Author's Note: Hey guys! Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all my fellow Canadians, just cause we rock :D

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You guys were the only people out of the 177 who read chapter 2 to review, so you have officially earned my love! To all those who didn't: I'm not gunna demand reviews, but if you guys want a double update this weekend (it's a long weekend for me and I really want to finish writing the next couple of chapters) then I would appreciate at least 20 :)

And in other news: I just bought Stolen and really want to read it. Has anyone read any of the Otherworld books yet? And if so, could you please explain the order of the books to me? I'm completely and utterly lost :(

That's it for today! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Steph and Christina are relaxing after a long week at school. Steph is writing her updates and Christina is lounging on her bed.

Christina: *Buries face in pillow*
School was horrible this week! I was gunna kill my English teacher! She added my marks wrong and it seemed like I lost ten points!

Steph: *Not paying attention*
Awww, really? That sucks! By the way, can you write me a disclaimer for chapter 3? I have no ideas whatsoever!

Christina: No way, man! This is my weekend to relax! Write your own disclaimers!

Steph: I can't! I have no ideas! How am I supposed to make my readers laugh while at the same time explaining that I don't own DP, and that I only own the plot and characters I create for TBWTEE?!

Christina: *Groans*
Well, first start off with a weird story about us like you usually do…

Steph: Yeah…?

Christina: And then create some sort of silly / funny conflict…

Steph: *Typing away and smiling*
Mhmmm…?

Christina: Then you include the disclaimer part of the disclaimer…

Steph: *Still not paying attention*
Disclaimer, gotcha. Sooooo…. what's the deal with 'staches lately?

Christina: You just turned this conversation into a disclaimer, didn't you?

Steph: *Hangs head*
What gave me away? Was it 'stache?

Christina: Generally, yeah.

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Chapter #3: Fear

"The only thing we have to fear is fear it'self - nameless, unreasoning,
unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
- FDR - First Inaugural Address

***

Ten Years Old

Lauren showed me to my room after giving me a guided tour of the rest of the house.

"Here we are," she announced excitedly. "This is your room, Chloe." She opened the door and waited for me to enter.

I was a little bit overwhelmed by the sight my eyes met with. If I had to describe it using only two words, they would be 'pink' and 'frilly'. There was pink everywhere: a bright pink canopy bed with pink curtains, pink and white striped walls, white and pink furniture – it was pinker than what I imagined the barf of the kid on the double bubble wrappers looked like!

The whole general effect was a bit too much for me. Being a bit of a tomboy, I would have preferred Godzilla posters and red or blue walls; but I wasn't going to let Lauren know that. It was obvious she had worked really hard on the room and I wasn't going to act like an ungrateful brat after everything she'd done for me.

"So, do you like it?" she asked anxiously.

"I LOVE it!" I lied. "Thank you so so much!" I hugged her tightly before running over to the bed and collapsing on top of it.

She laughed. "Well, I'll leave so you can get unpacked. Would you…like to help me make dinner later?" she ventured.

"Definitely!" I practically shouted as I sat up.

She smiled. "Okay, I'll come get you when it's time. Call me if you need any help! "

"Kay!" She left the room, whistling tunelessly as she went. I got up off the bed and crossed the length of the room to the window, which was being shielded by floor to ceiling curtains. I wanted to see if my room had a view, so I pulled back the curtains.

I gasped loudly.

Instead of just a window, I was met with two French doors. I stared at them for a moment, transfixed by the intricate designs on the glass before turning the knob and pushing the doors open.

Needless to say, my room definitely had a view. It opened up into a rather large backyard which was surrounded by dense forest. There was a pool too, but somehow Lauren (I was sure it was her) had made it seem like it had been there all along, integrating it into the scenery perfectly.

I stood there for a few minutes, soaking it all in. When I was done I headed inside again and laid down on my new bed.

As I lay there on that unnecessarily plushy bed the reality of what was happening finally set in: I was going to be living with these people for the rest of my life. There was no turning back now.

My conscience took control after that, fabricating some interesting theories.

What if their niceness was all just an act? What if they're sadistic serial killers who torture children in their spare time? What if-

"Don't be stupid!" I murmured to myself. "Lauren and Andrew are great! You know they'd never do anything like that and you know they'd do anything for you!"

I never got an answer. My inner voice was silent after that, and I desperately needed someone to talk to, so I decided to call my mother.

I shut the door and threw my bag down onto the floor, climbing back onto the bed and crossing my legs. I concentrated hard for a few minutes, opening my eyes when she said my name.

"Chloe?" she said anxiously. The look on my mother's face turned my stomach and effectively erased any traces of my good mood.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I asked, terrified of the answer. "Is everything all right?" I questioned, even though everything was obviously not all right.

"Chloe, sweetie, I want you to be careful. Something's happening- I'm not sure yet, but I don't think it's going to be a good thing."

"Is it about Andrew and Lauren?" I felt the same way I had all those months ago when Ms. Van Dop threatened me in the hall. "Are they hiding something?"

"No, no. It's not them. There's something else – I don't know much about it, but I want you to promise me you'll wear your necklace and be careful!"

"I promise, mom. But I still don't understand! What's going on, and how does it involve me?"

"Chloe, it has to do with your father's and my deaths. It was all planned, every single detail, and now-"

I was beginning to hyperventilate at that point. Someone planned to kill my parents? It wasn't an accident?

"Mom, are you sure about this? How did you-"

"Chloe?"

I whipped my head around. There, standing in the doorway was Lauren, looking scared, confused and worried.

She had definitely heard me.

"I…, um…" I struggled to formulate a plausible explanation as to why I was talking to my deceased mother, but everything I could come up with sounded both crazy and impossible.

"I…" She paused. "…came to see could use your help in the kitchen now, unless you're too tired…?" She smiled nervously, signaling that I should drop it.

I was shocked and slightly confused. Was she really going to pretend that none of it ever happened?

There were a few silent moments as I debated what to do in my head. Should I pretend nothing's going on, or should I try to explain?

Finally, I decided to follow Lauren's lead and pretend nothing had taken place. We walked to the kitchen together, the tension thickening the air so much it was almost impossible to breathe.

***

Life was relatively uneventful after that. I adjusted to life with Lauren and Andrew pretty quickly, the incident with Lauren having been forgotten soon after it occurred. Everything was going well, except for…

My mother's warning still haunted both my waking mind and my dreams, making me more jumpy and anxious than usual.

My mother was no help, either. Every time I tried to ask her about it she would disappear suddenly. She told me she wasn't allowed to tell me anything about it, and every time she tried she got yanked back into the spirit world by someone… or something.

I felt completely and utterly alone.

***

I shot up in bed, hearing a loud bang and movement outside my window. What was that?! I wondered anxiously. What could possibly be making that noise?! To make matters worse, my mother's words began replaying inside my head again, effectively sending chills down my spine.

"It was all planned, every single detail, and now-"

And now, what? I wondered. Am I next?

I strained to listen. Barely audible splashing noises were coming from outside my doors. A few moments later I heard footsteps, followed by a muffled sneeze.

There's someone out there! I realized. The same people who killed my parents are outside my door right now and they're going to come in here and kill me!

My first instinct was to bolt out of my room and into Lauren and Andrew's room to wake them up, screaming the whole way. I was halfway out of my bed before it hit me: if these people are here for me, then dragging Lauren and Andrew into this wouldn't be fair to them, would it?

I went back to my bed and sat down, ignoring the protests from my inner voice. Are you stupid?!, it asked. You're just going to sit here and let them take you?! Are you really that much of a coward?

No, I'm not, I spat back. I'm going to be brave and march out there and see what's going on. I don't know where my resolve came from, but as soon as the idea popped into my head I knew I would have to face these people alone. I took a deep breath and climbed off my bed.

I had left the curtains drawn back, allowing the moonlight to flood into my room through the glass doors. I regretted that decision now, knowing whoever was out there had probably been watching me all night long.

I peered through the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever or whatever was lurking outside my window. I gave up after a few minutes of searching, turning my attention to the door again.

I closed my eyes and turned the knob.

***

I had been standing on the balcony for almost 20 minutes and nothing had happened.

Nothing: no movement, no noises, no bogeymen jumping out and shouting 'boo'…

Nothing.

Could I have been imagining it? Hearing things?

Probably.

I made my way inside again, tired and put out. I climbed into bed again, ashamed of my behavior, but glad that I hadn't woken up Andrew or Lauren – I would have been even more embarrassed having them with me as I stood outside on the balcony like an idiot…

Why did I get so worked up over nothing? There's obviously no one out there; if there was I'd be long gone by now…

I reached down and pulled my blanket back up over my legs. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for sleep to catch up with me.

Half an hour later I was still lying flat on my back, studying the ceiling tiles and unable to fall asleep. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried I couldn't let my guard down enough to allow myself to drift off. I turned my head to face the window again, remembering the sounds I had thought I had heard. Could that really all have been in my head?

I looked at the doors again and shuddered. I couldn't have imagined it all, could I?

As if responding to my question, a wolf howled from somewhere in the woods.

Without sparing another second to think, I catapulted out of bed and shut the curtains. I ran back to my bed and laid down again, pulling the covers up over my head and shutting my eyes tightly, willing sleep to come.

***

The next few days were hell.

I was pretty sure I was becoming paranoid. I was acutely aware of every sound outside my window at night, and the only thing jumpier than me would have been a bounce-house.

Although I had only been living with them for a little over a week, I knew Lauren and Andrew could tell something was wrong - Andrew had taken me to a movie one day while Lauren was working and brought it up while we were in the car.

"What's wrong, kiddo? You seem kinda anxious lately; Lauren and I are worried about you. You know you can tell us if something's bothering you…"

I sighed. No matter how much they cared about me, I knew that the moment I told them I could talk to ghosts I'd be back at the orphanage so fast I wouldn't even have time to blink.

"I'm fine, really. I just watched a really scary show the other day, and…"

Andrew smiled. "And you didn't want to tell us because Lauren would insist I cut you off from all things horror. Been there, done that! Although my mom kinda figured it out after I asked to sleep next to her and my dad for a week…WITH nightlights!" I giggled; even if the story wasn't relevant to what I was going through, it still made me feel better somehow.

That night – the fifth night I had been woken up by sounds outside my window – I'd decided that I'd had enough.

I grabbed the necklace my mom had given me out of my jewelry box and put it on, tucking the red pendant inside the collar of my shirt. My mom had given it to me on my tenth birthday, telling me that if I kept it safe, it would keep me safe. I never asked her about it, but it reminded me of her, and if I was going to die tonight, I wanted to have it with me.

I opened the door slowly and stepped outside onto the balcony. Despite the fact that it was July there was still a bit of a bite to the air that made me wish I'd stop to grab a jacket on my way out.

I began descending the stairs that led from my balcony to the pool area, while at the same time watching the edge of the tree-line for any signs of movement.

That's probably why I fell – all klutzes know that the number one way to avoid accidents is to never attempt to multi-task.

I tumbled down the remaining few steps, landing flat on my back next to some sort of flowery bush. "Ouch!" I groaned, while attempting to sit up.

That's when I heard it: a giggle.

I nearly got up and ran back to the house. There's definitely someone there! I realized. And they're laughing at me.

That did it.

"Hey! I can hear you back there!" I shouted. I heard a gasp and stood up. "Yeah, you! The people who've been watching me since I got here! Who do you think you are, watching me through my window every night?" I began marching towards the trees, following the sounds of a muffled panicked conversation. "Why can't you just leave me alone? You already killed my parents! What do you want with me?" I demanded.

A voice replied from behind one of the trees. "We never killed anyone, I swear!"

Huh? The voice sounded like it belonged to someone my age – it was too high to be an adult's. Could these killers have some sort of way to disguise their voices? I wondered.

I backed up a bit and pointed to the ground ten feet in front of me. "Show yourselves!" I yelled, trying to sound authoritative.

More panicked whispers, then…

A little boy stepped out from behind the trees, pulling another older boy by his arm. The younger boy had distinctively Asian features which greatly contrasted with his bleach-blond hair, but he was smiling widely and looked like someone who everyone was friends with.

The other boy was something else entirely. He had a spill of dark brown – almost black – hair, and looked the epitome of a mystery. The other boy was smiling widely, but he looked as if he would rather be anywhere but where he was standing at that moment. I studied his face, trying to figure out whether he was angry or just scared. His cheeks were tinted red; was he…blushing?

The two boys came closer, the blond one coming to rest a few feet in front of me… I almost didn't notice.

The older boy's had raised his gaze and met mine. I gasped loudly when I saw his eyes – they were a beautiful electric green, almost too green, like emeralds; I had never seen anything like them before.

The image of those eyes staring at me that night would be permanently tattooed on my brain for years to come.

The younger boy stuck his hand out. "Hi," he said cheerfully. "My name's Simon, and this is my brother Derek." The older boy dropped his gaze again, and his brother continued. "Wanna be friends?"

A/N: *Dangles early update in front of screen and talks like an idiot *
Ya want it? Ya want it? Then go review, go review! :P

Anyways, what'd you think? Did you like it? Please review! I'm a very lonely person! :'(