Nudge and I were in her car, driving from school, to my house. The guys had decided to go to the arcade. We passed by the Mansion and something caught my eye. Something I'd never seen before. A light in the fricking window!
"Nudge! Look!" I screamed. She stopped the car and followed my gaze. There was a figure standing in the attic window, staring up at the stars.
She saw the figure too. "Holy crap! Max there are ghosts!" she screamed, clutching onto my arm.
"Well, this ghost drives a black Mercedes!" I said, pointing to the snazzy car parked in the driveway.
"Let's go, " she pleaded. Suddenly the attic light went out. We both gasped at the same time. Her nails dug into my arm more but I hardly felt it. We waited, wide-eyed and speechless.
"C'mon, let's go!" Nudge squeaked. I didn't move. "Maximum, I'm already late for dinner!" Her saying my complete name brought me back to reality. I would have waited till morning, but whoever was inside wasn't coming out. The light in the attic window had lit a fire in my soul.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Time-skip to Dinner! /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"I saw a Mercedes parked at the Mansion!" I informed my family at dinner. Iggy was stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes while mom put her fork down and dad raised his eyebrows.
"I heard they looked like the Addams Family, " Iggy said with his mouth full, mom looked at him sternly before he swallowed.
"Maybe they have a daughter your age. Someone who doesn't like to get into trouble, " my mother added.
"Then I'd have no use for her." Ig and I snickered.
"Maybe she has a father I can play tennis with, " my father said hopefully.
"Whoever it is will need to get rid of all those old mirrors and crates, " I added, not realizing what I had said. They all looked at me.
"What crates?" my mom asked. "Don't tell me you've snuck into that house!"
"It's just something I heard. "
"Maximum!" my mother said in that disapproving mother tone. Iggy smirked and I kicked him under the table. He flinched.
It seemed no one in Dullsville had seen the new owners. It was wonderful to have a mystery in this town for a change. Everyone already knew most everything that happened in Dullsville, and most of it wasn't worth knowing.
After dinner, I was in my room, coming up with a new song, strumming my guitar. I hummed the melody when one of the strings got cut loose. I groaned and went to one of my drawers. Nothing. I usually kept some extra strings. Oh well.
I got out of room and walked to Iggy's room. I flung the door open and saw him at his desk playing a video game on his laptop.
"Iggy," I called. He had his headphones on and was nodding his head. I walked over and tapped his shoulder.
"Hmm?" he removed his headphones.
"You got any extra strings?" I asked. He checked his drawer on the bottom right of his desk. Just guitar picks and paper was inside. He shook his head. I sighed, knowing I'd have to go to Bob's Music Emporium.
"Alright I'm gonna go buy some," I said. He gave me some money to buy him some. I turned on my heel and walked downstairs. Dad sat on the dining table, reading the news paper. I walked up to him.
"Can i borrow the car?" I asked.
"What for?"
"Gotta go buy some guitar strings for Ig and myself," I explained. He nodded and reached to his back pocket, retrieving the keys to his car. He placed them in my hand. I kissed his cheek and left. I walked up to the red 2007 Acura TL Type S. I turned on the car and drove off.
I was driving back home from the music store, singing along to Knives and Pens by Black Veil Brides. When suddenly the headlights illuminated a figure standing in the middle of the road. A guy with olive-toned skin and shaggy black hair, clothed in a black coat, black jeans, and black combat boots, quickly raised his arm to shield his eyes seemingly from the glare of the headlights rather than the imminent impact of the car.
I slammed the brakes and heard a thud. My heart was pumping and my breathing was rapid. Did I hit him? I jumped out of the car and anxiously peered around the front, afraid of what I might find lying in the road. But I saw nothing. I checked underneath the car and looked for dents. On closer inspection, I noticed blood splattered on the fender...but no body.
"Holy shit!" I squeaked and jumped back. I grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment and searched around the area.
I combed the bushes that went down to the creek. Then I headed for the hillside leading up toward the Mansion. I let out a shriek.
Blood! Thick puddles in the grass! But, again, there was no body! I followed the bloodstains, afraid bits of his corpse were strewn everywhere. And then I tripped over something hard. I looked down, anticipating a severed head. I apprehensively shone my flashlight on it. It was a dented paint bucket.
I sighed in relief and headed back to the car and continued driving home, still a bit shaken up. In the rear-view mirror I caught the reflection of the darkened Mansion just in time to see a light go on in the attic window.