag. "I use the money to buy food to fill my fridge up at my house."
"Wait... You live on your own?" She sounded shocked.
"Pretty much. But... like I said... I don't want to talk about it." I sprayed some polish on the coffee table, cleaning it down. "If you don't mind, I get this done when I'm not being bothered..." I looked down at the carpet. "If it's okay with you, that is..."
"It's no problem at all." Hannah took my request lightly. "I'll be just up in my room." She went towards the steps, then stopped. "You know... you're name matches perfectly with you," she smiled.
"Yeah..." was all I could respond back. I watched her go up the steps to her room. Then I finished dusting up the living room. After, I headed up the stairs to the first room I spotted. The study room. Walking into the room, I went up to the desk. It didn't need to be cleaned down, but just to be safe, I'll do it. And just as I was about to do it, my eyes caught something. A tall bookshelf filled with books from the top shelf to bottom shelf.
Curious, I went over to it. I looked at the books and took one off the shelf. I looked at the title; examining it. My brows furrowed at the title. "Ghost Beach?" I read. I set the book back in its place, using my finger to scan the titles of each book. "Return Of The Mummy... Vampire Breath... Deep Trouble... Escape From The Carnival Of Horrors... Let's Get Invisible!... These are all Goosebumps manuscripts," I realized. I took out another book titled A Nightmare On Clown Street. "R.L. Stine..." I examined the book. "...nobody had no idea who he is." I also noticed something else. Two clasps clamped tightly together, preventing the book from being opened. "Why are these books locked...?" I wondered.
"That's for you not to find out." Startled, I almost dropped the book. I saw Shivers and Hannah at the entrance of the room. I gulped. I've been caught! I'm dead meat for this!
Shivers walked over to me, taking the book away from me. "These books have to be kept locked..." he said in a mysterious tone of voice.
"Why? What will happen?" I wanted to know why they were locked.
"I won't tell you. If I do-"
He was cut off by a noise outside, like objects falling on the ground. Hannah went to window to check it out.
"Smooth," she started to comment. "So you're the new neighbor?" she asked.
"Yeah." It was a male voice. "Nice to meet you."
"How long was the drive from New York?" There was a slight, awkward pause, and the new neighbor didn't seem to understand what she meant. "No. I can just tell by the pretty hat that you have..." she explained, hiding behind the curtains just a bit.
"Oh, no." There was a chuckle outside. "This... No. This is... This is actually a gift from my aunt," he responded. Huh... I wonder where he's from... Oh yeah, New York, just like Hannah mentioned.
"It's also a gift for me and for everyone who gets to see you wearing it," Hannah empathized, gesturing her hand.
"I'm Zach, by the way." Zach... That's a nice name.
"I'm Hannah," she told him.
"Hannah!" I saw Shivers motioning his hand. "Get away from the window now," he ordered.
She looked at her father, and then out the window. "I gotta go." She slipped away from the window.
"Good talk." By the tone of Zach's voice, I can tell he was being sarcastic. Shivers went over to the window, pushing the curtains away as he gazed down. "Hi. Hey, we're just moving in." Shivers didn't say anything, he just kept on... staring. "Just... Just me and my mom..." He squinted his eyes at this Zach person. "This hat was a gift..."
"Do you see that fence?" Shivers asked, pointing outside where the fence is at, separating the two houses. I listen to hear Zach answer his question, only he didn't. "Do. You. See. The fence?" he pressed out, like this new neighbor doesn't know English.
"Uh, yes," the new neighbor finally answered.
"Stay on your side of it," he stated harshly. "You stay away from my daughter..." He pointed at Hannah. "...you stay away from me..." He pointed to himself. "...and we won't have a problem." He then closed the curtains roughly, walking away from the window.
"Dad... can I..."
"No, Hannah," he protested sternly. "You stay away from him."
"Can I just say-"
"I said no, Hannah. You stay away from that boy... or else." Those last words sounded like a threat, making my spine shiver. "Stay away from him..."
"Uh... Mr. Shivers," I piped up. "Even though you don't want to tell me why the books are locked up... do you have any idea who R.L. Stine could be...?"
"Uhhh..." He looked around nervously. "Oh! Here you go; fifty dollars," he practically exclaimed, shoving the money into my hands.
"Thank you?" I responded in shock. "But we agreed on thirty dollars."
"I know, so I decided to give you more."
"So... you have no idea who Stine could be...?"
"Bye!" he declared.
I flinched. "Alright, bye." I waved. "...have a nice day..." Walking down the steps, I couldn't help but feel a bit angry. Why wouldn't he answer my questions? Why!?
The questions about the books being locked and Shivers behavior had them swimming around my head as I made my way to the home, the money in my pockets.
As I made way home, I kept thinking about the manuscripts in Shivers' study. For some reason, he's keeping a secret. All I asked is why the books are locked and if he has any idea who Stine could be. I mean, it's not a hard question. And Shivers basically shooed me away. And when I did walked out the door, I... actually wanted to say hi to the new neighbor. Except... I couldn't... Even though he sounds friendly, that never convinces me to say 'Hi' and all that stuff. I mean, I've been through so much that...well... I sighed, picking up the pace as I walked to my home, before stopping for a split second. I gazed at a medium sized house... I know this place... My eyebrows narrowed.
I kept giving this house an angry look, before continuing my way to my house. My own house. Ignoring the one that I just saw, just for now. No need to worry, I'm not living there anymore.
At least I'm away from that... place.
By the time I walked into my home, I stored my money away, making a note to go to the store later. I walked over to the living room, laying myself on the couch on my side, staring at bookshelf filled with my Goosebumps books. I had read every single one of them. And... for some reason, they make feel at ease, even though they're creepy books.
The books on my bookshelf reminded me of the manuscripts in Shivers' study. Why are those books locked? And... who could Stine possibly be? He disappeared a long time ago. And he did acted... strange. Unusual, to be exact, when I saw his behavior. Is he... keeping a secret...? If he was...then... what is it?
Shutting my eyes, I decided to take a short nap, suddenly feeling fatigued for unknown reason. Yeah, just one small nap. Just only for an hour. And maybe... maybe I'll feel more awake...
My small nap turned into a deep sleep, and by the time I opened my eyes, it was night time. Oh well, this happens all the time. At least I feel more awake. I glanced at the clock; reading ten p.m. at night.
"I should go for a walk..." I decided. Since I still have my shoes on, I got up and went up to the front door; opening it. The nightly breeze whipped my hair back gently as I stepped out of the house. It was quite. Very quite. I saw no cars or people. Good... That's just how I wanted to be... all by myself, where nobody has to bother me...
I kicked a rock out of my way, putting my hands in my front pockets, walking... just... walking. I walked, and walked, and walked. Walking makes me feel calm and relaxed. I don't know why, but it does.
I made a turn, heading towards the woods. I've been here multiple times to get away from everything. Plus I never saw anyone else around here. At least, not once.
Thinking about going in another direction I never went to, I decided to do that.
Just as I was walking, hearing my own footsteps on the dirt ground, I heard voices.
"Come on." It sounded like Hannah. I followed the source of her voice, jogging down the path. I stopped, finding myself at an abandoned amusement park with a Funhouse, food carts, rides, and a Ferris wheel. I saw two people up there. One of them was Hannah, who is sitting at the top of the Ferris wheel; her feet propped up on the railing, and a boy. From my guess, I believe that's the new neighbor, Zach. I watched as he was making his way over to Hannah, gripping the metal bars of the ride. "You can do it," she encouraged. "Just don't look down," she added.
"I know..." he answered, being very careful.
"You're not gonna fall."
Zach chuckled. "Wasn't planning on it..." He then managed to reach her, with Hannah waiting for him.
"There you go," she praised.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Watching from below, Zach made is way to the seat. "Alright... so...I'm high off the ground..." He slowly sat down, facing Hannah.
"It's cool, right?" she said, sounding proud of herself.
"Yeah..." I saw Zach gaze at the view. "It's cool," he agreed. "You can see everything from here."
"So... why did you move to Madison?" Hannah asked.
"Well... my mom said to me: 'Zach, if we can live anywhere around the world, where would it be?' And I said: 'Can we please move to Madison, Delaware...'" I heard Hannah giggle. "'...that'd be my dream'," he answered.
She giggled again. "Are you always this sarcastic?" That was a question that came into my head, too.
"Always?" Zach thought about it. "No, that's a strong word. Not always. Usually." From below, I saw him sigh. "I'm sorry," Zach apologized. "It's just, um... It's just me and my mom since my dad died last year, so yeah..."
His dad died...? I felt a bit of sadness, knowing how he feels. Hannah, on the other hand, felt the same way. "I'm sorry..."
"I don't really think about it anymore. So what about you?" It was now his turn to ask questions.
I wanted to join them... except... I never like being high off the ground. So I just kept on listening, even though it's rude to eavesdrop.
"Well, I never knew my mom, and we're always moving from one town to the next," she said.
"That sucks..." I heard Zach mutter. "Hey, can I ask you something really serious, Hannah?" I wonder what he's going to ask her.
From below, I watched Hannah lean in, looking into his eyes. "Yeah. What?"
I saw Zach glancing at the ground. "How do we get down?" There was fear that creeped out of his mouth. Hannah let out a laugh. "I'm serious," he insisted. "Is there a plan?"
Hannah shook her head, smiling. "No."
"How do you normally get down?" he asked her. Yeah... how do you get down from that thing?
"You can't. You're stuck," she teased. That's when she spotted me. "Hazel?" I saw her climb over Zach, before making her way down the Ferris wheel with ease. I also saw Zach doing the same thing, following each step that she took. "Hazel, what are you doing here?" she said, coming up to me, with Zach next to her. I noticed her hair was tied back in a ponytail, which she didn't had before when I met her.
"Um... I was taking a walk, until I heard voices. So I followed them, and found myself here, and you guys," I explained, gesturing my hand. "Was I... invading your..."
"Oh, no. No. You weren't," Zach assured me. "So you're Hazel? That's a nice name. I can tell why you have that name." He went over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I never-"
"Don't touch me!" Immediately, Zach took his hand off of me, startled by my outburst with Hannah having a startled look on her face, surprised that I screamed like that, so I apologized. "I'm sorry. It's just... I don't like being touched." Zach opened his mouth, but I stopped him. "And I don't want to talk about why, though," I added.
"I understand," he assured me, smiling. He saw my expression. "Are you okay...?"
"Huh?" I shook my head. "Y-Yeah," I stuttered. "I'm always like this..."
"How come?"
I was about to say something until Hannah spoke up. "She just said she didn't want to talk about it." She then turned to me. "You want to hang with us tonight?" she offered, smiling.
It took me a minute to reply. "...sure."
"Great!" she beamed. "Follow me," she then gestured.
"Where are you taking us?" Zach jogged to keep up with her. Of course I followed, dragging my feet on the ground, making lines in the dirt with my sneakers. "Hannah, wait up," Zach called out.
It didn't take long to find out where she was taking us. There, over by a cart, was Hannah, waving for us to come closer. We did so. As we got closer, I saw something in the cart. Something fuzzy, blue, and sticky. Not to mention stale as well. Taking a closer look, I raised a brow.
"Is this... cotton candy?" I questioned, not wanting to touch it.
Hannah grinned. "That's right. Would you like some?"
"Um..." I took a step back. "No, thank you..." I shook my head. "I don't eat... expired food..."
"That's fine." She turned to Zach. "What about you?" she said, pointing at him. "Are you going to have some?" Her eyes seemed to be daring him to do it.
"Uh...sure. I'll... I'll take a small bite..." He reached in a took a small piece of fuzzy, blue cotton candy, and put it in his mouth. I shivered, but he seemed to enjoy it, so I didn't complain.
He kept eating it. From what I'm guessing, I believe that he likes her, and wants to impress her, just like all guys do these days.
"We should get home," she advised, looking around as if we're being watched.
"Yeah..." Zach nodded, agreeing.
I agreed, too. "Yeah... we should get home..."
"Come on." Hannah led us out of the forest.
"Wow," Hannah said a short while later. "I still can't believe you ate that cotton candy," she remarked.
"And you know what's scary?" Zach brought up. "It actually tasted... kind of fine." We reached the fence that separated the two houses. I glanced at Zach, who is rubbing the back of his head. "So, uh, thanks for tonight," he thanked. "That was the least terrible time I've had here..."
"Oh, Zach," she gushed, putting her hand on her chest. "That's so sweet..." Just like with Zach, it seems that she likes him just as he likes her.
"That's... I... Really..."
"Okay." She went over a broken part of the fence, lifting up the loose board. Before she could go through to make her way to her home, Zach spoke up.
"Hey, Hannah." Hannah turned to him as I waited to see what he has to say next. "I'm... I'm gonna take out the trash on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So you know, if you want to creep up on someone... that works for me." I saw his cheeks turned pink.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind, scaredy-cat," she smirked.
"Hannah!" a voice suddenly said. It was Shivers. "What are you doing out here?" he demanded.
"I'm so sorry..." Hannah apologized to her dad.
"Get in the house," he told her. Hannah stepped through the broken part of the fence, moving the loose board out of the way. Shivers poked his head out, his eyes locked on Zach. "This is your last warning," he said. "You stay away from us, or something really bad will happen."
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"You don't need to know," he answered. He looked back at Zach. "Stay away from us," he warned again. "Stay away from my daughter and me, and we won't have a problem."
"I believe you..." Zach responded. Shivers got away from the fence as he made his way back to the house. Zach gazed at me. "You should get home before your parents find out your gone."
"I don't have parents anymore." Zach opened his mouth, and I knew what he was going to ask. "Yes, I know what you are about to say, but I don't want to talk about it. Okay?"
"Okay... that's alright with me," he nodded. "Bye," he waved.
"...bye..." I waved back. "Have a... nice night."
"Same goes for you," he smiled.
We both parted ways, making our way to our homes.
At home, I began to make myself something to eat. Even though I don't have much in the fridge, I found some stuff to make a sandwich. As I was eating, my mind suggest that I should take another walk after I do some reading.
By the time I was done, I went over my bookshelf and took out a copy of Legend Of The Lost Legend. I made my way over to the couch and sat down, opening to the first chapter. "Justin Clarke tugged at his gloves under the sleeves of his heavy blue parka…" I began to read out loud, using the reading lamp that was next to me on the table to provide some light, since I keep the curtains closed at all times.
When I finished, I grabbed another book, then another, then another, then another, until I grabbed Night Of The Living Dummy. Hmm... I can read this one later... for now I should take another walk. One last walk for the night before I hit to bed.
I put my shoes back on, making my way out the door. I looked up at the sky with dark clouds looming over my head. There were no stars... no moon. Possibly hiding behind the clouds.
My shoes thudded with each step I took. Until I found myself at the fence that separated both Zach and Hannah's houses. I was about to keep going when I heard both Shivers and Hannah inside, having me walk to the side of the fence, standing at the side of Zach's home, and faced Hannah's house, and saw Shivers' shadow pacing at the window with Hannah just standing by it, seeing her shadow by the window as well, indicating me that it was both her and her father. I listened to their conservation... and it did not sound good at all...
"Dad, it's not a big deal," I heard Hannah tell him.
"Hannah, you have to understand..." I heard Shivers trying to reason with her.
"I don't have to understand anything!" Hannah raised her voice from inside the house. "We were just talking," she exclaimed. "Why can't I have friends?"
"You know why!" I stepped back when I heard him yell.
"That's not fair!" Hannah protested in a shrill voice. "You can't keep me locked up all the time."
"You are never allowed to see that boy ever again!" Shivers kept on yelling at his daughter. "Do you understand me?!" His tone sounded more terrifying than I've ever heard. "EVER!"
"Dad, please calm down..." Her shrill voice turned into a plea. "No!" Suddenly, I saw her cowering in fear as she let out a horrifying scream as I heard a crash, the lights going out, making my heart race in my chest, both my hands twitching from what I had witnessed.
Is her dad doing what I think he is doing? No! It can't be! I then heard a door slam open, and saw Zach running full speed to the other house next door. And wanting to know what he's going to do, I went after him, but stayed away from the house, standing outside of the fence, watching Zach frantically knocking on the door.
"What? What?" Shivers opened the door halfway, holding it.
"I heard a scream," Zach told him, his voice sounding concerned. "Is Hannah okay?" he asked, which turns out that I wasn't the only one who heard her scream.
"There was no scream," he stated, looking at the boy with an eerie look in his eyes. "You didn't hear anything. Get out of here, or the last scream you'll hear will be your own." He then slammed the door shut.
"No. Wait... Wait..." He then began pounding the door, anger rising in his chest. "Let me see Hannah!" he screamed in rage. "I need to see if she's okay! Let me in the house, you psychopath!" He kept on pounding the door, louder and louder. "I said-!"
"Get away from the door, NOW!" Shivers screeched into the kid's face, startling him. "You are NOT seeing my daughter, EVER! Do you understand me?! I'm warning you!" He didn't give the boy a chance to speak as he slammed the door once again.
Zach stood there for a minute, stunned, before turning around and spotted me. "Hazel, did you saw what happened?" he asked.
"...yeah..." I said, glancing at the house. "...I saw it, too..."
"Yeah." Zach looked worried. "I'm going to tell my mom and call the cops on this... this... idiot who calls himself a father."
"Good luck..." I told him. He nodded and headed back into his house. My eyes kept staring at the house, questions bouncing around in my head. What happened to Hannah? Why does he have those manuscripts in his study? Why did he looked nervous when I asked him if he knew who Stine was? Why did he say that there was no scream? The questions are left with no answers... I couldn't come up with anything. What is going on in that house?
Soon I found out...
Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. And... yeah. My chapter name doesn't sound... great. I'll do my best to put better chapter titles for each chapter. Please review!