A/N: Hello everyone! A new chapter is finally here!
Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, jessv96, Anno1701, Guest, and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing!
Just a quick recap, last chapter we left off with Kendall and Dak heading to Redwood Manor for Kendall's signing.
I hope you all enjoy!
The mansion was definitely haunted.
I could feel it as we drove through the front gate. The mansion towered over everything, the stone weathered from time, and there were so many windows I couldn't count them all. My stomach tightened and my palms began to sweat as we approached the entrance. Every muscle in my body begged for me to flee.
It was the reaction pretty much everyone had when seeing my house, but I'd never felt it before. The mansion on Redwood, though, certainly did the trick. I hadn't stepped a foot inside yet, and I already wanted to leave.
Something dark lived here.
"It's a Gothic-styled Victorian," Dak explained, pointing at the arches. "Built in 1840, I think. It's been renovated a little over the years, but they didn't change much and stayed true to the original structure and design."
I'd researched Victorian homes for a previous book and knew the style well. The High Victorian Gothic style had mainly been used for large public buildings, like churches or schools, but the wealthy also used it for their mansions. It could be identified by the unique arches of the windows and doorways, masonry construction, and the round turrets.
"How are you full of these random facts?" I asked him, mainly as a distraction from the fear coiling in my gut.
"I don't know. It's funny 'cause I hate reading and stuff but I enjoy learning about the history of places, especially if there's something dark and twisted there. I can't tell you much about the medieval era, but I can describe all the torture devices they had and how they used them."
"Of course you can."
"About time you got here," Eric said, meeting us on the porch. It wasn't hard to see why Jett had fallen for him; easy on the eyes, strong, and confident. Perhaps a bit too confident. "We're setting up your table now. It's kind of a maze in there, so pay attention to where you're going or you'll get lost."
"Too bad you can't get lost," Dak said under his breath.
"Huh?" Eric asked, turning back to us as he'd started to walk off.
"Nothing." Dak said sweetly.
I coughed to cover my laugh.
Eric looked at us like we were crazy before going inside.
"After you," I said, motioning to the doorway.
Dak scoffed. "Dude, you're the celebrity. After you."
"Celebrity, my ass." I shook my head and walked across the threshold.
There was an instant change in temperature. The fall afternoon felt great, cool and crisp but holding a slight warmth as the sun shone down, but that faded away as soon as I entered the Redwood mansion. Bumps spread down my arms, the hair on my nape stood on end, and a deep chill settled in my bones.
The sheer magnificence of the interior was enough for me to momentarily forget about the unease clawing at my nerves, though.
A grand staircase fit for royalty waited straight ahead and curved as it stretched to the second floor, then curved more leading even higher. The mansion was too big for just one family; it could've housed several. The second level balcony had many closed doors and passageways. I wondered where they led.
A dome was directly above where I stood, but somehow, the light shining in only made the shadows more apparent. No amount of light or warmth would ever make this place welcoming.
People I didn't know walked past us. They carried speakers, cables, and chairs. A poster of me hung from a display stand, with 'Meet & Greet with Kendall Knight!' underneath my author photo. The men carrying the speakers headed through an archway. I didn't know where I was supposed to go, so I followed them into the other room.
Jett stood beside a fold-up table, draping a blue cloth over it. His hair had grown out since I last saw him, and it fell into his eyes a bit. He used his fingers to brush a bit of stray hair aside. He wore a fitted, V-neck shirt and jeans that hugged his legs perfectly, showing off the physique he'd worked so hard to have.
And for a moment, I remembered what it was like to love him.
He hadn't known who I was when we'd met. He knew my name and loved my books, but he didn't know my face. Though, his face was priceless when he eventually did find out who I was. When we first met, we went to a bar after meeting in a bookstore and drank the night away, talking and lusting for each other. We then went back to my place and tore each other's clothes off, giving each other sloppy kisses.
I remembered being happy with him. Before it all crashed and burned anyway.
"Does this look all right?" Jett asked, catching me watching him.
"Yes. It does." I cleared the lump in my throat. "Thank you."
"Are you okay?" He frowned and stepped closer.
"I'm fine."
It was the first time we'd been alone together since the breakup. Dak had run off somewhere, probably to find the snack bar.
"Is it a total asshole move to say I miss you?" Jett asked, his face reddening.
A hateful retort was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. "No. I...I was actually thinking the same about you."
"Eric makes me happy. We're good together, you know? But there are times when I think of you." His eyes glistened. "Like when you used to trace those circles on my back and play with my hair when I couldn't fall asleep. And how you'd laugh at the dumbest things, making me laugh, too."
"Do you regret it? Leaving me?" I asked, moving closer. I both anticipated and feared his answer. Nothing good came from talking about what could have been.
Jett softly smiled. It was tender. And sad. "You know the feeling you get when you recall a good memory? How you wish you could go back and relive it just one more time? I feel that way when I think of you."
Eric approached, and Jett cleared his throat and forced a smile. Eric placed a hand on Jett's back and whispered something in his ear. Jett grinned and pecked a kiss to Eric's cheek. I saw it, though, the sorrow in his eyes.
"The table looks good, babe," Eric said.
"Thanks." Jett then spoke quietly to Eric, and they left the room.
I didn't know where they went. Didn't care. Knowing Jett missed me didn't make me feel any better. I should've been smug or even a little pleased by the fact. Instead, I felt bad for him. At one point, we were really good together, but I had to remind myself that it was for the best that we had drifted apart. Things worked out the way they were supposed to, I reminded myself, and I knew that although Jett missed me, he and Eric would be happy together.
I refused to believe otherwise.
"You okay?" Dak asked. He'd found the snack station as I'd suspected and was eating a donut, the glaze flaking off on his lips.
"Yeah," I answered. "Just a little nervous. Being around a lot of people freaks me out."
"So, people freak you out but not ghosts? You're an odd one, Ken." Dak finished his donut and licked his fingers. "Did you see the party room? They have a DJ booth and everything."
"I haven't."
"Go look. It's badass."
I passed through the doorway from the signing area, went down a short corridor, and into a grand ballroom. My jaw dropped as I studied the long windows, marble statues, polished floor, and open space. Then I had one of those surreal moments when I imagined the history of the room; all the fancy parties and romancing between young gentlemen and women who would become their housewives. All the words spoken in secret behind the columns and just outside the narrow corridor.
How many betrayals had occurred within these walls? How many broken hearts?
The workers ran cables along the floor after they placed the speakers where they needed to go. I jumped when they tested the sound; a loud static that grew softer. After making sure the wires were taped down so no one would trip over them, the men gathered their things and started to leave.
One of them stopped before exiting the ballroom and stared at me, wide-eyed. Heat spread to my ears.
"Hi," I said, feeling awkward.
The man's face paled and he rushed out after the others.
That was...strange.
However, then I felt it; another presence in the room. My skin prickled and a flight response kicked in. I spun around in time to see a figure dressed in black disappear around the corner. Before I could convince myself of how horrible the idea was, I took off after it.
I reached the corner I'd seen them go around and found myself standing at the end of a very long hallway. It was impossible for someone to have come this way and already reached the other side. Unless there was a door along the wall or one of those hidden passageways.
Or it's a ghost.
The thought should've terrified me, but after meeting James, I was used to it.
Right as I stepped forward, a rush of cold air hit my face. I stumbled into the wall. The unease from earlier returned full force, and I tried to suck air into my lungs but found I could only wheeze. Was that smoke? When I steadied myself and looked back down the hall, bile rose in my throat.
A woman in a black dress stood at the end of the corridor. Her face was deathly pale, black circles were beneath her eyes, and she was smiling, showing her teeth. I had never been more terrified. She started to glide forward, her feet not even touching the carpet. That sinister grin remained planted on her face.
I couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but stare.
A hand came down on my shoulder.
"You okay there, Kendall?" Dak asked.
The spell broke and I jumped backward, getting the hell out of that fucking hallway as fast as possible and taking Dak with me.
"Whoa! What's wrong?" he asked as I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him along.
I didn't stop when we were out of the hall. I dragged him from the ballroom and to the parlor where the signing would take place. Once we were in the room, I released him and leaned against the table, breathing deeply and shaking like a leaf.
I struggled to make sense of what just happened.
"You saw something." Dak held my gaze with a look of both fascination and horror. "What did you see? Shit, man, I've had the creeps ever since we walked in. I screamed when I saw someone walk from the corner of my eye, but it was just your hot ex-loser."
"I…" The words stuck in my throat. "I honestly don't know what the hell that was, but I never want to see it again."
"Damn. What did it look like?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Dak. Just...please let it drop."
As a distraction from my thoughts, I began stacking some of my books on the table. Most of them would stay in the boxes behind my chair, but we were displaying them to let people know which copies we had available.
The woman's face was seared into my mind. It was inhuman. James appeared mostly human with a few notable exceptions, like his pale skin and ability to disappear at will. But the woman-or whatever she was-hadn't seemed human in the slightest. Her presence had filled me with absolute fear.
I'd never felt something so malicious before.
My hand shook so badly that when I went to place a copy of Bloody Rage on the stand, I knocked over the stack of books beside it and sent them all into the floor.
"God, Kendall," Eric said, squatting down to retrieve them. "Take a walk or sit down. You're not helping."
I sat in the chair, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Here." Dak handed me a bottle of water.
"Thanks." I twisted the cap and took a long pull from the bottle, wishing it was something a lot stronger than water.
"Look, I don't know what's going on," Eric said after picking up my mess. "But you need to get it together and quick. They're about to open the doors. If you need me to hold them off for a bit, then let me know, but it won't be for long."
"I'm fine," I insisted, though I felt anything but. Thank God for my ability to compartmentalize. I blocked the unpleasant incident from my mind and focused on the task at hand. The doors were soon opened and people shuffled into the mansion. I heard them before I saw them. There were exclamations of surprise and delight as they took in the mansion's interior.
People had been hired to be in costume to greet the guests. A man dressed as a butler welcomed them inside and gave a brief history of the place. He was one of those creepy butler's too, with the scratchy voice and thinning white hair.
"Now, follow me to meet the honored guest of Redwood Manor," the butler said.
A girl squealed, and it echoed from the foyer into the parlor.
"You have fangirls?" Dak asked, smirking.
"Shut up."
I sat behind the desk in a cushioned chair, feeling more like royalty than an author. It was a strange feeling. Even stranger when people treated me like royalty, too. The staff made the readers form a line and instructed the first one to step forward.
"Hey," the guy said, going red in the face. "I'm Brian."
"Hey, Brian." I stood and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Since the signing was supposed to be a more intimate affair, we had time to take a picture together and talk a little before I signed his book.
"I just want you to know how much your writing has touched my life," Brian said as I handed over a copy of Bloody Rage. "You probably hear it all the time, but your books are my escape. And no matter what anyone says, I liked your last few books. Murder in Scottsville was great, and I hope they turn it into a movie someday. Yeah, it's a typical slasher plot, but sometimes that's what I'm in the mood for, you know?
"Thank you," I said, emotion building in my chest. So many people had called my latest books failures, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear from a long-time reader that they actually enjoyed them. "That means more to me than I can even say."
"Well, your books mean more to me than I can ever say, too, so I guess we're even." Brian smiled, held his book to his chest, and walked through the doorway to the ballroom where refreshments were set up.
One positive word could really change someone's outlook. Meeting Brian did that for me. I'd been anxious about the signing, but he'd made me remember just how connected we all were over our love of stories.
The squealing girl was next in line. I knew it was her because upon seeing me, she squealed again and rushed forward.
"Oh my God. Can I hug you?" she asked, bouncing in place.
"Uh...s-sure."
She nearly knocked the breath out of me by how hard she latched herself onto my chest. Another girl, who I assumed was her friend, took pictures of the hug and then took one of us standing side by side. Maybe a bit eccentric, but the excited reader was sweet.
After I signed her book and talked for a bit, she walked off and I leaned over to Eric.
"How many tickets were sold?"
"Two hundred," he answered. "Better get that hand ready. A shitload more signatures are coming your way."
XxX
"Did you wear the snake-eye contacts on purpose?" I asked Dak after the signing ended. We were in the parlor, giving me time to catch a breather before joining everyone in the ballroom. I was supposed to make a small speech before the after-party began, and I needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts.
"No," he answered, chuckling. "It's a complete coincidence. A damn good one too, right? Jett looked like he was gonna piss himself when I kept staring at him earlier."
"He might be a cheating bastard, but really is a nice guy. Don't be too hard on him."
"Wow, you're way more forgiving than me." Dak tossed me another bottle of water. "I still hold a grudge against the girl who stole my green crayon in the first grade."
I snorted a laugh and paced the parlor a bit, holding the water but not drinking. Music thumped from the other room along with the muffled voices of two hundred people. What the hell was I going to say? I was a writer, not a public speaker. My palms grew sweaty just thinking about it.
"I really am sorry about yesterday," Dak said, combing his fingers through his hair. "James is...well, he doesn't seem so bad. And yeah, it's weird that you like him or whatever, but you're my best friend, Kendall. I hope I didn't fuck anything up between us."
"You didn't. We can't control our emotions, and I understand where you were coming from. It's my own damn fault for not sleeping and eating right, though. James had nothing to do with it."
Dak nodded and popped a peppermint into his mouth. I'd had a bowl of them on the edge of the table. He scrunched his face up. "I wonder if ghosts can even have sex. If so, is his dick ice cold, too?"
"Dak!" I shook my head, both amused and appalled.
"What? It's an honest question. I mean...the guy is really hot." He waggled his eyebrows. "Once you find out, let me know."
"Why? You planning on finding a ghost of your own?"
He grinned. "Maybe. I'll try anything once. And if he's hot, why not?"
"Didn't you say earlier that lusting after a ghost is gross?"
"My eyes are opening now." For effect, he fluttered his eyelashes.
This is why he's my friend. He had a way of making any situation better.
The door swung open and Eric appeared. He pointed at me. "You ready, Kendall? Time to get this party started."
"Can't it start without me giving a speech?"
"You're the reason they're all here," he chuckled. "Tickets were fifty-five bucks each, so get out there and talk to them. Make it worth their money."
"You're kind of a slave driver, huh?" Dak said, brows raised.
Eric ignored him and instead pinned me with a narrow-eyed stare. "Five minutes."
"Got it," I said.
"Are all agents so pushy?" Dak asked once we were alone again.
"It's what I like about Eric." I took a long drink of water before placing the bottle on the table. "He knows how to get shit done. How do I look?"
"Like you're scared shitless." Dak tapped a finger to his chin. "But still handsome. Nice suit."
Dak walked out first, and I took a few deep breaths before going after him. Entering the ballroom, I was happy to see it was dimly lit. Orange and purple Halloween lights had been strung throughout the room, as well as lit jack-o-lanterns and several tall lamps. It was enough to see, but not too bright. Certainly not bright enough for anyone to see my blush.
Eric waved me over. "Take this," he said, handing me a microphone. "And go right there. Keep it short and sweet. You got this."
He turned me toward a platform. My legs felt like jelly as I walked toward it, and once I was there, I went up several steps before turning around.
All eyes were on me. Some of the people had changed into Halloween costumes after the signing. I saw medieval gowns and suits, a Dracula, the girl version of IT, and some witches. Among the people wearing ordinary clothes, there were some that wore half-masks, reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera.
"Good evening," I spoke into the mic and everyone winced as there was feedback. "Sorry. There. Much better." I held the mic away to clear my throat before bringing it back. "Thank you all for being here. I know the event was announced last minute, and for it to be sold out is just amazing. This year has been a bumpy ride. I made some decisions that didn't go over well, but as a friend once told me…"
I looked at Dak, who stood in the first two smiling up at me.
"All artists, whether it's writers or musicians, have moments in their careers when they branch out to do something different. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The key is to keep trying. To keep working hard and trying your best to put out quality work."
A guy yelled out, "We love you, Kendall!"
Cheers followed.
"Thank you," I said, growing uncomfortably hot as embarrassment and nerves attacked me. "Everyone keeps asking what I'm working on right now, and you all will be the first to know as this is my first public statement about it. I'm happy to say I'm going back to my roots with this next book, but I'm trying something different, too. Ghosts, mystery, and this time there might even be a little romance. You can expect scares, gore, and hopefully, one hell of a ride."
Squeals rang out, as did excited hollers.
"One last thing," I said once it quieted down again. "You all paid good money to be here. I'll be around if any of you want to chat. Now, let's have a goddamn party."
I stepped down off the platform and handed the mic to one of the staff.
"I said short and sweet," Eric said with a smile.
"That was short and sweet." I clapped him on the back and walked past him to mingle with my readers.
The party ended up being more enjoyable than I originally thought. I talked to people; about books, ghosts, and anything they wanted. A girl asked me to dance, and I did. Brian asked me to dance, and I did. I stayed away from the alcohol since I was driving home, but I stuffed my face with one too many mini-tarts.
Two hours into the party, I noticed Dak was gone. I searched the crowd for the neon green beanie he'd stuck on his head earlier. As I moved through the sea of people, still not seeing him anywhere, the barrier in my mind keeping all the bad shit locked away burst open and I remembered the woman in black.
What if she did something to my friend?
"Dak?" I called out, but the music was too loud.
I reached the opposite end of the ballroom and continued to look for him. Witches grinded on someone dressed as Jason Voorhees, and Dracula kissed the neck of another guy dressed as Peter Pan.
Then I saw him. Relief made me weak in the knees.
Dak stood by the snack table talking to one of the most beautiful men I'd ever seen in my life. The guy had long, silvery blond hair and wore a fitted double-breasted waistcoat with a collared shirt underneath. His black trousers hit him just below the knee where they met tall socks and went down to flat black shoes.
He looked like an 18th-century French aristocrat or maybe just a super stylish vampire. Cool costume.
The man leaned closer to Dak, running a hand down Dak's cheek. My friend looked like he was about to either attack the man and drag him somewhere private or faint. By the way he swayed, I'd put my money on fainting.
I smiled and averted my eyes to the dancing clowns in front of me. But it wasn't the clowns that held my attention. No...it was the figure standing behind them, wearing a black dress and mourning veil over her face.
A figure looking directly at me. Even though the veil I saw the pale skin. And the sinister grin.
I jumped back, slamming against one of the columns. A group of people asked if I was okay, and I nodded, unable to speak. The figure in black was gone when I looked again, but the uneasy feeling in my bones remained.
An announcement was made, saying the party was over. I talked to a few other people, took selfies with others, before leaving the ballroom. I couldn't stop shaking. I would've left had it not been for Dak. I didn't want to leave him stranded in the most haunted fucking place in Ivy Grove.
Spotting him, I rushed over.
"Hey, you ready to go?"
"Yeah," he answered with an awestruck look on his face. "I met someone."
"I saw," I said. "So, who is he? I don't remember seeing him at the signing."
"I think he works here." Dak bit his bottom lip before beaming with a smile. "Man, he kinda took my breath away. I don't even know his name."
"He didn't give you a name?" That didn't sound like someone who had any interest in meeting back up, but I didn't have the heart to tell that to Dak.
"No." Dak frowned. "He was a total charmer, though. He gave a new meaning to whispering sweet nothings in my ear."
"Come on, Romeo," I said, throwing an arm around his shoulder and heading towards the exit.
Eric stopped me before we left to say the night was a success. Someone in the crowd had recorded my speech and uploaded it to their social media. Apparently, the post was already circulating and my name was trending on Twitter. The response seemed to be mostly positive, too. People were excited about my new book, and I was excited to give it to them.
"Thanks for doing all of this," I told Eric. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he was amazing at what he did.
In one night, I felt like I was back in the game.
"Anytime," he said, shaking my hand. "You'll have a nice little surprise in your bank account soon, too. Be proud, Kendall. Your speech might've been a little wordy for my liking, but your readers loved it."
I was proud. Not only for the speech, but for all of it. Getting back out there and facing the world when all I'd wanted to do was hide.
Dak gushed about his mystery guy on the way home. He talked about the guy's voice and how he detected a slight accent but couldn't place it. He then told me about the guy feeding him chocolate-covered strawberries.
"Wait," I said, glancing at him in the passenger seat. "He didn't tell you his name but he fed you strawberries?"
"Seductive, right?" Dak sighed and slumped in his seat. "I would've totally let him pound my ass."
"So, why are you in my car instead of his bed right now?"
"Beats me." He shrugged. "When they announced that the party was over, I looked back and he was gone. Dude just freaking vanished. Don't know where he went. I looked around for him for a while but didn't want to seem too desperate, so that's when I gave up and found you."
"Ivy Grove isn't too big of a town," I said as I pulled onto Ravenswood. "Maybe you'll see him again."
"I've lived here for years and that was the first time I ever saw him." He peered out the window and pulled his beanie down lower. "Nah, I had my chance and I blew it."
After I dropped Dak off at his house and waited to make sure he got inside, I drove home. Excitement bubbled in my stomach, as did nerves. James was waiting for me. I didn't know what would happen, but tonight was the night.
I shouldn't feel so strongly about James. What did I expect to happen? James and I'd make out, maybe have sex, and then what? He was worried about getting his heart broken, but my feelings for him were deeper than curiosity or lust.
I had started falling for him weeks ago.
I never stopped.
As I parked the car and moved toward the porch, a light flickered on from inside the house.
James was welcoming me home.
Done! So, a pretty eventful chapter. At least Kendall and Dak made it out in one piece!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!
Again, I hope that you all enjoyed! There shouldn't be as long of a wait for the next chapter this time. The next chapter will pick up where this one left off and should be up early next week.
Until then!
-Epically Obsessed