Chapter 3…

I opened my eyes again, only to see that a light was creeping through my window. Dawn would be here soon. The light flickered three times. The signal. I grabbed my flashlight, and flashed the light back.

This was obviously not the same dawn that occurs at the beginning of the day. No, this was my best friend, Dawn St. Clair. This was her habit. As soon as she figured that everyone but me (and sometimes Kyle) was asleep, she would climb up the lattice outside my window and crawl in.

I looked at the clock. Twelve forty-five. Stupid dream. I looked up, and saw Dawn at the window, smiling at me, her perfect white teeth glinting in the full moonlight. I opened the window and she crawled in. Crawled isn't the best word to describe it. It was more like she fell in, with a muted thump.

"So, where's Kyle? Sulking?" Dawn asked, already up-to-date in the latest gossip.

"Probably. What do you want to do tonight?" I asked, yawning.

Dawn pretended to consider. "Hmmm… we could have a séance, or maybe a staring contest, or… oh! I know! We could sit in a sewing circle and knit for an hour!" She said, false excitement in her eyes. In reality, she was joking about two of the options, not because they were boring, but also because she was really into the whole there-is-an-afterlife-and-how-will-you-be-spending-it spiel, not to mention the-spirits-are-our-guides-in-life-so-listen-up thing. We usually had our séances biweekly.

I rolled my eyes. "Sewing circle… hmmm, you know, I'm going to have to take a rain check. I lost my knitting needles. Maybe next time, though." I said, sarcasm just covering my words. "As for that staring contest… well, my eyes are sooo dry, so, I think I'll pass. But as for that séance… We just had one on Monday… oh what the heck. Did you bring everything?" I asked.

"Well, duh," she grinned. "Do you want to wake up Kyle?"

"What's the point? He probably knows you're here, not to mention that he's probably listening at the door."

"Ok, well, let me set up." She grinned again, opening up my tiny closet. In the back, a small door was sealed tight, barely visible in the shadows. The orphanage was really old, and it had a bunch of secret rooms and passageways. This just so happened to be one of the many that we discovered over the years. Now, it was my "Inspiration Room", where we held séances (because Dawn had deemed it sacred) so no one could hear, and where I wrote and spent most of my time thinking nowadays. Only three people held keys to this door: Dawn, Kyle, and myself.

"You should change the locks," Dawn suggested mildly, shocking me out of my reverie. Along with being really superstitious, she also was clairvoyant: she always knew exactly what I was thinking, like she could read minds or something. It was like a freakish superpower or something like it.

"Nah, I'm too lazy. Who knows? Maybe he and I will start talking again." I said pulling the key out of the inside of my shirt, where it hung on a chain. Dawn snorted in disbelief. I eased the key into the rusty lock, and turned. It opened, and Dawn and I crawled into the room. I roughly pulled the door shut, locking it behind us. "Did you bring the Ouija Board?"

"Of course," she huffed. "Don't I always?" I nodded. "So, are you just trying to find your place in the 'verse, or just your next date?"

"A little of both."

"All right! It's been a while since you've done that. Ok, here's your light, ready… snap them… now!" We snapped the glow lights in our hands, which casted an eerie green light along the silvery blue walls of the room. Dawn pulled out the "sacred" white séance robes and we pulled them on. We sat on the floor around the board and waited. Then it started to get cold. At first I didn't notice, the change was so slight. Then I realized that I was shivering, and the board began to shake.

"I… I think they're here, Dee… the spirits, I mean." I said, my voice shaking.

"Yeah… Time to ask our questions. You first, Sara."

I inhaled deeply. "Ok… um… Ouija Board, what is my purpose in this world… or life… or whatever?" I asked tentatively. The triangle on top of the board began to move. It covered certain letters that were used to spell out a word.

P…R…O…M…Q…U…E…E…N…

Haha.

"Nice one," Dawn snorted. "Next question."

"M'kay… Ouija Board…" I started, thinking. "Who am I meant to be with?" I really didn't expect an answer.

But, strangely enough, the letters began to spell out a name. A name I know all to well.

K…Y…L…E…G…O…L…D…E…N…

No way.

"WHAT?!?" Dawn shrieked, freaking out, blatant shock on her face. "NO WAY!"

"Shhhh!" I snapped, clamping a hand over her mouth. I had a strange feeling, like we were being watched, and not just by ghosts. "Someone's outside!" I hissed.

Dawn and I froze, fear coursing through our veins. I could hear a key sliding into the lock, then the faint click as the bolt retracted. The door was wrenched open, and someone climbed in. The door slammed shut, and I heard another click as the bold slid back in place. A pair of hands covered my eyes, and Dawn screamed. A voice chuckled darkly. I pulled the hands off of my face, and turned around.

There, standing behind me was – you guessed it – Kyle.